With only two games remaining on the schedule, the New England Patriots’ regular season is nearing its end. The first of those contests will see the team of head coach Mike Vrabel — playoff ticket in hand — travel to New York to take on the Jets in what is a must-win game despite the two rivals’ record disparity: the easiest way for the Patriots to win the AFC East is to go 2-0 over those final two games.
Naturally, our non-holiday focus this week was primarily on that game. With that said, let’s
clean out the notebook. Welcome to the latest edition of our Sunday Patriots Notes.
Pro Bowlers have bigger fish to fry
Quarterback Drake Maye and cornerback Christian Gonzalez are representing the Patriots in this season’s Pro Bowl. But while both have expressed their gratitude for being voted to the league’s all-star game, they made it clear this week that their focus lies elsewhere.
“A big thing is respect in this league. So, appreciative of it and glad about the honor,” Gonzalez told reporters at his Gillette Stadium locker earlier in the week. “But we have big things and big games to play ahead. That’s what we’re focused on.”
Gonzalez, a second-team All-Pro a year ago, has made his first Pro Bowl in three seasons in the NFL. Maye, meanwhile, has some experience already: as a rookie, he was named to the event as an alternate injury replacement.
While the Pro Bowl Games are little more than a light-hearted get-together between some of the league’s best players (whose teams did not qualify for the Super Bowl), Maye did see value in his participation.
“I was probably the last choice. They finally got somebody that would go,” he said. “I was a rookie, and was like, ‘Hey, it would be cool to maybe try it out.’ And no, it was definitely awesome being around the older players, veterans and quarterbacks. I was around Joe Burrow and Russell Wilson. Russell Wilson won a Super Bowl; I got to spend time with him. For me, it was a time that was awesome. I was with Baker [Mayfield], [Jared] Goff on the other side and Sam Darnold.
“Those guys, it’s good to know how they carry themselves. You hear them talk about their season, losing in the playoffs and little things like that that is just invaluable for me as a young player of what it’s like and seeing how bad that taste in their mouth was and how bad they want to win. It strives for what this league’s about, and that’s everybody getting to the playoffs, winning playoff games and getting to the big game. So, it was really cool for me to be around some of the other players that you see.”
Despite getting a look at some of his peers, Maye echoed Gonzalez’s point about more important challenges lying directly ahead.
“Obviously, you want to play this game at a high level, and you want to earn the respect of your peers, your organization and around the league,” he said. “It’s a great honor, but like I said, like I keep saying, I care about winning. I realize what the Pro Bowl’s about, and it’s obviously a great honor. I don’t want to kind of put that to bed like it’s not a cool deal. It really is, but we’ve got some more important games ahead, and I’m looking forward to that.”
Marcus Jones, Pro Bowl snub
Among the bigger surprises surrounding the Pro Bowl announcement was Marcus Jones not making the list at cornerback or as a return specialist — two roles he has excelled in this season. The team captain himself voiced his opinion on the matter earlier this week.
“I was surprised, but I’m happy for everyone that ended up making it,” he said. “That’s a hard accolade to end up having. At the end of the day, I’m more focused on the situation of winning the Super Bowl.”
For veteran wide receiver Stefon Diggs, Jones also was worthy of Pro Bowl status.
“I don’t think anybody really cares about it, but personally I think Marcus Jones should have been in the Pro Bowl,” Diggs said. “But it’s a bunch of what ifs and all that. We’re not going to get into all that, but he’s a hell of a player.”
Pro Bowl fallout
While mostly a popularity contest these days, the Pro Bowl does carry some financial weight. Besides players such as Stefon Diggs having incentives tied to all-star selection in their contracts, it also impacts the level of fifth-year rookie deal options.
With both Christian Gonzalez and Drake Maye still on the rookie contracts they signed in 2023 and 2024, respectively, that fifth-year option just got a bit more expensive for the Patriots. One original-ballot Pro Bowl selection puts both in the third of four possible tiers, with multiple Pro Bowls the only one above that. Both still. have time to add more such recognitions, to further boost the value of that fifth year should the team opt to exercise it.
Garrett Bradbury’s value
The Patriots’ offensive line has experienced some personnel instability over the last few weeks, with only two players able to go wire-to-wire each week: center Garrett Bradbury and right guard Mike Onwenu. The latter is a proven commodity since arriving in New England as a sixth-round draft choice in 2020, while the former arrived just this offseason as a free agency pickup.
Since then, Bradbury has been a model citizen.
“He’s been out there in the middle of our offense and helps coordinate everything that we do with the line of scrimmage,” said head coach Mike Vrabel. “He’s brought a lot of experience and brought a lot of knowledge. So, again, has really helped us.”
Before joining the Patriots, Bradbury spent six seasons with the Minnesota Vikings. There, he also crossed paths with now-teammate Vederian Lowe.
“He was my vet my rookie year,” Lowe said this week. “You know how that goes when you’re a rookie, the vets give you a hard time. So, I wasn’t the biggest fan of Garrett my rookie year if I’m being completely honest. But he’s always been a great guy.
