FOXBOROUGH – The Patriots are set to embark on their first playoff ride since 2021 when they host the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.
Being a playoff team so soon in Mike Vrabel’s tenure was a bit of a surprise. Given there were plenty of predictions for the Patriots to be a nine-win team with a slim chance at getting into the tournament, it doesn’t quite fall into the ‘didn’t see that coming’ category.
Winning 14 games fits more along those lines.
There were plenty of those stunners making headlines throughout the year.
Here’s my Top 5:
Drake Maye’s second-year leap
After the way he looked Week 1 against the Las Vegas Raiders, Drake Maye seemed more destined for a year of regression as opposed to making any kind of leap.
Having his second offensive coordinator in as many seasons, having to learn a new complicated system had given reason for concern even before that first game.
And it sure looked like Josh McDaniels had put too much on his plate, and Maye wasn’t ready to handle it.
How Maye progressed from that point to being the favorite to win the MVP is mind-blowing.
His record-setting 72% completion percentage is insanely good.
He’s in the top 5 in most of the important categories for quarterbacks. It’s pretty safe to say no one saw that coming.
Stefon Diggs impact
Certainly, there have been players who have recovered quicker than the norm from ACL surgery.
Stefon Diggs, however, not only sped up the clock, but helped the Patriots in ways no one saw coming.
At age 32, he put together a 1,000-yard season. The Patriots hadn’t had a 1,000-yard receiver since Julian Edelman. Diggs had five games with 100 receiving yards and constantly delivered in key junctures of games.
Going in, it was understood that Diggs wasn’t going to be the dominant player he once was, but could still help the Patriots. He was still effective last year with Houston before getting hurt.
With the injury, though, it was hard to gauge how good he might be, how quickly he’d be able to play and how much he’d be able to help the Patriots once he did return.
He was better than imagined. He’s still a master at finding the soft spots in zone coverage, and still has enough speed and quickness to break past coverage on crossing routes.
The other surprise was just how good he’s been as a mentor to the younger receivers, and a vocal, selfless leader in the room. That hasn’t been his reputation over the years.
Offensive line turnaround
The line couldn’t get much worse than it was last year, or in recent years. There was no way to go but up with the NFL’s 32nd-ranked offensive line.
The surprise isn’t that there was improvement, it’s more about how much.
With the additions of rookies Will Campbell (LT), Jared Wilson (G), Garrett Bradbury (C) and Morgan Moses (RT), with Michael Onwenu (RG) the only holdover as a starter, the line was ranked much higher than expected.
A composite ranking from three different sites (PFF, ESPN, SIS) has the Patriots with the 6th best offensive line.
There was also much ado about Campbell’s arm length, and him being unable to handle left tackle because his arms were too short.
That hasn’t been the case. Campbell has held down the all-important blindside protector position just fine all year.
Credit goes to Doug Marrone and his two OL assistants Jason Houghtaling and Robert Kugler.
Andy Borregales rebounding from rough start
They picked the wrong kicker.
That was the early narrative when it came to Andy Borregales. He wasn’t the best kicker in training camp, and yet, the Patriots stuck with him, most likely because of he was a sixth-round draft pick.
After the first two weeks, where he missed a makable field goal and two extra points, it sure looked like Borregales was headed for the scrap heap.
But Vrabel stuck with him, giving him a game ball Week 2 after converting a clutch kick, and Borregales has pretty much been money ever since.
Against Miami in the season finale, Borregales nailed a 59-yarder, a career best, and the third longest kick in Patriots history.
Rookie contributions
Given the Patriots success – or lack of such – in recent drafts, it was tough to put much stock in the 2025 class – even if a new regime was involved in making the picks.
As it turned out, Mike Vrabel has gotten good production out of his first draft, and that also includes undrafted players (Efton Chism III, Elijah Ponder) having a role.
Offensively, the Patriots have started rookies (Will Campbell and Jared Wilson) at left tackle and left guard the entire year. And they’ve been an upgrade over last year’s blindside protectors.
Second-round pick TreVeyon Henderson finished as the team’s leading rusher (911 yards) and also scored nine touchdowns.
Wide receiver Kyle Williams caught 10 passes, with three of those being touchdowns.
Defensively, safety Craig Woodson has started all year alongside veteran Jaylinn Hawkins. He was the team’s 4th leading tackler (79 tackles).
Joshua Farmer was a regular contributor on the defensive line, playing in 13 games until suffering an injury late in the year that landed him on IR. Edge rusher Bradyn Swinson has been on the 53-man roster, but hasn’t seen much time. Kobee Minor has had a few practice squad call-ups.
Kicker Andy Borregales struggled early, but has settled in and become a dependable kicker. He’s perfect from 50-plus yards. Long snapper Julian Ashby is another from the 2025 draft class that has also made a positive impact.
In all, the Patriots have 14 rookies still on the 53-man roster, and four on the practice squad.
