After two straight home playoff games, the New England Patriots will be taking their act on the road on Sunday. The AFC Championship Game will see them go up against the Broncos at Denver’s Mile High Stadium,
one of the most challenging settings in all of football.
Naturally, our focus this week was almost exclusively on this game. However, the stories told in the NFL are manifold. So, let’s clean out the notebook: welcome to this week’s Sunday Patriots Notes.
Ashton Grant brings balance to Drake Maye’s development
One of the big reasons for the Patriots’ success this season is the play of their sophomore quarterback, Drake Maye, and the tutelage he is receiving from veteran offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. The six-time Super Bowl champion, however, is only one of the voices Maye is hearing both during the week and on game days.
The other is quarterbacks coach Ashton Grant, whose presence allows the team to strike a perfect balance in his development.
“Ashton’s been awesome,” Maye told reporters this week. “He’s been awesome for me just because the offense I came from last year, he was running it in Cleveland. So, we’ve had a cool experience translating the offense into what we started with, trying to get the old terminology out and get the new Coach McDaniels terminology in. He’s been great.
“He’s been great earlier in the week, kind of giving us an intro. The quarterbacks sit in there with him, and he gives us an intro. We watch some stuff on tape that helps me a lot. He’s just good about staying positive. He’s in the box during the game, comes down at halftime, always has something good to say, always something positive to say, and he’s fun. He’s funny. He’s one of my No. 1 hype men, and I appreciate that about him. He’s always in a good mood, and he keeps it real. I think that’s the biggest thing I appreciate, he tells me when I need to do something that I need to work on, and he pumps me up a lot, which I appreciate.”
Grant joined the Patriots during the 2025 offseason after spending the previous two seasons as an offensive assistant focused on working with the quarterbacks. His background is significantly more diverse than that one particular position group: a wide receiver at Assumption, he started his career in quality control at Holy Cross and with the Browns.
He also spent three seasons in Cleveland in a fellowship role, where Grant was given access to several position groups. Besides working with Browns’ QBs, he also spent time in the running back room as well as with the wideouts and tight ends.
In 2024, he did so with Mike Vrabel working alongside him as a coaching and personnel consultant.
“I got to evaluate him every day and what he did in Cleveland,” Vrabel explained, pointing out how Grant and McDaniels complement one another.
“I think it’s a good balance between him and Josh. And Josh was really excited for us to be able to add Ashton. Was in on those interview processes that we had for the quarterbacks coach, and I think Ashton really fit the vision that he had. First year in the system, Josh is going to have a heavy role in that, but also, I’ll go in there and Ashton will be meeting with these guys situationally. I think it is a good balance between him and Josh and how long Josh has done it. And maybe the newness and the youngness of Ashton is a nice little balance.”
That balance has played an important role in Maye’s development.
Easy schedule argument gone
One of the popular talking points surrounding the Patriots this season was the strength of their schedule, or the lack thereof. And while it is true that they have had the easiest path so far in terms of opponents’ combined wins and losses at .391 — making them the only team below .400 — they have managed to rise to the challenge in the first two rounds of the playoffs.
After beating the 11-6 Los Angeles Chargers on wild card weekend, the Patriots beat the 12-5 Houston Texans in the divisional round. And while one could argue the quality of both teams’ offenses in particular, there is no denying how good both defenses were: Houston’s ranked second in the NFL in EPA per play (-0.108), Los Angeles’ sixth (-0.077).
The task won’t get any easier on Sunday: Drake Maye and company will go up against the No. 8 defense in football in the AFC title game (-0.058)
Elliss vs. Elliss
One week after offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels went up against his brother, Texans assistant Ben McDaniels, linebacker Christian Elliss will have some family connections to the opponent: Denver linebacker and special teamer Jonah Elliss is his younger brother.
“We’re excited. It’s a huge blessing for our family,” said Christian this week. “One of us is going to the Super Bowl one way or the other, so we’re very excited. For me, it’s a little bit of smack talking, a little bit of — it’s just something between him and I. We’ll have a little side bet and the loser will be reminded forever.”
Christian entered the NFL as a rookie free agent in 2021, spending time in Minnesota, San Francisco and Philadelphia before coming to New England in 2023. One year later, Jonah was picked in the third round of the draft by the Broncos.
On Sunday, they will go up against one another for the first time in their careers.
“Never played against each other. We’ve never been on the same field like at the same time. So, it’s special to me,” Christian said. “I’m so excited to have his jersey and frame that and have this moment last forever, because my favorite moment even up to this point was playing against my older brother when he was on the Saints. I remember blocking him — he was on punt and I was on punt return — and I came and I tried to blow him up. And we’re laughing the entire way down the field. And out of all my moments — Super Bowl, big plays, all that — that’s probably my favorite one so far. It’s the one that I’m going to hold on to forever.”
Special bonds
On average, the specialists are the least experienced position group on the Patriots’ roster. While punter Bryce Baringer is in his third year, he is flanked by two rookies, kicker Andy Borregales and long snapper Julian Ashby. According to their coach, however, the three have developed a good dynamic over the year.
“I think all three of those guys have a really good relationship. They’re always together as they should be,” said special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer. “With two rookies, Bryce has had to really take on a leadership role, just how to approach the day by day. And to be honest with you, you think about Ashby and Andy, they were Combine-training at this time last year. So, they have not stopped in a full year, over a year in training — kicking, snapping for a full year. So, for those guys to stay locked in this amount of time, it’s not easy at all.
“We still got unfinished business. But I’m really proud of those guys for just sticking it through, staying the course and just believing in what we’re doing here and then trying to take ownership of that and get better.”
