FOXBORO, MASS. (WHDH) – It was this time a year ago that the New England Patriots were searching for their third head coach in three seasons, and by bringing back three-time Super Bowl champion Mike Vrabel, the team instantly regained credibility that would ultimately lead to 14 wins and a return to the playoffs.
On December 28, 2024, the Los Angeles Chargers came into Gillette Stadium and delivered a 40-7 beatdown, a game that’s still in the front of mind for holdovers in the Patriots locker room.
“It was tough man, I mean we got whooped. You know, it was tough,” Patriots Safety Jaylinn Hawkins said of the loss.
That loss to the Chargers helped seal former Head Coach Jerod Mayo’s fate, and he was fired after one season on the job. His firing paved the way for Mike Vrabel and a clear agenda in Foxboro.
“Our goals will be to win the AFC East, to host home playoff games, and to compete for championships,” Vrabel said in January 2025.
His team checked all of those boxes in year one, taking the Patriots from a four win team to a 14 win team.
“It’s a blessing to be in the playoffs again, obviously we’ve had some hard times here. It’s hard to get in, it really is,” said Patriots Tight End Hunter Henry. “It’s a new season, and we have to attack it in that way and be ready to go this weekend because they’ll be ready to go. They got a lot of good players over there obviously, I know a few of them, and you know, it’ll be a big challenge.”
It will be a full-circle moment for the Patriots on Sunday, facing the team that helped accelerate a rebuild in the first round of the playoffs.
Star cornerback Christian Gonzalez said he’s just focusing on the game ahead.
“Ain’t nobody really worried about it, to be honest,” Gonzalez said. “It’s a new team, it’s a new year, and I mean we can’t really look back at that game.”
“Whole new team, whole new cast of characters, whole new coach, and it’s the playoffs man,” said Hawkins. “We’re just going in focusing on us, you know, and what we got to do, and execute and you know, God willing, come out victorious.”
The game kicks off at 8 p.m. Sunday night.
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