The New England Patriots are heading to the playoffs, officially securing their spot in the postseason after defeating the Baltimore Ravens, 28-24, on Sunday night. But for Drake Maye and Mike Vrabel, they've got their eyes set on something bigger.
Both Maye and Vrabel stated their desire to win the AFC East after Sunday's win.
“It’s still what we’re fighting for,” Maye told reporters on Sunday. “It’s nice to be in the playoffs, but we still want to win the division.”
“We're going to try to win the division,” Vrabel added in his comments to reporters. “We're going to focus on that. Just take it one day at a time, or whatever happens. We'll figure out what's the best thing for the team, and I'm excited. It's all a credit to the players. When we win, it's because of them.”
Unlike last week, the Patriots couldn't secure a division title this weekend. The Buffalo Bills are on their heels, improving to 11-4 with their victory over the Cleveland Browns. But at 12-3, the Patriots can clinch the AFC East next weekend. If they beat the New York Jets and the Bills lose to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Patriots will be division champs for the first time since 2019. New England can also clinch the division if it wins out or if Buffalo loses its final two games.
Drake Maye credits Mike Vrabel for Patriots' win and turnaround
Sunday's win over the Ravens was a much-needed victory for the Patriots. They blew a 21-0 lead against the Bills last week, and while they would've still been in first place in the AFC East with a loss, the Patriots' path to getting the AFC's No. 1 seed would've shrunk even more.
Now, the Patriots might have a shot at getting the AFC's No. 1 seed with the Jets and Miami Dolphins on their schedule over the last two weeks of the season. If they win out and the Denver Broncos lose just once, the Patriots would secure the AFC's top spot.
For now, though, the Patriots are soaking in the win, and Maye pointed to the head coach as the main reason for that despite making his best case for MVP yet.
“I think it’s top down,” Maye said. “It’s Coach Vrabel coming in here. It’s the coaching staff he hired. It’s the guys buying in and believing in what we do. That’s the biggest thing [in] a locker room. It’s believing in what the coach is saying. It’s believing in our identity. Carrying it. Traveling with it. He always says, ‘Pack our identity.’
“Just another big win on the road and it starts top down. The guys — we just love a lot of guys in that locker room, man. I’ll talk to a lot of those guys probably for a long time in my life.”
Maye threw for over 300 yards for the first time in his career on Sunday, finishing with 380 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. He also led the Patriots to an 11-point comeback victory in the fourth quarter. But as Maye sits right in the MVP mix, he's still giving the credit to his head coach for the team's dramatic turnaround.
“You take it for granted, man,” Maye said. “You take it for granted. Just what a beautiful sport. The best sport out there. This game, it’s brutal. There’s times with injuries and losses that weigh on you, but this winning feeling, there’s nothing like it. Coach reminded us of that pregame. He said, ‘You can’t buy that back, winning in that locker room.’ At his age, he always says, ‘I wish I could suit up again.’ You just can’t buy that. He said, ‘You can buy anything else in life, but you can’t buy this time we’re in right now.’ And what a time it is.”
Now, Maye and the Patriots will look to finish their stellar turnaround by winning their final two games as they hope to win the AFC East.
