Coming off their bye week, the New England Patriots are set to play in one of the biggest games in recent franchise history. A win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, and the team of first-year head coach
Mike Vrabel will crown itself as AFC East champions for the first time in six years.
Naturally, our primary focus over the past week has been on that particular contest and it continues to be at the forefront with the 1 p.m. ET matchup nearing. With that being said, let’s clean out the notebook from the week that was. Welcome to the latest edition of our Sunday Patriots Notes.
Upstart Patriots in unfamiliar territory
The Patriots are no strangers to playing high-profile games this season, but Sunday’s matchup with the Bills falls into a different category altogether. The stakes are very much known at this point, and a victory would send a clear message not just to the rest of the division but the NFL as a whole: this team is indeed for real and finally back in contention for championships.
Of course, the team as a whole looks markedly different from the last time New England found itself in a position to compete for the AFC East title. No players remain from the last time the division crown ended up in Foxborough in 2019, and only a handful was around for the last winning season in 2021.
Needless to say, this is unfamiliar territory for the new-look Pats.
“It’s a blessing to be in this situation,” said wide receiver DeMario Douglas, “because the last two years I was wasn’t even close to this.”
Douglas is not alone in this position. Following their 10-7 campaign in 2021, the Patriots dropped to 8-9 before back-to-back 4-13 seasons that culminated in two straight head coaching changes.
In Year 1 under Mike Vrabel, who won a pair of division titles as head coach of the Tennessee Titans as well as eight more during his time as a player, the tide has turned dramatically. His players have no intention of letting it change again come Sunday’s matchup with the five-time defending champion Bills.
“It’s really important to do it here,” said second-year quarterback Drake Maye of his team’s opportunity to lock up the division. “We’ve got a chance to face them head-to-head. 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 an opportunity for us to do it here, do it versus them and control our own destiny. That’s what we have. We have a chance to do it here, and 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?”
“It’s everything to go out there,” added cornerback Christian Gonzalez, who won a combined eight games during his first two season in the NFL. “Vrabes came in the first meeting and said we’re going to go win the division. All the guys and the hard work, we’ve put ourselves in this situation but it’s just another home game. You can’t look at it as too big o fa game or as too little of a game. You can never look at a game for one thing. You have to take it the same game, the same approach.”
Gonzalez, Maye and Douglas are part of a sizable group of players on the Patriots’ current 53-man roster who have never won a division championship since entering the NFL. In fact, 41 players are in that same boat, amounting for more than three fourths of the team.
And while the organization is trying to treat the matchup with Buffalo as any other game, there is a certain buzz at One Patriot Place.
“We’re excited to get out there, this challenge,” said Gonzalez. “Everybody knows what the Bills bring and we’re really excited to get out there and play in a home game — Gillette’s gonna be rocking, it’s going to be real loud. Super excited.”
“I’m looking forward to being in front of the fans and getting out there with my teammates,” Maye noted. “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.”
Division champs an exclusive group
As noted above, 41 of the 53 players on the Patriots’ current active roster have never been part of a division championship. That leaves the following 12 players in the other group:
- QB Joshua Dobbs
- WR Stefon Diggs
- WR Mack Hollins
- TE Austin Hooper
- OT Morgan Moses
- C Garrett Bradbury
- DT Khyiris Tonga
- ED K’Lavon Chaisson
- ED Harold Landry
- LB Christian Elliss
- LB Robert Spillane
- CB Carlton Davis III
Some notable names are missing from this group. Longtime NFL veterans such as Hunter Henry, Mike Onwenu or Jahlani Tavai —all of whom having had successful multi-year careers up until this point — have continuously looked up at other teams during their careers. On Sunday, they and the rest of the team will get a chance to change this.
Ex-Bill a tone-setter in New England
While Stefon Diggs unsurprisingly gets most of the attention, but he is not the only former Bills wide receiver currently on the Patriots roster. Mack Hollins, who is currently on his sixth team in nine NFL seasons, also spent one year in Buffalo.
