New England Patriots
A win subsequent Sunday towards a banged-up Broncos workforce would punch New England’s ticket to Tremendous Bowl LX.
COMMENTARY
FOXBOROUGH — The flurries that fell down on over 60,000 at Gillette Stadium weren’t as unwavering because the bands of snow that blanketed Foxboro Stadium in January 2002.
The optics of a fired-up Mike Vrabel clanging skulls with his players alongside the sideline stands in stark distinction to the stoic scowl placed on by Invoice Belichick throughout New England’s two-decade dynasty.
However as The Outfield’s “Your Love’ blared throughout Foxborough on Sunday night amid a playoff win over the Texans, the outcomes felt all too acquainted for the Patriots and their followers.
With New England now only one win away from a twelfth journey to the Tremendous Bowl, the great ol’ days are again. And much earlier than anybody may have anticipated.
It’s a actuality that also feels rooted in surrealism — with Mike Vrabel and the Patriots going from a four-win workforce destined for an extended rebuild right into a reliable AFC juggernaut in document time.
It’s for that cause that New England’s accelerated turnaround — orchestrated simply six years after Tom Brady left Foxborough for Florida — has additionally been buoyed by a way of resigned acceptance for many followers of this season.
For many followers, the 2025 Patriots have been working with “house money” for weeks, if not months, thus far.
Amid all the hope rooted in Vrabel’s arrival as a confirmed helmsman providing a steadying hand to a rudderless franchise, few anticipated New England to be a playoff workforce this winter — and particularly not a reliable Tremendous Bowl contender.
For even probably the most glass-half-full followers within the area, a profitable season was possible going to revolve round eight or 9 wins.
Granted, those that preached double-digit dubs had been possible met with loads of eye rolls from pragmatists who — for all the promise present in Drake Maye’s recreation — had been looking at a Patriots depth chart nonetheless seemingly pockmarked with a number of vacancies.
Positive, the 2025 Patriots had been poised to construct off of final season’s depressing four-showing season.
Perhaps if the playing cards fell their method and a playoff berth was clinched, Maye and Co. may achieve some precious expertise by way of a quick postseason look — providing up hope for higher returns in 2026 and past.
Then the objective posts began to maneuver.
As an alternative of trying like a promising second-year QB, Maye — working in tandem with Josh McDaniels — seemingly had gained the solutions to the check in a single day.
As Maye ascended into an MVP candidate, offseason pickups like Stefon Diggs, Milton Williams, Robert Spillane, and others carved out key roles — validating an aggressive offseason method for New England’s high brass.
Vrabel’s arrival — and his imaginative and prescient of a galvanized locker room interconnected with an id of relentless effort and complete buy-in — represented a breath of recent air.
The wins began to pile up.
However because the Patriots stacked victories and proved doubters fallacious with primetime triumphs in Baltimore and Buffalo, there nonetheless remained the sense of inevitability of how this season would wrap.
May it have been the byproduct of New England’s softer regular-season schedule?
Or perhaps it was Vrabel’s own musings about the need to “build a program” after New England stood pat on the commerce deadline?
Maybe it was the concern of what awaited within the postseason when matched up towards the boogeymen within the AFC like Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, and Lamar Jackson.
Regardless of the case could also be, the achievements gained this postseason had been seemingly going to be the cherry on high of what was already a miraculous turnaround season.
Even when New England took its lumps in a wild-card or divisional-round matchup, it’d be straightforward to spin the positives.
In any case, the Patriots had been already effectively forward of schedule from what was as soon as regarded as a multi-year rebuild. They’ve their franchise QB in Maye, and an elite head coach in Vrabel.
That duo already presents loads of hope for the long run, as does the boatload of cap house at New England’s disposal this offseason to repair no matter roster deficiencies plagued them .
Most of that outlook nonetheless stays unchanged.
Maye and Vrabel characterize the inspiration that each one franchises yearn for in hopes of constructing a sustainable contender. New England’s protection has alleviated their porous play from 2025.
Indubitably, the Patriots’ future appears vibrant in 2026 and past.
However now — towards all odds — 2025 is ripe for the taking for Vrabel and his squad.
And with a visit to Tremendous Bowl LX only a win away — speak of “home cash” must be snuffed out because the Patriots brace for an AFC championship recreation towards Denver.
“A piece in progress, we aren’t completed,” Robert Spillane stated of how he’d characterize this season to date.
The Patriots are not simply “joyful to be right here”, not in a season the place the trail to Levi’s Stadium has seemingly been paved from Foxborough to Santa Clara.
For all the discourse and barbs doled out by nationwide media pundits about New England’s comfortable schedule, the Patriots had no management over the opponents put in entrance of them.
As an alternative, they seized the chance — pummeling nearly each opponent that received of their method en path to a 14-3 document and home-field benefit by way of the primary two rounds of the playoffs.
Alongside the best way, the Patriots’ presumed roadblocks like Mahomes, Jackson, Joe Burrow, and others had been all solid apart.
Come the playoffs, New England feasted towards a patchwork Chargers offensive line within the wild-card spherical — pummeling Justin Herbert by way of eight sacks in a 16-3 victory.
On Sunday, New England’s protection put Houston QB C.J. Stroud in a blender — choosing him off 4 occasions within the first half as a part of a 28-16 win within the divisional spherical.
Even in a night the place Maye was rendered mortal (4 fumbles, two misplaced), the Texans weren’t in a position to capitalize with Stroud doing his greatest Nathan Peterman impression.
Elsewhere throughout the NFL panorama, the celebrities aligned for Vrabel’s crew.
On Saturday, Josh Allen — the NFL’s presumed remaining bastion towards New England making it again to the large recreation — faltered on the large stage in Denver.
And now, the one factor standing between the Patriots and a spot in Tremendous Bowl LX is former New England backup QB Jarrett Stidham — now pressed into service next Sunday for Denver now that Bo Nix is out for the season.
Sure, the Broncos’ stingy protection may nonetheless make life depressing for Maye and Co. in Denver, whereas Stidham may remodel into Nick Foles towards all odds. “Any Given Sunday” and all that.
“We all know the stadium goes to be loud,” Vrabel stated of subsequent Sunday’s opponent. “So the louder the higher. Each alternative — I feel what we’ve performed is we’ve requested them to embrace the preparation, embrace the pressure and likewise get pleasure from each minute of this. … However largely benefit from the execution.
“We’ll preserve doing that, and we all know we’ve received to go on the highway to a No. 1 seed within the AFC, and it’s not going to be straightforward.”
However make no mistake. The Patriots — a battle-tested workforce already steeled by means of a number of crunch-time triumphs this season — ought to win in Denver subsequent week.
And after a dreadful drought of simply seven years, the Patriots must be again within the Tremendous Bowl subsequent month, with the Lombardi Trophy inside their grasp as soon as extra.
Few may have anticipated such a state of affairs to be tangible again in August.
Granted, August was an extended, very long time in the past. Expectations have modified for this Patriots workforce.
Sure, it appears like the great ol’ days as soon as once more.
As a result of something lower than a Tremendous Bowl look now — amid this alternative — appears like a waste.
“I like our probabilities with these guys within the locker room,” Maye stated. “It’s enjoyable to be with these guys, enjoyable to indicate up right here and simply glad the season retains on going. Hopefully it goes for a superb whereas longer.”
Do you suppose the Patriots will make it to the Tremendous Bowl?
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