The NFL season has hit its halfway point, so to speak, and the New England Patriots have done more than enough to earn themselves a place on the league's high honor roll.
The combination of the culture change established by head coach Mike Vrabel and the MVP-caliber play of second-year quarterback Drake Maye has the Patriots atop the AFC East with a 7-2 record after nine games. If the curtain dropped on the regular season today, New England would be the AFC's second seed.
The Patriots were one of just three AFC teams - Indianapolis and Denver were the others - to receive A grades in a midseason analysis compiled by CBS Sports' Tyler Sullivan. Sullivan pointed out the rise of Maye and the culture change brought on by Vrabel, which have been New England's difference-makers.
"The key aspect of the club's hot first half has been the second-year leap from Drake Maye, who has played himself into the MVP conversation."
The Patriots can keep it going - and it will accelerate this team's process
Vrabel has harped on the process in New England since coming on board, knowing it would take some time for the Patriots to become a contender again. Only those who were complete optimists envisioned it happening as quickly as it has.
Maye's 74.1 completion percentage currently tops NFL signal-callers while the Patriots' defense is giving up a mere 18.8 points per game, good for a tie for fifth-best in the league. New England does have some tough games coming up in the second half, starting with Sunday's trip to Tampa Bay to face the Buccaneers, but the Patriots can undoubtedly keep this going.
What will it mean? For starters, it means Vrabel and Eliot Wolf pushed all the right buttons in building the roster.
Stefon Diggs has proved to be the number one wide receiver that Maye needs. The acquisitions made on defense—headlined by Harold Landry and Milton Williams—have performed up to expectations. And let's not forget about the rebuilt offensive line led by rookie left tackle Will Campbell.
If the Patriots can stick to what was working best for them over the first half of the season, this run that they're on is sustainable. We shouldn't expect them to win out, especially with the Buccaneers, Bills, and Ravens remaining on the schedule. But this team has played beyond expectations, and the kingpins—Wolf, Vrabel, and Maye—are the big reasons why.