New England Patriots
Mike Vrabel’s arrival and Drake Maye’s ascension as an MVP candidate helped New England enhance by 10 wins this 12 months.
Hope was excessive at this level final January when New England — recent off a depressing four-win season — introduced in former linebacker and established NFL head coach Mike Vrabel to guide the franchise again to relevancy.
Followers had embers of optimism to huddle round, headlined by the promise put forth by rookie QB Drake Maye.
Nonetheless, it appeared slightly evident {that a} Patriots roster marred by years of poor drafting, lackluster expertise, and rudderless management was nonetheless years away from re-asserting itself as a contender.
A lot for that.
New England is now gearing up for its first playoff game held at Gillette Stadium since the 2019 season, with Vrabel, Maye, and the Patriots trying to make good on one of many extra unbelievable turnaround seasons in current reminiscence.
The Patriots enter the playoffs with a report of 14-3, holding onto the No. 2 seed within the AFC and the AFC East division title for the primary time since 2019. New England is simply the third staff in NFL historical past to enhance by 10 wins from one season to the following.
“We received the suitable guys within the constructing on the proper time, and we received good quarterback play,” Vrabel mentioned Sunday of New England’s response this season. “We discovered how you can not beat ourselves. I feel we play to an identification, and guys make performs. That’s what occurs.
“I’m excited for all these guys that — once more, if you chase wins, normally the manufacturing comes together with it, so we have to give attention to successful and the efforts which might be going to assist us win, and in flip you find yourself with all of the performs that you simply’re going to wish, and I feel you noticed that.”
As New England prepares for a showdown with the Chargers within the wild-card spherical on Sunday night time, right here’s a have a look at how the Patriots managed to proper the ship in report time.
Shifting on from Jerod Mayo
The writing was on the wall {that a} change wanted to be made after the 2024 Patriots closed out a woeful season with a 4-13 report.
Nonetheless, shifting on from Jerod Mayo after only one season on the job required proprietor Robert Kraft to eat a number of crow for the great of the group.
Kraft’s resolution to put a succession plan into Mayo’s contract earlier than shifting on from Invoice Belichick, coupled with his braggadocious claims that he decided on hiring Mayo over years in the past didn’t assist the optics.
Nevertheless it was clear that Mayo — who held no official coordinator title earlier than changing Belichick — was not prepared for the gig. As flawed as New England’s roster was, a struggling franchise was oftentimes ill-prepared final 12 months, whereas Mayo did himself no favors with a number of of his musings to the media.
Moderately than give his hand-picked head coach one other shot to proper the ship, Kraft opted to fire Mayo just hours after New England’s season came to a close.
“Within the necessary selections in my life, I’ve at all times mentioned that I measure 9 occasions and lower as soon as and this was a kind of conditions,” Kraft mentioned the next afternoon. “I suppose the principle factor for me is, I felt that we regressed. The excessive level of all the pieces for me was the Cincinnati recreation, after which mid-season I simply assume we began to regress.”
Bringing in Mike Vrabel
It didn’t take lengthy for New England to discover a new head coach, with three-time Tremendous Bowl champion rabel accepting the job on Jan. 12, per week after Mayo’s ousting.
Past Vrabel’s familiarity with New England and his standing as a former participant who may resonate with an NFL locker room, the 50-year-old Vrabel had a confirmed resume on the sidelines — successful NFL Coach of the Yr in 2021 with the Titans.
In his opening tackle as Patriots head coach on Jan. 13, Vrabel didn’t mince words about what he was looking to build in Foxborough.
“I wish to impress our soccer staff,” Vrabel mentioned. “I wish to impress this constructing. I wish to impress our followers. Crucial factor is the gamers. … I wish to present a program that gives their possession but in addition their accountability of one another and one which they’ll be proud to be part of and that they’re going to struggle for.”
“Folks ask what non-negotiables are,” he added. “Our effort and our end goes to be the contract that we make with our teammates.”
