Karen Guregian: How the Patriots wrestled the division away from Buffalo

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Karen Guregian: How the Patriots wrestled the division away from Buffalo

Karen Guregian · MassLive

Mon, Dec 29, 2025 ·

4 min read

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One by one, the boxes are being checked off.

Playoff berth? Check.

AFC East title? Check.

Still to come, AFC’s top seed. And, beyond that, a Super Bowl run.

The Patriots , now 13-3, are way ahead of schedule on their journey back to greatness, but right on course for each of the goals Mike Vrabel mapped out for his team after being named head coach in January.

It didn’t seem possible the Patriots would be able to wrestle away the division crown from the Buffalo Bills so soon and end their reign, much less go 8-0 on the road, but here we are.

The Patriots 42-10 blowout of the Jets at MetLife Stadium, coupled with the Bills 13-12 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles , made what seemed like a pipe dream a reality.

It’s the Patriots first division title since 2019, which was Tom Brady ’s final season.

More specifically, it’s the first since the Patriots owned the AFC East for much of two decades.

That begs the question: Will this be the first in the next run of titles for the Patriots and set the stage for a new AFC East powerhouse?

The Jets and Dolphins are certainly as hapless and hopeless as ever with no end, and no game-changing quarterback in sight for either team.

With Josh Allen still the quarterback in Buffalo, however, it’s hard to picture it being a recurring event for the next decade.

That’s not to say the baton won’t eventually be tossed in earnest.

At the very least, it sets up a a greater rivalry with the Bills and so many more electric duels between Allen and Drake Maye in the near future.

The next one could very well be down the road in the playoffs in the wild card round . And thanks to the Patriots winning the division, Round 3 (both teams have won a game) would be held in Foxborough if the matchup materializes.

But before jumping ahead, it’s important to reflect a bit on what’s happened thus far and how that relates to the future.

The Patriots still aren’t a finished product. Their roster isn’t quite where it needs to be to enjoy that kind of year-to-year dominance in the division. At full strength though, they can beat anybody right now.

The same can be said of the Bills. But their window is closing. The 2025 version isn’t as good as past teams, and they might not get over the hump even with Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow on the sidelines. They need to reload around Allen.

The Patriots have already started the process. After back-to-back four-win seasons, they hired a new coach, and swept the decks clear of unwanted and unnecessary parts.

Between free agency and the draft, they’re headed in the right direction. They have many of the important pieces in place starting with the quarterback.

It’s getting harder and harder to come up with adequate enough descriptions for Drake Maye and just how good he is just two years removed from college.

All he did Sunday against the lowly New York Jets was throw five touchdown passes in five offensive possessions. He was down two starting wideouts - Kayshon Boutte and Mack Hollins - and threw those scoring throws to five different receivers.

He’s just ridiculously good, and keeps getting better.

“There’s nobody else that we want as our quarterback or that I want as our quarterback,” Vrabel said of his NFL MVP candidate.

Having Vrabel at the helm, and a terrific coaching staff is another important ingredient.

And after the coach and quarterback, they have cornerstone-type pieces in other key positions. And they’re all relatively young.

Milton Williams , who practiced during the week and is close to being activated off IR, is a dominant player on the defensive line. Robert Spillane , who has missed the last three games with an ankle injury, is a prototype off-the-ball linebacker in today’s NFL.

Cornerback Christian Gonzalez is a pro Bowler. And Marcus Jones should be. So the defense has a few chips in that bank.

Offensively, beyond Maye, rookie left tackle Will Campbell has provided a competent solution to that all-important position.

Running back TreVeyon Henderson looks like he’ll be a fixture in the backfield for many years to come.

Stefon Diggs has been a star on and off the field. But at age 31, it’s hard to know if he’ll be here for the long haul, or if his stay will be short. And if he remains, how much longer can he have the kind of impact that he has now?

Whether he stays or goes, it’s not lost on Diggs what’s happening in New England now, and where the Patriots are headed.

After the game, he talked about the Week 2 Miami game being a turning point. Diggs said the players knew they were onto something after beating the Dolphins 33-27 at Hard Rock Stadium on the heels of a miserable season opening loss to the Las Vegas Raiders .

“I feel like that kind of played a part in the direction we went. Luckily, we won, but it kind of gave us that ‘Okay, we can play with anybody, we can close out some tough games, we can find a way to win,’ (belief),‘’ Diggs said. ”So now that we kind of have fast forwarded to this point, it’s just like carrying that identity and kind of standing true to what we believe in, working hard, and finishing. We’re on the right track, I’ll just say that."

They most certainly are. And the 2025 journey is far from over.

The Patriots host the Dolphins Sunday afternoon in the season finale before heading to the playoffs.

Given how quickly this team has risen up from doormat status, with their last-to-first turnaround, there could be more surprises in store come January.

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