Despite having helped lead some of the Patriots' best offenses during the dynasty years, there was significant doubt this past offseason about Mike Vrabel's decision to hire Josh McDaniels to become the team's offensive coordinator for the third time.
Because he was coming off another failed tenure as a head coach and many fans had wanted Bill Belichick to move on from him before he initially left, many were not excited that he was back as the offensive playcaller, particularly because Drake Maye was under center. It also didn't help seeing the quarterback struggle a bit during training camp, with many pointing the finger of blame at McDaniels.
But much of that has changed throughout the 2025 season, as the quarterback is now the frontrunner to win MVP. On top of that, we've seen a different side of McDaniels' playcalling that we haven't seen before, proving he has adapted to the different style of player that Maye is from the previous quarterbacks he has coached.
That doesn't mean, however, that he won't use some of his best plays from the Patriots' most successful years, as he did in last week's game against the Jets. So it seems fair to believe we're in for a treat during the playoffs.
Josh McDaniels was in his Super Bowl bag during the Patriots' big win over the Jets last week
During a dominant display of excellence against a very bad Jets team in Week 17, McDaniels used a familiar play to Patriots fans, who were quick to call it out on social media.
The second-quarter touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs was exactly the same play used in the Patriots' victory over the Falcons in Super Bowl LI, the play that helped set up a successful two-point conversion to tie the game 28-28.
This could be a sign of what's to come in the playoffs, like maybe we'll see Maye use more Tom Brady plays to beat his future opponents.
Josh McDaniels just turned back the clock with this play call https://t.co/gI8kDYC95N pic.twitter.com/9PO2v4G1ft
— Carlos A. Lopez (@LosTalksPats) December 28, 2025
This is part of what made McDaniels such a good coach for the Patriots to bring back. Knowing that Maye can watch Brady tape and use plays that were successful for him is exciting for fans, especially those who have longed for a franchise quarterback since the GOAT left for the Bucs.
It will be fun to see if more plays like this can be identified over the next few weeks, as the Patriots end the regular season against the Dolphins on Sunday and likely face the Chargers in the wild-card round.
Surely, if we've already seen this play drawn up, McDaniels has more in store.