Vrabel’s tone-setting strategy and imaginative and prescient of a hard-nosed, accountable, and related Patriots roster led to instant buy-in from a staff trying to proper the wrongs of the previous couple of seasons.
Hiring Josh McDaniels and an skilled teaching workers
Vrabel and the Patriots’ prime brass put an emphasis on including extra expertise to New England’s teaching workers, including former head coaches to the group like Doug Marrone (offensive line) and Thomas Brown (passing recreation coordinator/tight ends coach).
However, no offseason addition past Vrabel may need held as a lot sway over New England’s fortunes because the return of Josh McDaniels because the membership’s offensive coordinator.
For all of his struggles as an NFL head coach, McDaniels’ observe report as an offensive maestro and QB guru has been well-established over his numerous stints working in Foxborough.
From fostering Maye’s growth as a franchise QB to overhauling New England’s offense from a West Coast system to more of the thorough Erhardt-Perkins structure beforehand put in place by the Patriots, the outcomes have been evident.
After rating thirtieth within the NFL with simply 17.0 factors per recreation in 2024, New England ranked second this season in the identical class this 12 months, averaging 28.8 factors per contest.
Drake Maye’s ascension as an MVP candidate
Vrabel’s efforts of resetting the tradition and getting New England’s gamers to buy-in has been key. McDaniels’ affect over what had been a dysfunctional offensive operation helped set the muse for a resurgent season on that aspect of the ball.
However, the gamers on the sphere nonetheless have to execute.
And the rationale why the Patriots are considered as a viable Tremendous Bowl contender is rooted in Maye’s evolution from promising rookie into professional MVP candidate within the span of a 12 months.
The numbers communicate for themselves.
Getting into the postseason, Maye led the NFL in completion share (72.0), QBR (77.2), and anticipated factors added (113.2), throwing for 4,393 yards and 31 touchdowns to go together with simply eight interceptions. He additionally scrambled for 450 yards and one other 4 touchdowns.
Maye’s capability to increase performs along with his legs, shred secondaries with deep balls down the sphere, and knack for limiting turnovers turned New England’s listless offense right into a well-oiled and explosive operation this fall.
Simply 5 years after Tom Brady left New England, the Patriots have a brand new franchise sign in place underneath heart.
“He’s extraordinarily correct. He’s made essentially the most of each passing alternative,” Vrabel mentioned of Maye earlier this week.. “We’ve created a number of [explosive] performs, and to create X performs it’s about 30 p.c scheme, it’s about 70 p.c of the gamers making a play, and a part of that’s the quarterback placing it in an important location for run after catch. I feel you proceed to see that.”
“His capability to increase, use his legs to achieve first downs, vital first downs,” he added. “His capability to attain once we’ve requested him to attain and run it in. He’s been all the pieces that we’ve requested and he continues to get higher. He’s not happy. So, I do know that our success of the place we’re proper now, right now, has loads to do with Drake Maye.”
Upgrading the protection in free company
One of many prime disappointments from the 2024 season was a porous protection led by Mayo and defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington, with New England ranked twenty second in factors allowed per recreation (24.5).
This season, New England ranks fourth in factors allowed per recreation at simply 18.8.
Returning gamers like Marcus Jones, Christian Gonzalez, Jaylinn Hawkins, and Christian Barmore have all risen to the event. However New England — who entered the offseason with greater than $100 million in cap area — additionally positioned a premium on including expertise out on the open market.
Defensive deal with Milton Williams — handed the largest contract in Patriots history per average annual value (four years, $104 million) — has been a drive within the trenches, producing stress and clogging up operating lanes.
The additions of linebacker Robert Spillane and defensive deal with Khyiris Tonga have additionally bolstered New England’s run protection. It took till Week 10 of the common season for an opposing operating again to generate 50 or extra speeding yards in opposition to New England’s protection.
After ending dead-last within the NFL final season with 28 sacks final 12 months, New England added just a few extra pass-rushers in veteran Harold Landry and Ok’Lavon Chaisson, with the latter placing collectively a breakout marketing campaign with 7.5 sacks and two compelled fumbles.