Longest-tenured AFC East head coach
After the Miami Dolphins fired head coach Mike McDaniel earlier this month, the Buffalo Bills followed suit this week. Despite making the playoffs in eight of his nine seasons and winning five straight division titles between 2020 and 2024, Sean McDermott was fired on Monday — a decision later explained by owner Terry Pegula and general manager Brandon Beane in a bizarre press conference.
The move, which kicked off a head coaching search still ongoing, creates a massive vacuum atop the Bills’ coaching staff. It also creates an interesting fact: Mike Vrabel is now the longest-tenured head coach in the AFC East.
Despite only being hired by the Patriots last offseason, no other coach in the division has the same experience:
- Patriots: Mike Vrabel (12 months, 13 days)
- Jets: Aaron Glenn (12 months, 3 days)
- Dolphins: Jeff Hafley (6 days)
- Bills: TBD
Given his success this season in speed-running the organizational turnaround, Vrabel is not just the longest-tenured coach on that list, but also the most secure in his position.
Well-rounded Rhamondre Stevenson
When you look at all NFL players this postseason through yards from scrimmage, Rhamondre Stevenson reigns supreme. Through two games, the Patriots running back has amassed a combined 209 yards through runs and carries.
A majority of that yardage was gained on the ground, with Stevenson carrying the ball for 123 yards against L.A. and Houston. He also caught 86 yards worth of passes, though, a significant percentage of his output.
For Josh McDaniels, this speaks for his overall development as a passing game contributor.
“He’s very dependable,” McDaniels said. “If you’re in the game as a pass catcher, you have to also be in there as a blitz protector. If all you can do is go in there and release into the patterns, it’s hard to hide that from the defense. So, I think his ability to block blitzes and protect the quarterback has allowed him to play a role as a pass catcher. And I think he’s improved significantly in both of those area over the course of his career.
“He’s got a broad route tree, really good hands, and a really good understanding of what to do to help the quarterback and be friendly to him. Just not a lot that I wouldn’t say complimentary about Mondre in the passing game.”
Mack Hollins’ return has teammates excited
The Patriots will not have all hands on deck against the Broncos, but they will have a pretty big piece of their offensive puzzle available again: wide receiver Mack Hollins was officially activated from injured reserve on Saturday. After missing the last four games with an abdomen injury, the 32-year-old is set to make his comeback on Sunday.
“Mack’s been awesome. It’s been awesome having him back,” said quarterback Drake Maye. “He’s a great player for us, been a great player for us all year. He practices hard. He’s one of those guys that brings it every day and has ever since I met him. I know he started off in OTAs and training camp battling a little injury, but since then, he’s been all gas, no breaks, and that’s how he is.
“He’s staying, running routes after practice. He’s doing all the little things. I always see him before the games on Saturday nights, drawing every single play up in the pass plays. He does those things, and you can tell why so many different teams wanted him and how he plays at a high level.”
Hollins’ presence was not just felt on the offensive side of the ball, as cornerback Marcus Jones pointed out.
“It means a lot,” the team captain said. “He brings a lot of energy when it comes down to it at practice. High enthusiasm, so we always want him to be a part of practice when it comes down to it.”
Hollins’ energy also was noted by fellow wide receiver Kyle Williams.
“Excitement, a lot of dawg, a good chip — he just adds a lot,” the third-round rookie said. “He’s a big missing piece of this puzzle. We’re just happy to have him back. … You could definitely feel it, the difference in what he brings when he’s on the field rather than when he’s gone. Just a great vet. Just a great teammate and a great friend to have on that field.”
Substantial cap carryover
The Patriots are one of only four teams left standing in the 2025 season, which means that a vast majority of teams are already starting their preparation for the future. One of the first tasks of business will be getting the salary cap in shape for free agency, which is set to begin in mid-March.
New England projects to be in decent shape yet again, in large part because of its carryover. As highlighted by salary cap expert Miguel Benzan this week, the team is ranked first in the NFL by a significant margin: they are rolling over $47.3 million in unused cap space from 2025 to 2026. This will give the team a projected $39 million in cap space, putting them in the top-10 league-wide.
Robert Kraft outlines the plan
When the NFL and the NFL Players Association negotiated a new Collective Bargaining Agreement in 2020, one of the big discussion points was the length of the regular season. Previously 16 games, it was increased to 17 with an option to go to 18 further down the line.
As Patriots owner Robert Kraft said this week, that is precisely what the owners have in mind.
“We’re going to push like the Dickens now to make international more important with us. Every team will go to 18 and two and eliminate one of the preseason games. And every team every year will play one game overseas,” he told 98.5 The Sports Hub.
“Part of the reason is so we can continue to grow the cap and keep our labor happy, because we’re sort of getting near the top here with the coverage. Ninety-three of the top 100 programs on television are NFL games. Think about that. It’s really amazing. And you look at the size of our crowds versus the other sports. We had that Amazon game on Thursday a couple of weeks ago, 31 million people streamed in. And so as long as we can keep growing revenue, we can keep long-term labor piece.”
The current CBA will run through the 2029 season, meaning that an 18-game schedule with only two remaining preseason games could be implemented as early as 2030.
Week ahead
What the upcoming week will look like for the Patriots will be determined by the outcome of the AFC Championship Game. If they win, they are on to the Super Bowl, which means that they will do some practice this week before enjoying a bye and flying to California.
If the Patriots lose, their season is over. We will still get to talk to Mike Vrabel on Monday, but offseason mode would kick in quickly in that case: futures contracts would be signed, and the focus shift toward fixing what went wrong.
In addition, we will keep an eye on the Arizona Cardinals, who interviewed Patriots assistant coach Thomas Brown for their vacant head coach job. Brown also was a candidate for the Chargers’ offensive coordinator opening, but that role is expected to go to ex-Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel.
