Patriots Win AFC East to Cap Incredible Turnaround Season

Buffalo’s loss to the Eagles handed New England its first AFC East title since 2019.

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye led his team to its first AFC East championship since 2019. / Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

The Patriots are back on top of the AFC East.

After New England blew out the Jets 42-10 to improve to 13-3 on Sunday, Mike Vrabel’s squad sat back and watched as the Bills lost to the Eagles 13-12. That sequence secured the Patriots their first AFC East title since 2019. It marked an incredible turnaround from last season.

Buffalo had won the division title in each of the last five seasons.

The Patriots went 4-13 in 2024, after having the same record in 2023. The franchise was a bit lost in the post-Tom Brady era. They selected quarterback Drake Maye with the third pick in the 2024 draft to find a long-term answer under center. Then the franchise wisely hired Mike Vrabel, who won three Super Bowls as a linebacker with the team, as its head coach. Suddenly, things turned around.

Vrabel had success in three seasons as the head coach of the Titans. He won the AFC South twice and reached the postseason three times. He was fired in January 2024, then took the season off from coaching, choosing to act as a consultant for the Browns.

Soon after being hired in New England, Vrabel brought Josh McDaniels back as the team’s offensive coordinator, and he has clearly done outstanding work with Maye.

The 23-year-old quarterback is one of the favorites for MVP this season and has been brilliant. Through 16 games, Maye has completed 71.7% of his passes for 4,203 yards, with 30 touchdowns, eight interceptions, and a passer rating of 112.9. He also leads the NFL in QBR (76.3), and has added 431 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.

In addition to Maye and the offense, the Patriots have been fantastic on defense. They currently rank seventh in yards allowed (302.4), and fifth in points allowed per game (19.4).

What Vrabel and Maye have done to turn around New England’s fortunes has been remarkable to watch.

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