Patriots star fires back at doubters: ‘We’ll see how much they got to say’

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Patriots star fires back at doubters: ‘We’ll see how much they got to say’

Mark Daniels · MassLive

Wed, Feb 4, 2026 ·

2 min read

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SANTA CLARA, Calif. – The Patriots haven’t had to look far for extra motivation heading into Super Bowl 60.

This season, the team was lambasted over its strength of schedule. That narrative didn’t go away following the Patriots ’ AFC Championship victory, either.

This week, Denver cornerback Pat Surtain said on the Up and Adams Show that there’s “no doubt” his team would’ve beat the Patriots had the Broncos had starting quarterback Bo Nix .

At the Pro Bowl, Surtain predicted a “35-7” win for the Seattle Seahawks . The Patriots head into this matchup as underdogs and have heard the noise.

Milton Williams says it’s been impossible to avoid it, and he knows there’s only one way to silence the critics.

“We definitely see it. It’s hard not to. Anytime you open your phone, you see something new,” Williams says. “Everybody’s going to say what they want to say. They’re going to pick what they want to pick. People don’t like the Patriots, and I was one of them. But I’m here now. It really don’t matter who they pick, what they like. We’ve got to go out there and play. If we go out there and win the game, we’ll see how much they got to say. Typically, not that much.”

Coming off back-to-back 4-win seasons, the Patriots entered this season with a new coaching staff and low expectations. The over/under for wins was set at 8.5 before the 2025 season started.

Under Mike Vrabel’s lead, with a new roster, the Patriots put together a remarkable 14-win season that will end on Sunday in Super Bowl 60.

From Williams’ standpoint, the Patriots’ defense has done enough to warrant success. In three playoff games against Los Angele, Houston , and the Broncos, the Patriots have allowed 8.7 points per game. Their offense also battled against three top-5 defensive units.

“I feel like we’ve shown enough,” Williams said. “They can ignore it as long as they want to, but we’re going to keep doing what we do every time we step on the field. It’s never going to change with what somebody thinks or what somebody says about our team. We’re going out there and trying to dominate. I feel like we’ve been doing that throughout this whole playoffs.”

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