When Mike Vrabel first took over as head coach in January, he made it clear that the New England Patriots had a very clear goal heading into the 2025 NFL Season.
And that was to win the AFC East.
“Our goals will be to win the AFC East, to host home playoff games, and to compete for championships,” he said. “We’re certainly not going to put a timeline on what those will be. But that’s going to be the expectations.”
So, when the team put on a dominating performance against the New York Jets, winning 42-10, all eyes turned to the Buffalo Bills, who were facing off against the reigning Super Bowl champions.
It was truly a fight to the finish despite the Philadelphia Eagles holding a 13-0 lead at one point, but Josh Allen brought the Bills back, having everything come down to a risky decision by Sean McDermott to go for two rather than kick the extra point. And in the end, the conversion was unsuccessful, with the Eagles handing Buffalo a big loss, while also giving the Patriots a MAJOR victory.
When New England arrived home from New York, they got to see the final minutes of the game and learn that they had clinched the division, accomplishing one of Vrabel’s main goals.
This is the Patriots’ first AFC Championship since 2019, knocking off the Bills, who had won the title for five consecutive seasons.
Do The Patriots Still Have Anything To Play For In Week 18
Since they have clinched a playoff spot and now have officially won the division, it brings into question whether the team’s final regular season matchup against the Miami Dolphins has any bearing on the final playoff seeding.
The answer: YES!
The Patriots currently hold the No. 2 seed, but there is a chance they could sneak into the top seed. The Denver Broncos sit in first at the moment, but have a tough challenge ahead, facing the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 18.
If the Broncos fall to Chargers, while the Patriots defeat the Dolphins, New England would overtake the top seed, earning a first-round bye and ensuring they get home field-advantage for as long as they remain in the playoffs.
The Patriots Finish The Regular Season Undefeated On The Road
GettyNew England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel
Along with the impressive season, including a division title, the Patriots also finished the season going undefeated on the road.
“You know, it was a tough one, the first one, just going all the way back to Miami, and I think that was just a really important game for us, being able to battle and give up a punt return, answer with a kickoff return, you know, I mean, going all the way back and just big kick from Andy (Borregales),” Vrabel recalled when asked about this after the game. “And we’ve talked about all those things that have helped us along the way and talked about just unfinished business on the road and being able to, when we needed to, handle the environment and make critical plays and get off to a good start like we did today. So, really proud of this football team and what they’ve been able to do. Any time you travel, it’s difficult.”
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