The New England Patriots were off on Christmas, but they still had a vested interest in the day’s proceedings with the Denver Broncos taking on the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.

Unfortunately for the Patriots, the Chiefs had nothing to play for. They’ve already been eliminated from playoff contention and lost Patrick Mahomes for the season, positioning the Broncos as heavy favorites.

While the game was closer and uglier than expected, Denver pulled it out in the final minutes, escaping with a 20-13 victory after overcoming an early deficit.

The outcome was bad news for New England. The Broncos improved to 13-3, pulling half a game ahead of the 12-3 Patriots for the No. 1 seed in the AFC.

To get the top seed, New England needs to win out by beating the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins over the next two weekends. Both teams have already been eliminated from the postseason, so that shouldn’t be too difficult.

The Patriots don’t control their own destiny, however, as they also need Denver to lose its season finale against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Broncos are at home and will have a rest advantage for that game, so they’ll likely be favored, especially if the Chargers lose to the Houston Texans this week and don’t have much to play for.

Denver has the tiebreaker over New England if they both end up at 13-4. If they do and the Jacksonville Jaguars also get to 13-4, the Jaguars own the tiebreaker.

For now, the Patriots need to stay focused on beating the Jets and trying to win the AFC East, which they can clinch this week if they win and the Buffalo Bills lose to the Philadelphia Eagles. That would at least guarantee hosting a home game in the playoffs for the first time in six years.

Why Patriots’ Stefon Diggs appreciates decorating his house for Christmas appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

New England Patriots star wide receiver Stefon Diggs has come a long way on the football field — and in life.

He got to realize it again recently, when he checked out his house that was decked out with Christmas lights.
In a clip Diggs shared on social media, a fake reindeer can also be seen in the front yard, adding more to the holiday spirit.

“I didn’t have all this growing up,” Diggs can be heard admitting.

Football has indeed given Diggs a lot, and it continues to be the gift that keeps on giving for the former Maryland Terrapins star wideout.

At one point in the video, Diggs showed his neighbors’ houses, which he said didn’t have much in terms of Christmas decorations compared to his.

The 32-year-old Diggs surely can afford to live the life now. According to Spotrac, the 32-year-old wide receiver has career earnings in the NFL of over $155.8 million. That includes the three-year, $63.5 million contract he signed with the Patriots in March.

New England’s investment in Diggs is being repaid with solid production on the field by the veteran. So far in the 2025 NFL campaign, the four-time Pro Bowler has 869 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 76 receptions and 93 targets for the Patriots, who have already clinched a spot in the NFL playoffs and are on the verge of winning the AFC East.

With a 12-3 record, Diggs and the Patriots can win the AFC East with a win this coming Sunday against the lowly New York Jets and a loss (or tie with) by the Buffalo Bills to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Related: Latest Patriots RB TreVeyon Henderson injury update will catch fans’ attention

Related: Patriots’ Mike Vrabel doubles up Ben Johnson in Coach of the Year survey

The Patriots are enjoying a fantastic season, and much of their impressive performance can be attributed to several standout first and second-year players on the roster.

One of New England’s promising young players is rookie safety Craig Woodson, and head coach Mike Vrabel spoke about the impact Woodson has made this season.

“Well, a lot of experience, one,” Vrabel said. “I mean, Craig was in college for a while. We joke about it, but he’s started and played a lot of games, seen a lot of football. But I think he’s continued to learn, understand and develop, he’s gotten better each day, and he’s been durable and available. The more that you’re out there, usually the better that you get.”

The Patriots selected Woodson in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. During his five seasons at California, he played in 46 games. Although Woodson is just a rookie, the experience he gained in many college games can significantly contribute to his development as a player.

In 15 games this season, Woodson has recorded 74 combined tackles, four tackles for loss and two fumble recoveries.

If the Patriots want to make a postseason run, Woodson will need to deliver an outstanding performance along with the rest of the secondary to take down some of the best quarterbacks in the AFC.

Week 17 is the end … for fantasy football contests. If you play NFL Survivor, you have this week and next week to keep track of. So Week 17 isn’t to win it all. It’s to stay alive.

Which brings me to the process for my Week 17 pick, below. And if you’re into numbers, don’t miss Aaron Schatz’s legendary content and our StatsHub advanced stats research tool for next-level insights.

