But there were signs during that win over the Dolphins that things could be different this year. May completed nineteen of twenty-three passes for two hundred and thirty yards, throwing two touchdowns and rushing for another. The real highlight of the game, however, came at the end when running back Antonio Gibson returned a kick ninety yards for a score as Vrabel chased him down the sideline in excitement. When was the last time anyone in New England looked like they were having fun?
Since the loss to the Steelers, the Patriots have won eight straight. They lead the East standings and have a good chance to secure a first-round playoff berth. On Thursday at home they avoided an embarrassing loss to one of New York's Jets, a trap game if ever there was one. What stood out most was what now seems unremarkable: a quarterback living up to ever-higher expectations, serenaded by chants of “MVP!” May was throwing fewer of the impressive deep throws for which he had become known, but it was a sign of growth: he seemed happy with what he was given; nothing was forced. He completed his first eleven passes of the evening and, even after cooling down, never turned the ball over. Time and time again, he showed how well he could move, evading pressure and running through hazards to find open receivers, whether it was difficult throws over the middle on the run or a quick out.
What about those deep throws! Nothing brought life back to Foxboro like the fast spirals May sent down the field. Last season, New England ranked thirty-first in pass rush rate, which is how often a play gains at least twenty yards. In the previous season they were thirtieth in this indicator. Maye is now considered one of the best deep throws in the league, Diggs is resurgent, and the team has turned some of its other receivers into deep-throw threats. There is no doubt that New England culture has changed. Vrabel has a tradition of greeting each player on the way to the locker room after a game, and coaches are quick to praise the players. (This was not Belichick's strong suit.) The players, for their part, deflect the praise; they talk about each other with delight and awe. The team seems to have found that elusive balance of confidence and calm, responsibility and community that characterizes many great teams. There appears to be a willingness to take big risks based on trust.
Where does this trust come from? Sports narratives inevitably have a teleological dimension. When the end is known, everything that leads to it seems to be the instruments of that end. In good sources check Patriots revival on Substack go long Last month, football journalist Tyler Dunn noted that shortly after Vrabel became head coach, he discovered trash in the sauna and dirty washcloths strewn across the locker room floor. He immediately instructed the players to respect their work area and the people who clean it. The players realized that it was not just a matter of politeness. This was a victory. “If you want to win, do the little things,” running back Antonio Gibson said. Dunn's story was full of similar details. According to Dunn, Josh McDaniels is not an asshole; he is the ideal coach for a hungry and talented young defenseman. Vrabel's loud style is not old-school brutality, but necessary toughness. The cultural shift is focused on the team's newfound success.
Maybe so. Vrabel is right: Respect really does start at home. Different personalities interact differently, and what doesn't work in one situation may work in another. Maye appears to be thriving under McDaniels, whose mastery of the Patriots' offense has never been in question. “It’s nice to play with him in headphones,” May said of McDaniels recently.
There's also no denying that the Patriots have an unusually easy schedule and may be looking great because they're playing weak opponents. Through eleven games, the teams they have beaten have a combined record of 30–54, and the Patriots have the easiest remaining schedule in the NFL. In fact, by one measure, the Patriots' schedule is the third-easiest in the NFL since 1978. In the end, clearing the sauna of debris may not have made any difference. And if things had gone in a different direction, if several of May's throws Thursday night had been intercepted, or if Antonio Brown hadn't passed the Dolphins and the Patriots started the season 0-3, some stories—like the story of Vrabel emerging from a preseason brawl between the Patriots and Washington Commanders with a bloody face—might have sounded a little different. May has had a fantastic season. He really could have won MVP, but he was sacked more than any other quarterback (among qualified starters) except one, and the Patriots offense was average overall. Take away a few of these exciting plays and we might be telling a different story.
But what is true for negative feedback loops is also true for positive ones. Inspiration becomes courage. Luck begins to seem like fate. For years, the Patriots couldn't rest. Then Brady came along, the 199th pick in the draft, and the team's fortunes changed completely. Losers become winners until the cycle repeats itself. ♦
