Pats Pulpit
Shortly after being hired as the head coach of the New England Patriots, Mike Vrabel stood in front of his team during their first full squad meeting with one goal in mind.
“Vrabes said we’re gonna go win the division,” cornerback Christian Gonzalez said.
Months later, as the Patriots take the field on Sunday, they have a chance to do exactly that — and they’ll do so in a matchup against AFC East rival Buffalo Bills.
“They’ve won the division for five years,” quarterback Drake Maye said. “So, we’ve got something that we need to go take, and we know it’s going to be hard to do, but we’re up for it.”
A win on Sunday would clinch New England’s first AFC East title since 2019. But, the 11-2 Patriots would remain atop the division and in the driver seat over the 9-4 Bills even with a loss.
Maye, however, wants to go through the best and end things on their terms.
“We’ve got a chance to face them head-to-head. I mean, there’s no better way to win the division than with the team that’s fighting to crawl back and to keep themselves as division champs. So, it’s opportunity for us to do it here, do it versus them and control your own destiny,” he said.
“I know we could do it down the road, but why not do it this weekend at home with a division opponent coming in that plays at a high level. I’m looking forward to being in front of the fans and getting out there with my teammates. It’s fun to play in these types of games. This is what you strap up your helmet and put on the shoulder pads for.”
After back-to-back four win seasons, the turnaround has been swift under Vrabel. The success traces back to the work that began following the first squad meeting — a foundation the team continues to lean on now as the stakes begin to rise.
“You work hard all year,” wide receiver Stefon Diggs said. “We kind of echoed it earlier on in November. November is when football starts — November and December. All the meaning for football is December and January. So, we’re kind of teetering that line and getting to that point. So, right now, we got a great opportunity in front of us. Like, why not go chase it?
“We work hard all year. Years are hard. You got a lot of guys banged up, bruised up, but we grinded. We really built the team, a lot of camaraderie, and a lot of bonding. So going out there and playing as a unit is going to be super important.”