Making the in-division move this offseason, he has acclimated well to life in New England and within the Patriots organization.
“Mack brings a great spirit to work every day,” said head coach Mike Vrabel. “He’s a great teammate. I actually showed a clip from the first game on a kickoff coverage, and Mack’s over there excited, not going in the game, but he’s into it. Somebody made a tackle and Mack’s the first one cheering on the sidelines, and those are the little things that mean a lot, I think, to me. So, again, we ask him to do a lot of different things, and again, I think just the spirit that he brings to work and the teammate that he is.”
A starter on the offensive side of the ball, Hollins has appeared in all 13 games so far and been on the receiving end of 35 passes that he took for 440 yards and a couple of touchdowns. Unlike Diggs, who had 146 yards on 10 receptions in the first game versus the Bills, Hollins did not touch the ball in Week 5.
Kyle Williams’ quest to ‘perfect the little things’
Even though the return of starting receiver Kayshon Boutte from a hamstring injury prompted Kyle Williams to move back into a rotational role, the third-round rookie has managed to flash his talents. In the Patriots’ last game, a 33-15 win over the New York Giants in Week 13, he caught a 33-yard touchdown pass from Drake Maye.
For his position coach, the play was the result of Williams getting comfortable within the Patriots offense and more and more beginning to take advantage of his skillset.
“He’s done a nice job of really staying in tune to trying to perfect the little things,” said Todd Downing this week. “It’s becoming more and more natural to him to just react in the moment with the great athleticism and body control that he has, and that was on display on that play. …
“He has an elite trait with his speed. I think that as he continues to grow and get more comfortable with the entire route tree and coverages and things of that nature, the challenge is can you play that fast all the time? He’s growing in that and I think that that’s something he’s very aware of and works hard at. Excited to see his future there.”
On the year, Williams has caught only five passes for 143 yards with two TDs. However, Downing sees increased experience leading to improved results.
“I don’t think you can really put yourself in too many positions in practice where you realistically are moving at that speed in that area of the field,” he said. “But I think the more reps that you can have where you are executing at full speed and are aware of your kind of spatial responsibility, if you will, kind of gives you a fighter’s chance. And then God’s gifts take over.”
O-line gets some help
The entire left side of the offensive line was wiped out by injury in Week 12 against the Cincinnati Bengals, but neither tackle Will Campbell nor guard Jared Wilson suffered any season-ending ailments. In fact, Wilson will end up having missed only one game: the rookie is set to make his comeback on Sunday from the sprained ankle that he suffered in the first quarter in Cincinnati.
“Feel great. Ready to go and ready for Sunday,” Wilson said, who called his eventually positive diagnosis a “huge relief.”
“A huge relief in that moment. Just scary because it’s unknown. You don’t really know anything. You don’t know what’s happened or what’s going to happen. Just definitely a relief to know what had happened and being able to get on the road to recovery and be back.”
Pro Bowl incentives on the line
The NFL Pro Bowl fan vote is underway, and New England is well-represented with quarterback Drake Maye leading all players thus far. Maye is one of multiple Patriots who could financially benefit from being voted to the league’s all-star game on original ballot, because Pro Bowl selection is one of the criteria determining the value of the fifth-year contract option for former first-round draft picks.
This means that he, cornerback Christian Gonzalez and offensive tackle Will Campbell could see their contractual outlook change based on the results of the Pro Bowl. Meanwhile, four more players have Pro Bowl incentives in their current deals (h/t Miguel Benzan):
- RB Rhamondre Stevenson: $600,000
- WR Stefon Diggs: $500,000
- DT Christian Barmore: $500,000
- ST Brenden Schooler: $250,000
Out of that quartet, Schooler seems most likely to be honored as a Pro Bowler. He is the only one currently in the top-10 at his position group and besides his tape also has the benefit of being a reigning first-team All-Pro.