NFL Survivor Picks for Week 17

Every week, we have the same process. We eliminate teams in groups until we narrow it down to our real considerations. Start with all 32, whittle it down. Also, just for the record — this game is “once you use a team, they’re off the board,” so I won’t pick a team I’ve already used. That said, I won’t eliminate such a team until I get to my final decision, because we don’t know if you used the team I used.

Opponent Is Too Good

Maybe these are good teams, maybe not, but it’s too hard to trust them given who they are facing. This is a 10-team list every week (fewer when there are byes); we are eliminating anyone facing a top-10 team in our FTN NFL Power Rankings.

Atlanta Falcons (vs. LA Rams)
Buffalo Bills (vs. Philadelphia)
Carolina Panthers (vs. Seattle)
Chicago Bears (@ San Francisco)
Indianapolis Colts (vs. Jacksonville)
Kansas City Chiefs (vs. Denver)
Los Angeles Chargers (vs. Houston)
New York Jets (vs. New England)
Philadelphia Eagles (@ Buffalo)
San Francisco 49ers (vs. Chicago)

That’s 10 off the board, leaving us 22 to go.

They’re Too Bad

You can face the worst team in all of football, but if you’re the second-worst team, well, I’m still not going to be too excited about selecting you. We’ll return to the power rankings here and cross off any team in the bottom 12.

Arizona Cardinals (@ Cincinnati)
Cincinnati Bengals (vs. Arizona)
Cleveland Browns (vs. Pittsburgh)
Las Vegas Raiders (vs. NY Giants)
Miami Dolphins (vs. Tampa Bay)
Minnesota Vikings (vs. Detroit)
New Orleans Saints (@ Tennessee)
New York Giants (@ Las Vegas)
Tennessee Titans (vs. New Orleans)
Washington Commanders (vs. Dallas)

Ten more out leaves us with 12.

Want more tools and analysis to keep you alive in your survivor pool? Check out PoolGenius for all the best offerings.

Island Games

This one isn’t a hard-and-fast category — if I don’t have another pick I like and feel like a prime-time (or Europe) game is just the overwhelming choice, I might double back. Generally speaking, the spotlight games are just weird. That’s not analysis, but also you know I’m right. I would much rather avoid games on Thursday, Sunday or Monday night. And as we get to the final few weeks, the Saturday-and-whatever-else games are ones to avoid as well.

Lot of them this week! And yes, some of them (Thursday in particular) feature some teams in really bad situations, but … it’s still “weird time of week.” I want to steer clear.

Baltimore Ravens (@ Green Bay)
Dallas Cowboys (@ Washington)
Denver Broncos (@ Kansas City)
Detroit Lions (@ Minnesota)
Green Bay Packers (vs. Baltimore)
Houston Texans (@ LA Chargers)
Los Angeles Rams (@ Atlanta)

Seven more. We have five left — our nine contenders.

The Contenders

Once we’re down to this small a number of teams, we’re done cutting them in swaths. We look at the pros and cons for each team and then figure it out. I’m also diving into our NFL Betting Model to see what the numbers think of the game.

Jacksonville Jaguars (@ Indianapolis)

Model Projection: Jaguars 23.56-20.89, Jaguars 57.5% win rate

Pros: Suddenly, the Jaguars look like one of the league’s elite teams, while the Colts have lost six of seven and the defense couldn’t stop a feather last week.

Cons: The Colts have their backs against the wall. And it was only a couple months ago that absolutely no one trusted the Jags.

New England Patriots (@ NY Jets)

Model Projection: Patriots 30.10-14.49, Patriots 86.1% win rate

Pros: The Patriots might be the 1 seed in the AFC. The Jets might have the first pick in the NFL Draft.

Cons: Maybe the Patriots decide to give the Jets a Christmas present? Short of absolute charity, I got nothin’.

Pittsburgh Steelers (@ Cleveland)

Model Projection: Steelers 18.59-15.26, Steelers 62.1% win rate

Pros: The Steelers have every motivation to win and potentially lock up the AFC North. The Browns have no such motivation.

Cons: The Cleveland defense still has the ability to go game-wrecker mode.

Seattle Seahawks (@ Carolina)

Model Projection: Seahawks 24.64-20.55, Seahawks 61.2% win rate

Pros: The Seahawks are pretty unequivocally a better team than the Panthers and have been road monsters under Mike Macdonald.

