{"id":668760,"date":"2026-01-11T12:29:22","date_gmt":"2026-01-11T12:29:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/668760\/"},"modified":"2026-01-11T12:29:22","modified_gmt":"2026-01-11T12:29:22","slug":"sunday-patriots-notes-drake-maye-headlines-playoff-debutants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/668760\/","title":{"rendered":"Sunday Patriots Notes: Drake Maye headlines playoff debutants"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Mike Vrabel was introduced as New England Patriots head coach in January 2025, he set some goals that seemed quite lofty for a team coming off back-to-back 4-13 seasons. Among them was winning the division and hosting home playoff games.<\/p>\n

Almost to the day one year later, the Patriots will do just that. On Sunday night, the AFC East champions will welcome the Los Angeles Chargers to Gillette Stadium in the NFL wild card round. It will be the first postseason game in Foxborough since January 2020, and a chance for the organization to win its first playoff contest since Super Bowl LIII in February 2019.<\/p>\n

Naturally, most of our attention this week was on that particular game. For everything we did not yet touch on, let\u2019s clean out the notebook. Welcome to the first playoff edition of our Sunday Patriots Notes.<\/p>\n

Patriots playoff debutants<\/p>\n

The Patriots\u2019 rebuilding process and recent lack of success have contributed to the team entering this year\u2019s playoffs with limited experience. Looking at their current roster, 34 of 53 players<\/a> have never appeared in a postseason game (and neither have the two practice squad elevations<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Among those 34 are some of the biggest names on the team, including quarterback Drake Maye and cornerback Christian Gonzalez.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the natural thing is to get a little more amped. I guess that\u2019s just natural, as a human, for a big game,\u201d Maye told reporters this week. \u201cJust trust what you\u2019ve been doing. I told these guys at the end of the season, before the playoffs came, to put some extra work in, to stay after practice. Some guys have been running extra routes and little things like that that can go a long way, but don\u2019t do anything out of the ordinary.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the biggest thing. Trust what you\u2019ve been doing. Trust the preparation you\u2019ve been doing all season. Trust your coaches and your teammates around you, and just go out there and have fun. It\u2019s playoff football, so you\u2019ve got to bring your best, and everybody knows that. That\u2019s the expectation. Just trying to live up to that and just trying to be myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Patriots have preached sticking to their usual preparation throughout the week, and, as wide receiver Stefon Diggs put it, are not trying to \u201cgo and make new macaroni.\u201d<\/a> In terms of playoff experience, Diggs is on the opposite side of the spectrum to Maye and company: his 14 postseason games top the team ahead of defensive tackle Milton Williams\u2019 and cornerback Carlton Davis\u2019 nine.<\/p>\n

The veteran leadership on the team that has been in that position, therefore plays a vital role getting their lesser-experienced teammates ready. Linebacker Robert Spillane summed up the message like this:<\/p>\n

\u201cTrust yourselves. You put in the work your whole life for these moments. They are fleeting moments and you never know when you\u2019re going to be back and given an opportunity like this. Go out there, trust yourself, have fun and do what you\u2019ve been doing all year.\u201d<\/p>\n

The fact that more than half of the Patriots\u2019 roster has not yet appeared in a playoff game is also a reflection of its overall composition: despite some notable exceptions, the team is fairly young. In fact, when looking at its average age entering wild card weekend, it is among the youngest in the NFL playoffs this year.<\/p>\n

At an average age of 26 years, 0 months and 25 days, as calculated<\/a> by Bill Speros of bookies.com, New England is ranked fourth among the 14 playoff teams behind only Green Bay (25\/3\/18), Seattle (25\/10\/20) and Philadelphia (25\/11\/21). This also means that no team on the AFC side has a younger roster in this year\u2019s tournament than the Patriots.<\/p>\n

Robert Spillane\u2019s impact<\/p>\n

Among the Patriots players who have some postseason experience on their r\u00e9sum\u00e9s is linebacker Robert Spillane. Sunday night will be the team captain\u2019s third playoff appearance after two previous appearances with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2020 and 2021.<\/p>\n

Spillane\u2019s third postseason game comes after a prolonged absence; an ankle injury had kept him out since the Patriots\u2019 Week 14 bye. Typically a player who rarely leaves the field, his presence will add another element to New England\u2019s defense as play caller Zak Kuhr explained this week.<\/p>\n

