Mike Vrabel Preparing Patriots for ‘Hat and T-Shirt’ Bills Game

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The New England Patriots are entering Week 15 of the 2025 NFL season with the chance to accomplish a feat that has eluded them since 2019.

The Pats currently hold a two-game lead over the Buffalo Bills, after their divisional foes from western New York earned a Week 14 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Buffalo’s ninth victory of the season now sets the stage for a showdown with the Patriots at Gillette Stadium — with the AFC East on the line. The Pats will clinch a division title if they defeat Buffalo in what has become a “hat and t-shirt” game in Foxborough.

Still, don’t expect Pats head coach Mike Vrabel to use that term when describing his team’s upcoming battle with the Bills.

“I don't use the words ‘hat and T-shirt,’” Vrabel told reporters at Gillette Stadium earlier this week. “We're just trying to play for the championship that we have available this week, and I think it's a great testament to our players that have put us in this position to be able to do that.”

Should both teams continue on their current trajectory, the Bills are facing a must-win if they want to keep any hope alive for the AFC East title. Conversely, the Patriots metaphorically remain “masters of their domain.”

In addition to their two-game advantage over the defending Division champions, the tiebreaker clearly works to the Patriots' advantage, as well. With the Pats already holding a 1-0 record over Buffalo, they also hold the second tiebreaker for divisional opponents: the superior in-division record. The Patriots are currently 3-0 against the AFC East, while Buffalo is 2-2 after losing to New England and the Miami Dolphins.

Therefore, even if the Pats lose to the Bills in Week 15, they would still become division champions if they defeat the New York Jets in Week 17 and the Dolphins in Week 18. In that instance, they would finish 5-1 in the division, while holding the tiebreaker over the Bills by default.

Can the Patriots Pull Off the Season Sweep vs. Bills?

New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel talks to quarterback Drake Maye. — New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel talks to quarterback Drake Maye (10) during the second quarter at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025. | Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After a brief, mid-season sputter, the Bills are back to playing some of their best football of the season. Quarterback Josh Allen has completed 71 percent of his passes for 3,083 yards with 22 touchdowns to just 10 interceptions. Buffalo’s offense is consistently ranked among the NFL's elite for 2025 due to Allen's dual-threat dominance — along with high offensive efficiency and strong offensive line play.

Defensively, Buffalo has been nearly equally as potent when defending the pass as they are against the run. Under coordinator Joe Babich, the Bills have earned a spot among the league's best in expected points allowed per dropback (EPA) in recent weeks — points which are not lost on Vrabel and his coaching staff as they seek to earn a victory over the Bills in Week 15.

“That's not going to be easy,” Vrabel said of his team’s goal. “This is a very good football team. There's a reason that they've won this division five years in a row. A lot of respect for them. They’re never out of it, never down, and they may be down, and just like last week, it's a football team that understands that somebody's going to make a play. And then the quarterback is going to give them a chance to the very end.”

Fortunately, New England is seemingly up to the challenge. In addition to becoming the first team in the NFL to reach 11 wins, the Pats are also back atop the conference standings — putting pressure on their competition, while staking their claim as the sole owner of the top spot in the AFC. Though the Pats are undoubtedly pleased with their effort in all three phases — from the coaching prowess of Mike Vrabel to the on-field performance of quarterback Drake Maye and ultimately the aggression shown by all three levels of the Patriots defense.

New England’s confidence heading into this game should be deservedly high, having already defeated the Bills 23-20 in Week 5. In what many consider to be his entrance into the league’s MVP race, Maye put his abilities on full display, completing 22-of-30 for 273 yards. Still, it was his composure under pressure and late-game leadership that allowed him to make plays down the stretch.

His seven-play, 37-yard game-winning drive set up rookie kicker Andy Borregales' 52-yard field goal, putting the Pats on top for good. In total, Maye led five scoring drives for New England against the Bills. All the while, the Pats leaned on their second-year quarterback as he delivered on a national stage. Additionally, two-time All-Pro Stefon Diggs caught 10 passes for 146 yards against his former team — his longest coming on a 32-yard connection with Maye in the third quarter.

If the Patriots can either match or exceed their performance from early October in this potential divisional clincher, Pats Nation — including Mike Vrabel — will collectively be sporting some new apparel heading into the postseason for the first time this decade.

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