Besides Maye and and Schooler, six other Patriots are currently among the top-10 vote-getters at their positions: TE Hunter Henry (No. 5), CB Marcus Jones (No. 6), LS Julian Ashby (No. 6), C Garrett Bradbury (No. 8), K Andy Borregales (No.8) and S Jaylinn Hawkins (No. 9).
“That’s cool. That’s a blessing, you know,” said Hawkins. “Stuff like that is always cool. This is, I guess, the first time this happened for me, so it’s pretty dope. Still got to lock in on what the important task is is to get the win. But that’s dope. It’s really cool. Honestly, it’s a blessing.”
Insight into the insight
Over the years, the Patriots have developed a reputation as one of the most secretive teams in the NFL. Following longtime head coach Bill Belichick’s departure after the 2023 season, however, the club has started opening up a bit. Under Mike Vrabel, who spent eight seasons under Belichick, this development has continued.
“We’re an entertainment business,” Vrabel explained this week. “It’s a large part of what we do. I think that that’s important that our fans have some connection to our team, to be able to come out here to training camp starting in July. I think that’s important. I think it’s important that our fans can come into the stadium and watch a scrimmage. I think it’s important that they have things to cheer about on Sundays. And when we play, I think it’s important that they see our players in the community, not only as players but men trying to make a difference, trying to make an impact and help. So, the more that we can do and the more that we can share with our fans, the better.”
Bye week blues
Despite the bye providing an extra week of rest and preparation, the Patriots have struggled in recent years to earn victories. They have lost two straight games coming off their bye, and four of their last five in such as scenario.
Of course, they have a head coach well-experienced in that matters. While his perfect record is a myth, Mike Vrabel is unbeaten in the regular season off a bye, going 6-0 during his six seasons in Tennessee. He did suffer one loss as the top seed in the AFC playoffs in 2021, bringing his total post-bye record to 6-1.
This season so far, teams are 16-12 off a bye.
Philip Rivers adds intrigue to playoff race
Arguably the biggest story in the NFL this week was the return of quarterback Philip Rivers. The 44-year-old, who retired after the 2020 season, was signed to the Indianapolis Colts’ practice squad and is expected to draw the start on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks.
“I think it’s awesome,” said Drake Maye about Rivers’ comeback. “I think it’s pretty cool. When we were down there — I did draft training in Mobile, and he lives around there somewhere. The biggest thing is he still throws it well. I mean, shoot, that was two springs ago. So, not the last one, the one before. He was slinging it well.
“What a quarterback, what a competitor. He’s the ultimate competitor. I’m sure he knows the offense well, and I’m sure still slings it great. So, I saw a little bit of his press conference; I thought it was pretty funny. But no, he seems like a great guy. When I was around him, he’s been great to me. So, it’s pretty cool, something like that, whatever happens there, but it’s pretty sweet.”
The Colts, who dropped from first to eighth seed in the AFC over the last month, need a shot in the arm. Whether or not Rivers can provide it will be seen, but his presence adds some intrigue to the playoff race.
Week ahead
Whether they are entering Week 16 as division champions or not, here is what the Patriots’ schedule leading up to their game against the Baltimore Ravens will look like:
- Monday, Dec. 15: Mike Vrabel and select players media availability
- Tuesday, Dec. 16: Players’ day off
- Wednesday, Dec. 17: Practice, Mike Vrabel and select players media availability
- Thursday, Dec. 18: Practice, coordinators and select players media availability
- Friday, Dec. 19: Practice, Mike Vrabel and select players media availability
- Saturday, Dec. 20: Pre-game walkthrough, travel to Baltimore
- Sunday, Dec. 21: Week 16 vs. Ravens (8:20 p.m. ET)
The Patriots’ game in Baltimore was originally scheduled for 1 p.m. ET, but has been flexed to a prime time slot.