\u201cLeadership, physicality, savviness, having a good feel for where the ball\u2019s going to be, not just sacrificing himself through a gap and understanding blocking schemes and where the ball might go,\u201d Kuhr said. \u201cJust being savvy, being disciplined with the run fits and getting other guys lined up and calling out backfield sets or formation sets that might give guys some tips.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition, Spillane also shines with his ability to adjust on the fly.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe doesn\u2019t even need the tablets,\u201d said Kuhr. \u201cHe remembers exactly what happened on the field and he\u2019ll tell you as soon as he feels something that wasn\u2019t up to par for him he\u2019ll let you know about it. \u2018Hey, I messed this up or I could have been better here.\u2019 Great communicator on the sideline, really good at making adjustments.\u201d<\/p>\n

The playoffs is the time to leave it all on the field, and that includes diving deep into the playbook to find any advantage you can get. It might involve some trickery as well, be it on offense, or as special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer pointed out, the kicking game.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s opponent-specific,\u201d Springer said. \u201cAt the end of the day, if you\u2019re going to exploit something, you always want to look for something, maybe steal a possession there. That\u2019s something that we do weekly. I think every team probably does that, looks for it, and if there\u2019s nothing there, there\u2019s nothing there. But you always want to have some things in your back pocket just in case things aren\u2019t going well offensively or defensively, just to help the team out from that standpoint.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Springer, however, the core responsibility of his units is to support the offensive and defensive teams as well as possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always tell our guys, like, \u2018Hey, on special teams, if we can cover well, flip the field, no penalties, take care of the football, don\u2019t give it up \u2014 those things right there are going to really help our offense, defense out.\u2019 And when you have Drake Maye, just get him the ball back and let him go do the magic. Let us just cover well, play fast, play violent, and let the things shake out the way they\u2019re supposed to.\u201d<\/p>\n

The last time the Patriots made a playoff run, back in 2018, Josh McDaniels was their offensive coordinator. Fast forward to 2025, and McDaniels is back in the building and seemingly using his past experience in preparation of the tournament.<\/p>\n

Like seven years ago, when New England ended up beating the Chargers in their playoff opener before marching all the way to their sixth Super Bowl title, the team has quietly started becoming a powerhouse on the ground: since the start of December, no team in the NFL has been as productive running the football.<\/p>\n

In their four games since, the Patriots are ranked first in the NFL with 0.179 expected points per run while also averaging over 180 rushing yards per game. Having both Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson available and in fine form plays a part in this, but so seemingly has the introduction of some six-man offensive lines, with backup tackle Thayer Munford Jr. seeing regular action as an extra blocker up front.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt obviously adds an element of size and physicality, but it also allows us to distribute some of the responsibilities that others have shared during the course of the season to some other people,\u201d explained McDaniels.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether that\u2019s tight ends doing some things that the receivers were doing or them doing some things that the tight ends were doing, we try to utilize our bodies. And [Mike Vrabel] has preached this all year: if there\u2019s a healthy body at the game and we can give them a role and he can help us win then we\u2019re all for it. So, using every guy in whatever way suits their skillset. If they can help us gain an advantage, then we\u2019re looking to do that. I was excited to see the volume of snaps we\u2019ve actually accumulated now. We kind of know what we\u2019re doing and it adds an element for us that can take somethings off of others.\u201d<\/p>\n

Physical Christian Gonzalez<\/p>\n

One of the knocks on cornerback Christian Gonzalez coming out of Oregon in 2023 was an apparent lack of size and physicality. He has answered these questions emphatically, with this season in particular seeing him play some impressive football in that regard.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think just a confidence level of understanding that he is a big corner. He\u2019s strong, he\u2019s got good size, good strength. And he doesn\u2019t just have to be a fast, athletic corner,\u201d explained Mike Vrabel after the regular season finale against Miami.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hard to take and say that the corners in this league aren\u2019t going to have to tackle. They\u2019re going to have to tackle when they hand the football off. We don\u2019t want them to every single play, but there\u2019s times where they have to, they have to crack replace, they have to close the distance, they have to stay on their feet and tackle. And you\u2019ve seen it the other way where we\u2019ve been able to get out there or get on some DBs and they\u2019ve missed tackles, and those turn into X-plays. And so, I appreciate Gonzo doing that, [Carlton Davis], Marcus Jones and all of those guys, especially.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Patriots announced Mike Vrabel as the 16th head coach in franchise history on Jan. 12, 2025. However, history could have looked quite differently had the Chargers made a different decision the previous offseason: Vrabel was among the coaches to interview for their vacancy in 2024.<\/p>\n