Cons: The Panthers just happen to beat elite teams with surprising frequency this season.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@ Miami)

Model Projection: Buccaneers 25.90-20.64, Buccaneers 63.8% win rate

Pros: The Dolphins appear to have all but phoned in the season. Maybe Notre Dame can play them if they want a good opponent.

Cons: The Buccaneers have fallen apart before our eyes. Can they beat anyone anymore?

The Pick

New England Patriots (@ NY Jets)

It felt a little silly to eliminate all the bad Thursday matchups in one fell swoop, but even if I still had them available to me (and even if I hadn’t already selected all the other teams in The Contenders), the Patriots would still be the easy pick. Imagine what would have to happen for the Jets to win this game. I can’t think of a non-natural-disaster scenario.

Honorable Mention

Denver Broncos (@ Kansas City) — if you didn’t use them when I did
Los Angeles Rams (@ Atlanta) — if you didn’t use them when I did

2025 record: 13-3

Week 1: Broncos (W)
Week 2: Rams (W)
Week 3: Chiefs (W)
Week 4: Packers (L)
Week 5: Cardinals (L)
Week 6: Steelers (W)
Week 7: Bears (W)
Week 8: Colts (W)
Week 9: Chargers (W)
Week 10: Lions (W)
Week 11: Ravens (W)
Week 12: Seahawks (W)
Week 13: Jaguars (W)
Week 14: Buccaneers (L)
Week 15: 49ers (W)
Week 16: Texans (W)
Week 17: Patriots

The New England Patriots have a chance to clinch the AFC East in Week 17, but may be shorthanded.

The Patriots listed 15 players on Wednesday’s injury report. Of those 15 players, eight did not participate at all. The following players did not participate in practice:

• WR Mack Hollins
• WR Kayshon Boutte
• TE C.J. Dippre
• G Jared Wilson
• DT Khyiris Tonga
• LB Harold Landry III
• LB Robert Spillane
• CB Carlton Davis

TreVeyon Henderson, DeMario Douglas, Morgan Moses, Thayer Munford Jr., Milton Williams, Anfernee Jennings and Charles Woods were listed as limited participants. Williams’s 21-day practice window is open, and the Patriots can activate him at any point.

Not only is the Patriots’ Wednesday injury report long, but it also features some of the most important players on the team. With Hollins, Boutte and Douglas all on the injury report, the Patriots could be thin in the wide receiver room for their game against the New York Jets.

The Patriots could lean on rookie wide receiver Kyle Williams more this week. He has proven he can make big plays this season, and needs just one more 30-plus yard touchdown to tie Randy Moss’s franchise record for 30-plus yard touchdowns in a single season.

If Wilson is unable to play, Ben Brown figures to draw another start. Spillane has not played since Dec. 1 against the New York Giants. Williams is unlikely to be activated this week, but his limited participation is a good sign that he will be ready to go when the playoffs start.

The Patriots can clinch the division and at least one home playoff game with a win and a Buffalo Bills loss or tie. The Patriots can also clinch the division if they tie and the Bills lose.

There are a lot of big-time storylines surrounding the New England Patriots‘ sudden rise back to the top of the NFL. One of them involves quarterback Drake Maye, who is in a neck-and-neck race with Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford for the 2025 MVP Award.

However, Maye isn’t the only guy in New England who could take home a major end-of-the-season award. While TreVeyon Henderson has received some consideration for the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award, it appears as if Maye’s head coach, Mike Vrabel, the leading the pack in the race for another big award.

In his first year as the Pats’ head coach, Mike Vrabel has completely changed the team’s fortunes. While there are several other candidates, such as Ben Johnson of the Chicago Bears and Liam Coen of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Vrabel led the pack in the Coach of the Year race in a poll conducted by NFL.com of front office executives across the league.

“Despite a strong list of candidates, Vrabel (13 votes) more than doubled the vote total of the second-place finisher, Bears coach Ben Johnson (six),” Tom Pelissero wrote.

“It has been an instant turnaround in New England, where the Patriots are 12-3, playoff-bound and in the mix for the AFC’s No. 1 seed after winning eight games over the previous two years combined … Vrabel has flipped the Patriots’ culture basically overnight and is fully in command on game days.”