Counting on free company to shift the fortunes of a franchise can typically be a fruitless enterprise. However, New England’s overhauled protection has been anchored by a bevy of latest pickups.
Including Stefon Diggs and different weapons on offense
As elite as Maye has been this season, the second-year QB wanted some assist this 12 months when it got here to his targets.
In 2024, DeMario Douglas completed with essentially the most receiving yards amongst Patriots wideouts with 621 — whereas Kayshon Boutte’s 117 receiving yards in New England’s season finale in opposition to Buffalo was the primary time a Patriots WR recorded 100-plus yards in a recreation since Kendrick Bourne in Week 16 of the 2022 NFL season.
Reinforcements have been a necessity.
After years spent developing brief for prime wideouts like Calvin Ridley, DeAndre Hopkins, and Chris Godwin, New England lastly discovered its man in veteran Stefon Diggs.
Coming off a torn ACL in October 2024, there have been loads of query marks over whether or not a former All-Professional standout like Diggs was nonetheless the identical participant that torched New England throughout his days as Josh Allen’s No. 1 goal.
Diggs greater than lived as much as the billing, changing into the primary Patriots receiver to submit a 1,000-yard season since Julian Edelman in 2019. Whereas his recent criminal charges loom over the staff going into the playoffs, Diggs has obtained loads of reward from Maye and his teammates as a veteran chief in a reworked locker room.
With out Diggs in place as a shifty goal in crunch-time conditions, a number of of New England’s extra memorable comeback wins probably would have died on the vine this season.
Diggs stood as a serious improve for New England’s receiver corps, however a fellow veteran free-agent pickup in Mack Hollins was additionally a robust signing. Beyond his eccentric pregame outfits, Hollins has been a drive as a run blocker whereas including 46 catches for 550 yards and two touchdowns.
A powerful draft
After years of brutal whiffs, Eliot Wolf, Ryan Cowden, and New England’s entrance workplace shored up a number of vital areas of their roster through the 2025 NFL Draft.
New England addressed a large flaw throughout their offensive line with a number of draft picks, headlined by their first-round choice in LSU left deal with Will Campbell (No. 4 general).
For all the concerns over Campbell’s arm length, the 22-year-old lineman has been as marketed as a bodily and aggressive scrapper who ought to proceed to develop as New England’s franchise left deal with and the defender of Maye’s blind aspect.
New England additionally added Georgia heart Jared Wilson within the third spherical (No. 95 general). Whereas Wilson may ultimately shift over to heart later in his NFL profession, it’s a great signal that the previous Bulldog established himself as an instantaneous starter at left guard in 2025.
A Patriots offense in want of explosive expertise additionally obtained a shot within the arm by way of operating again TreVeyon Henderson (second spherical, No. 38 general) and vast receiver Kyle Williams (third spherical, No. 69 general).
After some preliminary rising pains, Henderson has emerged as a professional offensive weapon and home-run hitter for New England, producing 4 landing runs of 50-plus yards this season. Williams averaged 20.9 yards per catch and posted three touchdowns as a deep risk for Maye.
New England additionally reworked their special-teams unit by taking kicker Andy Borregales within the sixth spherical (No. 182 general) and lengthy snapper Julian Ashby within the seventh spherical (No. 251 general).
One of many extra underrated draft pickups for New England was security Craig Woodson — taken within the fourth spherical at No. 106 general. With New England shifting on from a number of veterans on the security place in Jabrill Peppers and Kyle Dugger, the onus fell on Woodson to tackle a heavy workload — rating thirty first out of 179 complete NFL safeties in snap depend, per PFF.
As New England appears to construct a sustainable contender shifting ahead, there’s loads to love about this present crop of younger expertise in Foxborough.
Bolstering the offensive line
A porous O-line had New England’s offense floundering for a majority of the 2024 season.
