When Mike Vrabel said a week ago the Patriots could “play with anybody” when they did things the right way, and played to the identity they’ve been trying to forge, it seemed more like wishful thinking than reality.
While the Patriots had shown signs of progress starting out the year 2-2, there were still a few too many issues to think they could realistically compete with the likes of Buffalo, Kansas City, or any other AFC or NFC power.
They were still guilty of committing too many turnovers, getting flagged for too many penalties, and missing too many tackles.
And that was just the fundamental stuff.
Drake Maye seemed to have all the tools, but it was still an unknown if the second-year quarterback could put it all together, and had the capability to lift a team.
Beyond the uncertainty around Maye, the Patriots also lack the kind of depth and talent that allows for “playing with anybody.”
Or so one might think coming off back-to-back four-win seasons.
Vrabel, however, proved prophetic.
Sunday night’s stunning 23-20 upset of the Buffalo Bills not only backed Vrabel’s words, but also put the 2025 Patriots back on the map.
It cast them in a new light. They’re no longer a doormat. They’re a team to be reckoned with and not taken lightly by teams considered among the elite.
As the saying goes, to be the best, you have to beat the best.
Heading into to the contest, the Bills held that distinction.
They were arguably the best team in the AFC, and the favorite to be in the Super Bowl.
And the Patriots not only hung tough and competed in the see-saw affair, but their much-maligned defense, with star corner Christian Gonzalez back for his second game, refused to let Josh Allen to beat them.
Having Gonzalez makes a huge difference. The Patriots played a lot of man-coverage with Gonzalez, Carlton Davis III and Marcus Jones, who had the play-of-the day for the defense by picking off Allen in the red zone late in the third quarter.
Maye and Stefon Diggs also weren’t going to leave Highmark Stadium with a loss. They weren’t about to settle for any “moral” victory.
While it’s important not to overreact to one game, this win over the Bills was arguably their biggest in the post-Tom Brady era.
It suggests whatever Vrabel is doing is working. The team is making progress.
It also suggests they’ve got their man at quarterback. Maye delivered in a big way, out-dueling Allen.
He came through in the clutch making one big play after another to pull this game out.
While he seemed a bit jumpy in the first half, he was a superstar in the second half. He was 13-of-14 for 184 yards over the course of the third and fourth quarters.
That’s money.
Prior to Sunday night, Maye hadn’t engineered a game-winning drive to pull a game out.
That box can certainly be checked off. And there was nothing mundane about it.
On that pivotal drive, he made a jaw-dropping play that made the win possible.
With the game tied, starting at his 30-yard line with 2:12 to go, it looked like DaQuan Jones would rack up a killer sack of Maye on the very first play.
The Patriots quarterback had other ideas.
Maye, rolling right trying to escape, somehow got the ball off while in the clutches of the Bills defender. And this was no throwaway. He miraculously hit Diggs with the pass.
Diggs, who was other-worldly with 10 catches for 146 yards, managed to advance the ball for a first down. It was the signature play of the drive. A half-dozen plays later, the Patriots were in field goal range.
Rookie Andy Borregales, who has been anything but automatic, drilled the 52-yard game-winner with 15 seconds to go. Never a doubt.
Being able to win a game like this, against an opponent like the Bills, does so much in terms of feeding belief not only with the fanbase, but with the players.
It validates all the hard work they’ve put in, not to mention Vrabel’s plan for success.
It also helped that their best players, be it Maye, Diggs, Gonzalez, led the way.
This was no fluke. This wasn’t luck. It was earned.
“In the end, we just made a few more plays than they did,” Vrabel said matter-of-factly.
That’s usually how good teams beat other good teams.
While the mistakes were still many, they didn’t completely undo the Patriots because Allen & Co. made their share as well many of which were instigated by the visitors.
The Bills hadn’t lost at home during the past 14 games at Highmark. And Vrabel, who has authored his share of upsets while in the coaching ranks, left no stone unturned.
“I’m just really proud of the whole team for being able to come into this road environment,” Vrabel said. “You talk about a lot of other people had cracks at beating (the Bills) here ... for 14 games, they had their opportunity. And we - the players - took advantage of that opportunity and beat a really good football team that hasn’t lost here much.”
Vrabel has talked repeatedly about improving and “taking the next step” with each week and each game.
The Patriots have done that. Now it’s a question of how many more steps they can take going forward.
“That was fun,” Maye said following the improbable win. “That was a tough one. It took everyone in that locker room. The guys came out and we battled. (The offense) didn’t play the best in the first half, but the defense helped us out. We came back offensively and got some things going, and the two-minute drive at the end, go down and win it. That’s what you want.”
And that’s exactly what was delivered.
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