Two years later, Vrabel harbors no ill will toward the team that picked Jim Harbaugh over him at the time.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything that I do and every second that I spend preparing will be to help the players,\u201d he said this week. \u201cThat\u2019s a well-run organization. The Spanos family is a good one. But no, that\u2019s no extra motivation.\u201d<\/p>\n

While we are providing a Patriots-centric view on this week\u2019s game, it also makes sense to go outside one\u2019s own bubble. So, here are some statements on New England courtesy of the Chargers.<\/p>\n

DC Jesse Minter on Patriots offense: \u201cMaybe the top offense in football right now, when you look at all the numbers. MVP-level quarterback. Probably one of the most accomplished, greatest, especially post-season offensive coordinators in the history of the game in Josh McDaniels. Got a lot of respect for him. Coach Vrabel team. The thing that I respect about his teams the most is just the toughness, the physicality, but also every game is played a certain way to win that particular game. They\u2019re not trying to \u2014 they can be very versatile, I guess, would be the thought. He\u2019s always been that way. Saw him when he was with the Titans. And so, they just have a lot of great players. Starts with their quarterback. They\u2019ve added pieces, obviously, on the O-line, some young guys. A bunch of really good weapons, really good running game. So, all-around just a major challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n

S Derwin James on Patriots offense: \u201cDrake Maye, MVP of this league this year, I feel like. Can make all the throws. They got two great backs, receivers that can get open and a tight end that can get open. They got a lot of weapons, but we got to make it about us.\u201d<\/p>\n

ED Khalil Mack on Drake Maye: \u201cHe\u2019s special. He has the arm talent. He looks pretty fast as well. So, it\u2019s going to be a challenge for us to keep him in the pocket and play for his run up front. Rushing coverage is going to have to work very well this week.\u201d<\/p>\n

QB Justin Herbert on Patriots defense: \u201cThey\u2019re really good. They\u2019re hardly ever out of position and it\u2019s a sign of players that play by the rules and listen to great coaches. They play together, they play fast, and they communicate really well. They\u2019re a really good defense.\u201d<\/p>\n

OC Greg Roman on Patriots defense: \u201cThese guys are good at all three levels. They\u2019re really sound, highly-rated against the run and pass. You really can\u2019t see a whole lot of weaknesses with these guys. They play really smart football, really complimentary football as well as a team. So, we need to bring our A-game to the East Coast this weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n

AFC East coaching carousel<\/p>\n

While the Patriots were ramping up the preparation for their game against the Chargers, another AFC East team made a major change. The Miami Dolphins, who finished the season with a 7-10 record and will therefore have to continue to wait for their first playoff win since the 2000 season, fired head coach Mike McDaniel<\/a> on Thursday.<\/p>\n

With a coaching change coming to Miami, the Dolphins will now take sole first position in non-interim head coaches employed within the division this century:<\/p>\n

Buffalo Bills: 8 (+2 interims)Miami Dolphins: 8 (+3 interims)New England Patriots: 3New York Jets: 8 (+1 interim)<\/p>\n

Wh0 the Dolphins will hire to succeed McDaniel remains to be seen. They have been linked to recently-fired Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh, but so have been multiple teams with head coach openings.<\/p>\n

What the Patriots\u2019 next week will look like will be determined by the outcome of their game against the Chargers. If they advance, they will play in the divisional round against the highest-ranked AFC team besides top-seeded Denver. This means that, regardless of what happens elsewhere, a third meeting with the Bills is off the table.<\/p>\n

Whether or not that hypothetical game would take place Saturday or Sunday will be seen. The team\u2019s preparation will look accordingly, with the first practice either set for Tuesday or Wednesday.<\/p>\n

If the Patriots lose, their season ends. We will still get to talk to Mike Vrabel on Monday, but offseason mode would kick in quickly in that case: futures contracts would be signed, and the focus shift toward fixing what went wrong.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When Mike Vrabel was introduced as New England Patriots head coach in January 2025, he set some goals…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":668761,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2050],"tags":[7,1167,249,91604,1095,2326,2094,6,208],"class_list":{"0":"post-668760","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-england-patriots","8":"tag-football","9":"tag-new-england","10":"tag-new-england-patriots","11":"tag-new-england-patriots-playoffs","12":"tag-new-england-patriots-opinion","13":"tag-newengland","14":"tag-newenglandpatriots","15":"tag-nfl","16":"tag-patriots"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/115876473500490180","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/668760","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=668760"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/668760\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/668761"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=668760"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=668760"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=668760"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}