The Patriots allowed 52 sacks in 2024, the fifth-most within the NFL, and essentially the most sacks allowed in New England over one 12 months since 1999. As noted by ESPN’s Mike Reiss, the Patriots ranked final within the NFL in move block win charge (50.8%) final 12 months, in line with ESPN Analytics.
One thing needed to change.
After trudging by means of a lot of the 2024 marketing campaign with Vederian Lowe and Demontrey Jacobs on the deal with place, New England upgraded the place — utilizing their first-round decide on Campbell whereas additionally signing veteran proper deal with Morgan Moses to a three-year, $24 million contract.
Investing within the deal with place allowed New England to maintain Mike Onwenu at proper guard this 12 months, whereas Wilson began his NFL profession incomes a spot at left guard for the Patriots.
Free-agent pickup Garrett Bradbury changed David Andrews because the staff’s beginning heart, whereas each Lowe and Ben Brown did an admirable job as New England’s prime backups.
New England’s efforts to improve the offensive line paid dividends. According to ESPN, the Patriots’ pass-block win charge of 63 p.c ranks thirteenth within the NFL this season, whereas their run block win charge of 72 p.c ranks twelfth general.
Vrabel’s belief pays off
New England had loads of powerful sledding out of the gate, with the Patriots dropping to 1-2 to start out the season.
A few of the preliminary woes plaguing the Patriots have been turnovers, with operating again Rhamondre Stevenson particularly knocked for 3 fumbles throughout his first 5 video games of the 12 months. Rookie kicker Andy Borregales additionally had an up-and-down preseason earlier than whiffing on two further factors within the staff’s Week 2 matchup in opposition to the Dolphins in Miami.
Vrabel and the Patriots may have reached a serious inflection level with Stevenson amid his early fumbling subject — probably benching him in favor of the more-explosive Henderson. The case additionally may have been made that Borregales ought to have been lower earlier than the beginning of the common season after fellow kicker John Parker Romo had a stronger exhibiting in the summertime.
As a substitute, Vrabel caught by his gamers, holding Stevenson in a daily position on the depth chart regardless of being hindered for a while with a toe harm. Even after lacking these XPs, Vrabel nonetheless awarded Borregales with one of many staff’s recreation balls after that Week 2 win following a profitable 53-yard discipline purpose in opposition to Miami.
Since then, Borregales has gone 52-for-52 on PATs and has delivered on some clutch kicks, together with a last-second, game-winner in Buffalo and a 59-yard boot in opposition to Miami in Week 18.
Stevenson’s uneven season can also be trying up simply earlier than the playoffs. Amid these trials and tribulations, he’s playing his best football down the stretch — accounting for 410 complete yards and 7 touchdowns in his final 4 video games.
If the Patriots wish to go on an extended playoff run, a robust floor recreation and some clutch kicks might be required. Each Stevenson and Borregales stand as two key examples of Vrabel pushing all the proper buttons amid the hurdles of an extended NFL season.
A lighter schedule
Make no mistake about it, New England’s 14-win marketing campaign was made a bit simpler by getting a good schedule in 2025.
Getting into the playoffs, New England sports just a .391 strength of schedule — with the next-closest staff being Denver at .422.
In complete, New England performed simply three opponents presently within the postseason — and two groups that completed above .500 on the season.
Nonetheless, as Maye noted last week, the Patriots’ lighter schedule is out of their management.
“We play within the Nationwide Soccer League. Each staff’s received nice gamers. They receives a commission some huge cash,” Maye mentioned. “So, it’s not like we’re taking part in, shoot, Foxborough Excessive Faculty down the street. We play who’s on our schedule. We will’t management that. Simply making an attempt to go on the market and attempt to win. Numerous these groups that we do play are good, and so they’re within the Nationwide Soccer League for a purpose.”
New England might not have had an imposing slate of video games through the common season. However as evidenced by fourth-quarter triumphs over the Payments and Ravens in primetime matchups, this Patriots staff has developed a knack for responding to adversity and executing in crunch time.
Maye and the Patriots will look to submit one other victory on the nationwide stage Sunday in opposition to the Chargers.
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