“Getting Garrett here, I know the type of player that he is. I know how he prepares and he is one of. the smartest offensive linemen I’ve ever played with. Having Garrett out there just boosts my confidence because I know that he knows everything that’s going on. He’s going to put everybody in the right positions and he wants the entire room to be successful. Getting Garrett here was really big for us and I’m just really proud to have him part of the O-line room and to be out there winning games with him.”
What the Patriots will miss in Mack Hollins
The Patriots sent wide receiver Mack Hollins to injured reserve on Saturday because of an abdomen injury that had forced him to miss all three practices this week. The move’s impact will be felt on and off the field, and rob the team of one of its more unique characters.
“Mack certainly beats to a different drummer and I love that because with walking in here with bare feet or whatever he’s got, he cares about the team,” explained Mike Vrabel earlier this week. “He puts the team first. That’s what I respect the most about him. I’ve never felt any differently. He has an energy to him. I can remember days in training camp where offense was looking for a play late in practice, Mack came up with one, and it was hot and the guys were tired.
“Just thinking back to those days and his energy, and seeing him on Sunday night with the passion and energy that he had to help us win. We’ll obviously miss him this week, but the show goes on. But I’ve always appreciated his willingness to learn what we’re doing, but also be a leader for some of these younger guys.”
Bad weather training
The Patriots have gotten used to playing in cold conditions in some of their most recent games, and Sunday’s matchup will also fall into that category. With temperatures projected in the low 30s, according to NFL Weather, it will be the fourth straight cold-weather game for the team.
In addition, there is a chance of rain in the forecast — a first for New England this year. The combination of wet and cold conditions presents an opportunity for the team to get used to some inclement weather with January football awaiting.
Drake Maye’s confidence catches the eye
The Jets are no strangers to the Patriots’ newly-minted Pro Bowl quarterback, even though they only got a glimpse of him in two matchups last season. In the first meeting between the two AFC East rivals back in November, however, Drake Maye looked the part, completing 25 of 34 passes for 281 yards and a touchdown to running back TreVeyon Henderson.
For New York head coach Aaron Glenn, Maye’s performance this year all comes back to one thing: confidence.
“Confidence, the first thing you see,” Glenn explained. “He feels like he can take over a game with his arm. And you see that in a number of different situations, especially these end-of-half, end-of-game situations. He wants the ball in his hand, and they manage the game so that he can have that opportunity. That goes to show how much confidence they are having in him.
“His ability to throw in tight windows — that has to do with confidence also — and the confidence that he also has in the players that he is playing with, too, you clearly see that on tape. You clearly see his command of the offense. They’ve done a really good job with him. Now, give him a lot of credit. You saw it last year as a rookie but this year, I think he’s put it all together.”
Inactives preview?
As part of their Saturday afternoon transactions, the Patriots also announced a pair of practice squad elevations. Defensive tackle Leonard Taylor III and cornerback Kobee Minor were both brought up for the game against the Jets, two moves that could hint at the team’s inactives against the Jets.
Whereas elevating Taylor and signing Jeremiah Pharms Jr. to the 53-man team to take Mack Hollins’ spot is directly tied to the recent injuries suffered along the interior defensive line, Minor’s elevation hints at fellow cornerback and special teamer Charles Woods not being a clear projection for Sunday. Woods is questionable with a foot injury.
Meanwhile, New England opted against elevating any wide receivers despite both Hollins and Kayshon Boutte being unavailable. This suggests that the questionable DeMario Douglas — one of five wideouts remaining on the active roster — will indeed be good to go.
Draft preparation about to heat up
The Patriots are gearing up for what they hope to be a deep playoff run, but not the entire organization is focused on what lies ahead. For the team’s college scouts led by department director Tony Kinkela in his first full year at the job, the hottest period on the calendar is just about to begin: with bowl game season underway and the first round of the college football playoff already in the rear-view mirror, the top prospects in the class are getting their final opportunities to showcase themselves in a competitive setting.
What type of draft class are we looking at? Four months out, some first trends can be seen. While this projects to be a shallow class at quarterback — sorry, Jets — the edge class could be one of the deepest in years. For Patriots team facing an unclear future at the position, that is a welcome development.
Week ahead
Once their game against the Jets is done, the Patriots will soon learn what awaits in Week 18. While they do know that they will play the Miami Dolphins, neither the date nor time have been set yet. The game can either take place on Saturday, which would mean a quicker turnaround but an extra day ahead of the playoffs, or on Sunday in one of the three classic time slots.
One thought on the matter: It will be interesting if the NFL opts to schedule the Patriots into the 4 p.m. ET window on Sunday if the race for the No. 1 seed is still on. The Denver Broncos likely won’t play the Los Angeles Chargers at 1 p.m. ET, so both games taking place simultaneously might be tempting for the league.
If so, New England would follow its classic game week schedule with practices on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday before a walkthrough Saturday.
