On Sunday, the Patriots moved to 14-3 to close out their 2025 regular season, beating the Dolphins 38-10 and clinching the No. 2 seed in the AFC for this upcoming postseason run.
In doing so, the franchise set an NFL record for 14-win seasons, as Sunday marked the sixth time in franchise history the team was able to achieve that mark (2003, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2016, 2025). In four of those previous five instances, New England advanced to the Super Bowl. And in three of those four, they won the whole damn thing.
Obviously a lot of football left to be played between now and Super Bowl LX, but one thing head coach Mike Vrabel seems confident in is the leadership structure within his locker room, with 32-year-old wide receiver Stefon Diggs being a huge part of that.
“These guys are focused,” Vrabel said on Monday’s edition of The Greg Hill Show. “I appreciate that they - with older players, they get a routine. And I appreciate - Stef [Diggs] has a routine, I think it was cool to see Mack Hollins talk about the routine, and [Efton Chism III], that he helped him create. And then hopefully we can have these little pockets of guys.
“We have a leadership committee, and [I] think there's probably 12 guys on that. And position groups are represented, and I just asked each of them, I said, ‘Between you guys and me, if we can all reach four other people or players, we'll have the whole team canvassed, right?’ So hopefully we can find four or five guys that either, hopefully, out of our position group, and try to spread that out, to spread the message and the leadership.
“I think that's what Diggs has done, is trying to be a great leader and also create a routine and stay motivated each and every week. Some weeks there's 10 targets and there's nine catches. In other weeks, there's three targets and three catches. And so that's been really good to see. We've talked about that receiver room. They're all trying to take advantage of the opportunities and spread the ball around.”
After coming off a season in which Diggs tore his ACL in Week 8 while playing for the Texans, expectations were mixed for the former All-Pro receiver after signing a three-year deal with New England this spring for $69 million. Only $26 million of that deal was guaranteed, as the rehabbing veteran had incentives to hit along the way to reach his full earning potential with the Patriots.
One of those incentives was to reach 1,000 receiving yards in 2025, which he accomplished on Sunday after a 34-yard grab put him at 1,013 on the season.
Diggs spoke in the locker room postgame about why he was so emotional after reaching that milestone, outside of the $500,000 payday it came with.
“People just don’t know, like, ACL, getting your confidence back, being around the right people, they’re pushing you each and every day,” Diggs said at his locker. “Just so thankful God is good, God is amazing, actually. So I [will] enjoy this one.
“Just like a moment of people that see all the hard work you put in. You know, the daily struggle that people have, people go through s***. Like, the ups and downs, kept grinding, stayed focused. With 1,000 yards - I’ve done it before, but this is probably the most meaningful one I’ve ever had just because coming off an injury.”
On top of the story arc related to his ACL recovery, Diggs is also dealing with a legal matter off the field, with allegations coming to light on December 30 in Dedham District Court of felony strangulation, as well as a misdemeanor assault charge, stemming from an alleged December 2 incident with a personal chef. His arraignment date for these charges in Dedham is set for January 23, just two days before the AFC Championship Game.
Vrabel spoke at the podium just one day after those allegations came to light, where he said it was “not disappointing at all” having to deal with allegations against both Diggs and teammate Chrisitian Barmore, charged in a separate matter in Attleborough District Court. Vrabel was in full support of both Diggs and Barmore as they continue working their way through the legal process.
On Monday’s appearance on The Greg Hill Show, Vrabel was asked specifically about these comments.
“We're just trying to get ready for this week, and focus and do our best,” said Vrabel. “You can see that the team is able to handle distractions. It's hard to eliminate them - it's about how you handle the distractions, whatever those may be.”
“But if the distractions are brought on by those players, wouldn't that be disappointing?” asked WEEI’s Chris Curtis.
“Well, these things that are happening every day - we have a family, we have a team, and we're going to try to do our best here to support each and every one of them,” said Vrabel. “[Give them] what they need, and also get ready for the Chargers.”
As of publishing, the Patriots are a 3.5-point home favorite over the Chargers (11-6), sitting on the moneyline at -200. The total is set at 45.5 at BetMGM.
Their Wild Card Weekend game against Los Angeles kicks off next Sunday night at 8:00 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
Tune in each and every Monday throughout the football season to Patriots Monday on WEEI. Head coach Mike Vrabel joins The Greg Hill Show at 6:30 a.m. ET, and quarterback Drake Maye joins WEEI Afternoons.