Hours after their 42-10 blowout win over the Jets, the Patriots apparently spent the journey back to Gillette Stadium keeping an eye on what was going on out in Buffalo between the Bills and Eagles.
With players huddled together on the bus, the team released a video Sunday night showing the moment Buffalo’s last gasp against Philadelphia fell short, leading to cheers as the Patriots clinched the AFC East.
Players were all smiles, with guys shaking hands and celebrating the first step that now sets the stage for a chance to play further into January as they head into a showdown against the Dolphins at home next Sunday to close out the regular season.
The other big scenario waiting to play out next week would be, if New England wins and the Chargers pull off the upset against Denver, the Patriots would then become the #1 seed in the AFC. That would give them a first-round playoff bye and another week to get healthier before they start their postseason run.
More importantly, it would leave them just two postseason wins away from a potential trip to Santa Clara and a Super Bowl appearance.
But for Sunday night, Vrabel’s team simply celebrated a big win over a Division rival, with players taking in the moment together as they sit atop the AFC East for the first time since 2019.
As the buses pulled into Gillette Stadium, team staff already had tables with the hats and T-shirts outside waiting for them.
“April 7th, we said three things, win the Division, host home playoff games, compete for Championships,” said Vrabel, donning his own hat and T-shirt as he addressed the players. “So, we got the first one taken care of.”
“This season is far from being over. We can celebrate and enjoy this, it’s far from being over. So congratulations.”
With players wearing their hats, along with T-shirts that said, “Been there, WON that,” the team then gathered for a photo.
“Big dudes in the back, little dudes in the front,” said Vrabel, as they smiled and took the first photo of what will hopefully be more ahead for this football team.
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Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
