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The New England Patriots topped the Los Angeles Chargers with a dominant defensive performance in last Sunday’s Wild Card game. Drake Maye struggled in his playoff debut, turning the ball over twice. But New England’s defense hounded Justin Herbert with six sacks and 11 QB hits. Now the Patriots will face the Texans’ ferocious defense in the divisional round.
New England rebounded in Mike Vrabel’s debut season after enduring three straight losing campaigns. Bill Belichick went 12-22 in his final two years with the team. Then Jerod Mayo led New England to a 4-13 record in his sole season at the helm. Vrabel was hired in 2025. And the Patriots turned things around by adding key players through the draft and free agency.
The Texans experienced a similar situation, with three straight losing seasons from 2020-2022 before DeMeco Ryans got the program back on track. So when Vrabel was asked how he thought Houston managed to turn things around, his answer was pretty simple. “I mean they got a lot of draft picks. And they signed some good free agents,” Vrabel said, per Houston Stressans.
The Texans have enjoyed a phenomenal rebuild by creating the team’s core through the draft. Houston selected Derek Stingley in 2022, C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson Jr. in 2023, Kamari Lassiter in 2024 and Jayden Higgins joined the team in 2025.
And as Vrabel mentioned, free agents played a big role in the Texans’ turnaround, with additions like Dalton Schultz, Danielle Hunter and Sheldon Rankins making an impact.
The formula was essentially the same for the Patriots. New England signed key players like Milton Williams, Stefon Diggs and Robert Spillane over the offseason. And the Patriots hit on critical draft picks including Maye, Will Campbell and TreVeyon Henderson.
Vrabel began his coaching career in Houston in 2014. He worked his way up to defensive coordinator in 2017 and then left to become head coach of the division rival Tennessee Titans.
Now Vrabel will attempt to lead the Patriots to their first AFC Championship Game since 2018. But he’ll have to get past Ryans’ Texans, who hope to advance beyond the divisional round for the first time in franchise history.
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