The Patriots are back in the postseason for the first time since 2021.
After a three-year absence, the New England Patriots are back in the NFL playoffs. Thanks to their 28-24 come-from-behind win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday Night Football, the team of first-year head coach Mike Vrabel managed to improve to 12-3 on the year and punch its ticket to the postseason.
The Patriots entered Week 16 with three different paths to a playoff berth, a win over Baltimore being the most straight-forward. In addition, they also would have qualified had the Houston Texans or Indianapolis Colts not won their respective games Sunday and Monday, respectively.
In the end, no help was needed. Even though they found themselves down 11 points in the early fourth quarter, Drake Maye and company battled their way back into the lead and, by extension, back into the postseason.
For Vrabel, this marks his fourth trip to the playoffs in seven seasons as head coach. He managed to qualify three times with the Tennessee Titans, but fell short in his last two campaigns with the organization. Like the Patriots, who he took over this offseason, he has not been in the tournament since 2021.
Category: General Sports
