New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft told Your Site NFL this weekend that he believed his team were 'back'. They are now one game from being 'back' in a Super Bowl.Â
'Back' comes with hefty, Lombardi-embellished expectations in New England, where Kraft previously witnessed Bill Belichick and Tom Brady guide the franchise to six Super Bowl championships while forging one of the NFL's greatest dynasties.
Replacing their supremacy always loomed as an impossible task, but in first-year head coach Mike Vrabel and second-year quarterback Drake Maye the Patriots have thrust themselves into a fresh era of contention.
New England beat Houston Texans 28-16 on Sunday to reach their 16th AFC Championship game, where they will take on Denver Broncos with a place at Super Bowl LX on the line.
"The Patriots have something special going," said Your Site NFL's Phoebe Schecter. "There is so much belief here. Mike Vrabel is a player's coach, he's not going to ask the guys to do something he hasn't done, he understands what it takes.
"It feels like the good old days back in this stadium, the crowd felt so different tonight. They are going to their first AFC Championship game since Tom Brady.
"Is this the start of a new dynasty? Only time will tell. But this team feels connected and they have a real chance to achieve something special."
Vrabel's men have now won 15 of their last 16 games after finishing the regular-season with a 14-3 record as AFC East champions and the No 2 seed. The Patriots last appeared in the Conference Championship game during the 2018 season, which ended in them winning the Super Bowl.
"Everybody's stepping up. We're using everybody. Everybody's making plays. Everybody's helping us win," said Patriots head coach Vrabel. "I'm excited for these guys, but also, they're not satisfied and I can tell that."
Denver, who entered the playoffs as the No 1 seed in the AFC, advanced to the Conference Championship thanks to Saturday's 33-30 overtime win against the Buffalo Bills.
The result would come at a cost as head coach Sean Payton revealed after the game quarterback Bo Nix suffered a broken ankle ruling him out for the remainder of the postseason.
Maye and Nix arrived as part of the same Draft class in 2024, New England selecting their man third overall out of North Carolina before the Broncos used the 12th overall pick on the former Oregon play-caller.
"Got to train with Bo before the pre-draft," said Maye. "Got to know him and his family and his wife. First off, they're just great people, great Christians. Really enjoy being around Bo Nix and his family.
"Obviously the news, it's heartbreaking for what a player he is, the guy he is. And just know praying for Bo, I know he's going to bounce back. He's a great player in this league. Look forward to matching up with him.
"We had one in college and he got the best of me. I know he'll bounce back. I know they've got a good team. Should be a tough one next week."
Seventh-year veteran backup Jarrett Stidham is set to start at quarterback for the Broncos having not attempted a pass in the NFL since 2023. He was notably drafted by the Patriots in the fourth round back in 2019.
"Sean Payton has a lot of confidence in Jarrett Stidham," said Your Site NFL's Ndamukong Suh. "If I'm Sean Payton, I'm showing Jarrett Stidham Nick Foles' film.
"Look what Nick Foles back in the day at the Super Bowl, winning with the Philadelphia Eagles. You know the scheme, go out and execute."
Maye went 16 of 27 passing for 179 yards, three touchdowns and an interception, delivering a decisive blow with his 32-yard scoring strike to the one-handed effort of Kayshon Boutte in the fourth quarter. He also lost two of his four fumbles in the face of a rampant Texans defense.
"Battled the elements," said Maye. "This is New England. This is what we're trying to embrace and we want to embrace all season long. Props to our defense, played a hell of a game. We've got to protect the football better, but we made enough plays to win it."
Houston's No 1-ranked defense had featured heavily during the build-up to Sunday's game, and would justify as much with five sacks led by Will Anderson. It was the Patriots defense, however, that proved decisive with four interceptions of CJ Stroud, including a first-half pick-six by Marcus Jones.
"It fuelled the whole defense," said Patriots defensive tackle Milton Williams of talk around the Texans' defense. "Ain't nobody been talking about our defense all year. We'll see what they got to say today."
Watch the New England Patriots against the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game live on Your Site NFL from 8pm on Sunday, January 25.
