Inside the Patriots celebratory bus ride after becoming AFC East champs

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Inside the Patriots celebratory bus ride after becoming AFC East champs

Karen Guregian · MassLive

Mon, Dec 29, 2025 ·

3 min read

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FOXBOROUGH - The Patriots were on a bus back from the airport to Gillette Stadium last night when they learned the Buffalo Bills had lost to the Philadelphia Eagles .

Buffalo’s loss, coupled with their win over the New York Jets meant the Patriots had ended the Bills reign on the division, and captured the AFC East.

Mike Vrabel, during his Monday availability with the media, was asked to describe the bus ride home which also featured the players getting their celebratory hats & T-shirts the moment they arrived at Gillette.

“It was great. Everybody was kind of watching on their phones or following along,” Vrabel said. “I think the timing of it worked out well, that the Eagles were able to win, and then we were able to kind of time it up here, and have the hats and the T-shirts here ready to go pretty quickly.

“And so, I appreciate that, and Stick [Preston Rogers]’s crew having that ready to go. Players enjoyed it. Staff enjoyed it. I thought it was perfect timing, and then everybody kind of went on their way.”

The players posed for a picture with their AFC East championship T-shirts on.

“That was pretty dope,” linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson said of the celebration on the bus and beyond. “I think we were all tuned into the (Bills) game.”

Chaisson, whose NFL journey also includes stops in Jacksonville , Carolina and Las Vegas , was grateful to be on a team where he could capture a division, get a playoff berth and earn his first commemorative t-shirt.

“I think it’s pretty fire,” Chaisson said. “That was a goal at the beginning of the year, something we worked all year for. However the scenarios played out, I think this team deserves it. We battled all year versus adversity, whether it was off the field, on the field. I think we pushed through.”

Offensive tackle Vederian Lowe said he was on the bus relaxing, but many players were huddled around so he couldn’t help but join in.

“Seeing that last play (Buffalo’s failed two-point conversion), seeing the ball roll and not go their way, it was a great feeling just to be surrounded by all the guys,” Lowe said. “We put in so much work this entire season ... it felt really good to be division champs.”

Vrabel was also thankful to Patriots owner Robert Kraft and team president Jonathan Kraft to foot the bill for the coaching staff to have their families travel to New York on the trip, have a special dinner Saturday night in the city, and be there with them on the way back.

“I think those things can be positive, and just the balance between work and our families. They make significant sacrifices for us to do what we do, and not just the coaches,” Vrabel said of bringing the families along for this particular trip. “This is personnel, the video, operations and the training room. So, felt like – and again, it worked out to be a perfect time to come back, and them to be with us and us being able to take the next step here with the AFC East."

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