Despite losing what was supposed to be a hat and t-shirt game against the Bills last week, the Patriots' playoff hopes were not shut down, and with a win on Sunday Night Football over the Ravens, they could have clinched their first berth since the 2021 season.
It was the easiest way to guarantee their ticket to the postseason, as winning the AFC East is looking like it will come down to Week 18. Fortunately, for New England, a fourth-quarter comeback by Drake Maye ensured they will have an extended season, as they beat Baltimore 28-24.
It immediately prompted celebration from Patriots fans in attendance, who chanted "MVP" loudly and proudly for Maye at the end of the game, and those at home, but that's not what was felt in the locker room immediately after the game.
Instead, the players knew their task at hand was much bigger than making it to the playoffs, and Mike Vrabel shared their ultimate goal to the most successful 2025 season possible.
More striking than that was there was no real celebration over making the playoffs in there.
— Andrew Callahan (@_AndrewCallahan) December 22, 2025
Guy were happy, of course. But all eyes it seems are on the division. Mike Vrabel’s message getting through. https://t.co/hRBnYqvReU
Mike Vrabel lets the Patriots vision for the rest of the 2025 season be clearly known
While speaking to reporters after the win, who were quick to applaud Vrabel for helping lead the Patriots back to the playoffs after a four-year drought, the head coach made sure they knew what the team is really coming for to end the season: it's not just the playoffs.
It's the AFC East.
Mike Vrabel and Drake Maye on clinching a playoff berth: We want to win the AFC East.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) December 22, 2025
Although this isn't exactly breaking news, it is a new goal the Patriots hadn't previously made a big deal about. It had been mentioned throughout the season, of course, but in typical Patriots fashion, the immediate goal was always to focus on and win their next game.
This is the first time they have moved away from that mantra and decided that the bigger goal will be the primary focus over the last two weeks.
Considering how they managed to rally and beat the Ravens the way they did, and the Bills didn't look all that impressive against the Browns earlier in the day (especially since the Patriots beat Cleveland earlier in the season 32-13), the division is still up in the air.
After last week's collapse, analysts named the AFC East the Bills' division again, but the Patriots just made sure they'll have to question that now, and Bills fans, and the team, are surely shaking in their boots after watching this week's performance.