On Sunday, the Patriots (14-3) did what good teams do.
They took multiple body blows from a really strong opponent in the Houston Texans (12-5) - sporting a historically great defense - and yet did what they had to do on both sides of the football to come away with a convincing 28-16 victory.
That win in the AFC Divisional Round advances New England to the AFC Championship Game next Sunday in Denver, where they’ll take on a Broncos team (14-3) who will be without their starting quarterback Bo Nix for the remainder of the season.
With their second-year quarterback breaking a bone in his right ankle in the waning moments of their divisional round game against Buffalo (12-5), former Patriots QB Jarrett Stidham, who hasn’t thrown a pass in a game since 2023, will be their man under center moving forward.
The Patriots have an incredible opportunity in front of them to advance to their 12th Super Bowl in franchise history on Sunday - their 11th with Robert Kraft as owner and their 10th this millennium.
To be in this position after winning 8 games combined over the last two seasons is as impressive as it gets, but head coach Mike Vrabel has his team in a mindset where they know the job isn’t done just yet.
Here’s was the beginning of Vrabel’s opening statement during Sunday’s postgame press conference:
“I'm always excited for our organization, excited for the players. I am appreciative of their work and their efforts. Everybody's stepping up. We're using everybody. Everybody's making plays. Everybody's helping us win. I'm excited for these guys, but also, they're not satisfied, and I can tell that. It wasn't pretty. Defense kept us in there. When we needed it, our offense was able to come through late in the game there in the second half with a touchdown, giving us a two-score lead…”
He echoed that sentiment during his appearance on Monday’s Greg Hill Show.
“What did you mean by not satisfied, and is it just [that] they believe that they can play better than what they put out yesterday despite the win?” asked WEEI’s Courtney Cox.
“Well, I mean - I think we are trying to enjoy these things, but also not get caught up in thinking that this is the end of the journey,” said Vrabel. “We have another huge opportunity in front of us - an exciting one that our fans and everybody a part of our ownership and team and everybody should be excited about.”
With the Broncos down to their second string QB, the Patriots are a heavy road favorite as championship games typically go.
As of publishing, New England is a 5.5-point favorite at FanDuel (-112) and BetMGM (-115). On the moneyline, FanDuel has them at -255 while BetMGM has them at -275. Both books have the total set at 40.5 - by comparison, the NFC Championship Game between the Rams (12-5) and Seahawks (14.3) is up at 47.5, as both of those teams have their starting quarterbacks in the lineup.
The presence of Stidham in this game for Denver changes everything about what this game is for the 2025 Patriots. What was once going to be their toughest test of the season has now almost taken on the shape of a trap game, with the former fourth round pick by Bill Belichick standing in their way of an appearance in Super Bowl LX.
That “not satisfied” messaging and mindset will be paramount for New England as they prepare for their 14th AFC Championship Game appearance since 2001.
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.