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By Cole Sullivan
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The New England Patriots continued their impressive 2025–26 campaign with a dominant wire-to-wire performance on Sunday against the New York Jets, rolling to a 42–10 victory behind star quarterback Drake Maye.
With the win, New England improved to 13–3 on the season and now sits just one win — or one Buffalo Bills loss — away from clinching the AFC East for the first time in more than five seasons.
A key reason for the Patriots’ rapid turnaround has been first-year head coach Mike Vrabel, who was hired this offseason after the team parted ways with Jerod Mayo following just one year with the franchise.
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Vrabel enjoyed considerable success during his tenure as head coach of the Tennessee Titans, and after his surprising dismissal there, the Patriots quickly seized the opportunity to bring him to New England — a move that has clearly paid off.
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Following Sunday’s win, the Patriots announced several historic milestones for Vrabel in his first season at the helm. He officially joined Jim Caldwell and George Seifert as the only head coaches to win 13 games in their first season with a new organization.
Vrabel also became just the second head coach in NFL history to post an undefeated 8–0 road record in his first season, once again joining Seifert in that exclusive group.
New England will close out the regular season at home against the Miami Dolphins in Week 18, and there will be plenty on the line. The AFC East could still be up for grabs depending on what happens with the Buffalo Bills, and the Patriots could also be playing for the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC.
To secure the top spot, New England would need the Denver Broncos to lose to the Los Angeles Chargers. Earning the conference’s top seed would give the Patriots home-field advantage throughout the playoffs and a first-round bye.
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