Pats Pulpit
As the New England Patriots returned to work at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday, they did so sitting atop the AFC East standings. But, with 11 games still ahead, they know plenty of work is left to be done.
“They’re not going to cancel the rest of the season, and that’s not really our focus right now,” head coach Mike Vrabel said. “But I would say that we’ve done – we’ve put ourselves in a position to play meaningful games – not that they aren’t all meaningful, but certainly focusing on this one on the road.”
In the midst of a three game win streak, playoff buzz has begun outside the building. Inside it, though, the players are ignoring the noise and sticking to what has worked.
“The biggest thing is don’t drink the Kool-Aid,” wide receiver Stefon Diggs said. “They’re going to say a lot of good things about you, but it’s only the second quarter of the season — you break it up in quarters. Don’t buy into that. You get distracted by how good they say you are. You get to doing different things or not committing to the process like you were before.”
Coming off an emotional primetime victory over the Buffalo Bills, the Patriots followed it with another one-score victory in New Orleans. Vrabel credited his team’s ability to quickly reset and correct mistakes rather than look ahead — ultimately sticking to that process that has led them to early success.
“We’re not that kind of team,” Diggs said. “We came in with the right mindset today trying to get back on track. We feel like we left a lot of plays out there [in New Orleans], even me. I feel like I took a touchdown away from Pop and I had some things going on out there. Trying to be better and I’m back to the grind.
“Just don’t drink the Kool-Aid and get caught up on that [expletive]. It’s neither here nor there. We’ll figure that out ten more games from now.”
The focus now lies on a third straight road game to take on the 1-5 Tennessee Titans, where the Patriots will just look to continue playing their best football.
“Focusing on Tennessee and the challenge that that presents,” Vrabel said. “Seeing if we can continue to enhance the things that we do well, improve the things that we’re not doing well and then eliminate the stuff that could or will or has gotten us beat.”
