A lot of New England Patriots fans have been surprised at how fast the team has improved from last place in the AFC East division to a true Super Bowl contender.

And it turns out one of their best players is also surprised at the speed of the franchise’s turnaround.

The New England Patriots made a splash in NFL free agency last offseason to sign former Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Milton Williams.

Williams has been an absolute force in his debut campaign with the Patriots, both as a pass rusher and against the run. His leadership and playoff experience have been valuable to the team’s success, too.

Williams was a guest on the latest episode of the Quick Snap Podcast with ex-Patriots players David Andrews and Brian Hoyer, and the veteran lineman was asked if he expected the Patriots’ turnaround to happen this quickly.

“No,” Williams said. “I thought eventually. I was thinking this year we’re gonna make the playoffs, probably lose earlier on because we’re kind of still in the rebuilding phase. But for it to happen this quick, it just shows — first of all, our head coach, the coaching staff he brought in, and then the players that he brought in.

“They went out and just got a lot of dogs and just added them to the team with the experienced coaching staff. They’re just putting us in position to make plays and we count on each other, we’re playing for each other, and we hold everybody accountable, We just got a close-knit group right now, and we’re willing to go out there and just do whatever to prove that we belong.

“What we want is still there. It’s still an opportunity to get what we want even in this first year. Like I said, I was expecting maybe two years, three years, but for it to happen this quickly is just a testament to everybody in the organization, including the players.”

The Patriots went 4-13 in each of the last two seasons. Expectations for 2025 were mostly centered around them competing for a playoff spot — likely a Wild Card berth. But the Patriots didn’t just make the playoffs, they won the division for the first time since 2019 and almost earned the AFC’s No. 1 seed.

After beating the Los Angeles Chargers in the Wild Card Round and the Houston Texans in the Divisional Round, the Patriots are only one win away from reaching Super Bowl LX. Next up is a showdown with the Denver Broncos on the road in the AFC Championship Game.

After Sunday’s win over the Texans, Williams admitted the Patriots’ defense was motivated by all the talk of how good Houston’s defense was. And despite their dominance in the playoffs so far, they will still enter Denver with a chip on their shoulders.

“We really haven’t been getting credit all year for what we’ve been doing,” Williams told Hoyer and Andrews. “… We just felt like all season it’s, ‘Who’d they play?’ and this and that is an excuse and whatever for why we’re winning games. Well, now we’re in the final four, and it’s still, ‘Well, we don’t know, it’s somebody else’s fault,’ instead of just giving us credit for what we’ve been putting on tape all year.”

“… We all just have a chip on our shoulder ready to just show who we really are, show that we are a top defense in this league, and I feel like we’ve been doing that consistently all year. We just kind of get more of a light now because it’s the playoffs, so people are paying a little bit more attention, but I don’t think they give us no real credit until we accomplish (our goal).”

If the Patriots beat the Broncos, they will become the sixth team this century to finish last in the division and then get to the Super Bowl the following season. But either way, the Patriots’ turnaround has been one of the most impressive in league history.

Building on the success over a long period will be the true test. But right now, it’s all about chasing the Lombardi Trophy this season.

Also in this episode:

 Reacting to another tough game for the offensive line vs. Houston: Is Will Campbell fighting through injury?

Hoyer and Andrews break down how the offense used screens to keep the Texans defense off balance.

Hoyer and Andrews preview the matchup against the Broncos and why they expect Jarrett Stidham will be ready for the challenge.

Looking back on the Patriots’ smackdown of the Denver Broncos in the 2011 Divisional Round.