The New England Patriots delivered a statement win on Sunday night as they beat the Baltimore Ravens 28-24 and locked up their first playoff spot since 2021. Patriots’ quarterback Drake Maye led the charge as he erased an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter of the game. But after the win, Maye put his locker room on alert as he made it clear that simply reaching the playoffs isn’t enough. 

“That was one of the goals,” Drake Maye said in a presser after the Week 16 game. “Win the division – that’s still kind of what we’re fighting for. It’s awesome to clinch the playoffs, but we want to win the division.”

Drake Maye’s message alone says plenty about where this team believes it belongs. Four years after former head coach Bill Belichick last led them to the postseason, the Patriots are back in the playoffs. As Maye mentioned, reaching the playoffs was part of the plan for New England. But winning the AFC East? That’s now the real mission.

The urgency for New England showed on the field Sunday night. Earlier in the week, as the NFL announced playoff news for the Patriots, it was clear that the team needed to win its game in Week 16. So, on Sunday, Drake Maye delivered what might be the best performance of his young NFL career. He threw for a career-high 380 yards and two touchdowns, and earned legitimate MVP buzz in the process. More importantly, he showed composure when it mattered most.

The Patriots were down 24-13 with just over nine minutes remaining, Drake Maye refused to let the game slip away. He fired a 37-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Kyle Williams. Then, Maye added a two-point conversion with a throw to running back Rhamondre Stevenson to cut the deficit to three. 

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Then, after New England’s defense forced a punt from Baltimore, Drake Maye went right back to work down the field. On a crucial fourth down, he found wide receiver Stefon Diggs for a 21-yard completion. Then, with only 2:07 remaining in the game, Stevenson burst through Baltimore’s defense for a 21-yard touchdown run. That gave the Patriots their first lead of the night. Even then, Maye wasn’t finished. 

With 1:34 left in the game, the Patriots’ QB scrambled for 16 yards to convert another critical first down. That effectively sealed the win for the Patriots. As such, by the end of the game, Maye had recorded his first 300-yard passing game and his first fourth-quarter comeback at the NFL level. He stood tall in the pocket, extended plays by rushing, and delivered throws under constant pressure. 

Moreover, the win in Week 16 saw the Patriots erase a double-digit deficit on the road against a playoff-caliber Baltimore team. So, it clearly built belief around New England. But it also raised expectations, especially for Patriots’ head coach Mike Vrabel.

Mike Vrabel backs Drake Maye’s message with his own expectations from the Patriots

Heading into Week 16, there were several doubts surrounding the Patriots. Just a week earlier, the Patriots blew a 21–0 lead against the Buffalo Bills, and critics questioned whether their record was inflated by a feeble schedule. Now, sitting at 12–3, those doubts feel harder to justify. As such, Mike Vrabel echoed Maye’s mindset after the Week 16 game.

“We’re gonna try to win the division,” said Mike Vrabel in a presser after the Week 16 game. “We’re gonna focus on that. We just take it one day at a time, and whatever happens. We figure out what’s the best thing for the team. It’s all the credit to the players. When we win, it’s cause of them.”

So, despite being in his first season as the coach of New England, Mike Vrabel wants his team to win the division title. But the Bills remain right behind the Patriots at 11–4. The Bills just won their Week 16 game against the Cleveland Browns to keep the AFC East race alive. 

However, New England now controls its own destiny. A win over the New York Jets next week, combined with a Buffalo loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, would see New England clinch the division. Even winning out or having the Bills drop their final two games would get the job done for the Patriots. 

Moreover, with Drake Maye demanding more and Mike Vrabel reinforcing those expectations, New England suddenly looks like a team aiming higher. And if Sunday’s win proved anything, it’s that New England no longer sees itself as a playoff participant, it sees itself as a title contender.