There were plenty of things the Patriots could use as motivation going into their Week 5 matchup against the Bills, as they were considered major underdogs going against what would be the final undefeated team of the season.
That was reportedly all the motivation they needed, especially when reporters responded to questions about their predictions for the game with certainty about a Bills win. But that's apparently not the only part of the week that the players used as bulletin board material.
Mike Vrabel knew how big a week this game was going to be, as it was their first primetime game of the season against the reigning divisional champions.
So, he decided to have former Patriots safety and NFL Hall of Famer Rodney Harrison, as well as legendary head coach Tony Dungy, speak to the team ahead of the game, which ended up making a bigger impact on them than maybe Vrabel had anticipated.
Patriots players know how important it is to have the right motivation ahead of a big game
Despite being a predominantly young roster, it appears that they took a page out of a seasoned veteran's book, using Dungy's words as motivation to prove the doubters wrong and solidify themselves as a team on the rise on Sunday night.
That appears to have worked well enough to get the job done, as the Patriots outplayed the Bills in nearly every facet of the game and walked out with the win in Week 5.
The Patriots got inspiration from an unlikely source this morning. Many players talked about a speech ex-Colts head coach Tony Dungy gave the team about sticking together, owning your role and knowing your role.
— Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) October 6, 2025
It has been clear for a long time that this Patriots team is united and far more together than they have been over the last few years. That could be attributed to the impact Mike Vrabel has already had on the team, and surely that's the best explanation for the change behind the scenes.
However, some of their free agent additions, such as Stefon Diggs and Robert Spillane, have taken on leadership roles that are already paying off in a big way, and it has inarguably had a positive effect on the roster so far this season.
They are not a team to get down about mistakes they've made, and we've seen time and time again that Diggs will hype up the team on the sidelines no matter what just happened on the field. That's the kind of support they have been missing, so hearing how important that is from a legend like Dungy only furthered their goal of keeping that bond strong all season long.
It was certainly needed in Sunday night's game after the fumble by Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson suffering a brutal injury. They didn't let that deter them, and instead, they faced adversity in the best way possible to snag a win that everyone had already counted them out of.