After the Patriots endured two miserable four-win seasons, Vrabel has come in and led the team to a 12-3 record through 15 games. The players deserve credit for going out and playing good football, but Vrabel has masterfully implemented new schemes on both sides of the ball, while also completely changing the organization’s culture.

There are still two games left in the regular season, but it feels like this award will be Vrabel’s if New England wins the AFC East division over the Buffalo Bills. The team will look to take a big step towards accomplishing that goal in Week 17 when they square off against the New York Jets.

The New England Patriots clinched a spot in the postseason with their 28-24 comeback victory over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 16. In the process, second-year quarterback Drake Maye further solidified himself as one of the top MVP candidates in the league.

Maye completed 31 of his 44 pass attempts for 380 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 25 yards on 10 carries. Maye committed a pair of turnovers along the way (one interception, one fumble), but when his team needed him to step up in the fourth quarter, he delivered two huge drives that ended with touchdowns.

With two games left in the regular season, it seems like Maye is in a neck-and-neck race with Los Angeles Rams’ quarterback Matthew Stafford for the MVP Award. In a poll conducted by NFL.com of various front office executives across the league, Stafford is still ahead of Maye, even when accounting for his big outing vs. Baltimore.

“Patriots quarterback Drake Maye was the runner-up with five votes,” Tom Pelissero wrote. “Still just 23 years old and in his second NFL season, Maye leads the NFL with a 70.9% completion percentage — topping Tom Brady’s franchise-record 68.9% in 2007 — and would be the youngest player ever to lead the NFL in that category.

“Along with the arrival of head coach Mike Vrabel, Maye’s growth is a big reason the Patriots have made the biggest jump in total wins from last season (4-13 in 2024 to 12-3 with two games to go this season).”

Stafford is enjoying the best season of his career (341/519, 4,179 YDS, 40 TD, 5 INT), as he’s leading the league in several major categories, such as passing yards and passing touchdowns. Maye’s numbers are right there with him, though (321/453, 3.947 YDS, 25 TD, 8 INT, 95 CAR, 387 YDS, 4 TD), which is why this race is coming down to the wire.

It is worth noting that the Rams suffered a crucial loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 16, so Stafford’s grip atop this race could be loosening. At the end of the day, though, Maye is more focused on winning football games with his team rather than winning individual awards, and he will look to do just that when the Pats return to action in Week 17.

The New England Patriots are fresh off their most important win of the 2025 campaign in Week 16, as they handed the Baltimore Ravens a 28-24 defeat on Sunday Night Football. In the wake of this win, starting center Garrett Bradbury found himself the recipient of a unique award.

Not much was made of the team’s decision to sign Bradbury to a two-year, $12 million contract in free agency over the offseason, but he’s played a big role in the turnaround of the Patriots’ offensive line this season. Bradbury has been a stabilizing presence at the heart of the operation, as he’s started in all 15 games this season for New England.

Bradbury’s play on the field isn’t the only thing that has earned him recognition, though. The veteran offensive lineman has quickly emerged as a leader in the locker room, and part of that job involves meeting with the media on a frequent basis. For his work with the media this season, Bradbury ended up earning himself a prestigious award this week.

“Patriots C Garrett Bradbury is this year’s media ‘good guy’ award winner, honoring a player for his professionalism and helpfulness with the media. Well deserved,” Evan Lazar of the team’s official website shared in a post on X.

For players, meeting with the media can often be seen as a tedious task, but Bradbury has frequently gone out of his way to be generous with his time when discussing the Patriots and their season. His play on the field sometimes flies under the radar, but the media made sure to reward him for his work with them this year.

Winning awards is always nice, but winning football games is truly what Bradbury and the rest of the Pats are focused on right now. New England will look to inch closer to wrapping up the AFC East division in Week 17 by earning a win over the New York Jets.

The New England Patriots clinched a postseason berth in Week 16 and while they’re still aiming for the AFC’s top seed and lone first-round playoff bye, they’re currently in line to host a wild-card contest as the No. 2 seed.

MassLive’s group of five experts broke down who they believe would be the Patriots’ best and worst potential first-round matchups on Tuesday, with the quintet of columnists and reporters agreeing that the Buffalo Bills would present the most difficult task.

Columnist Matt Vautour was one of three experts to say the Los Angeles Chargers would be the best first round opponent but warned that one Bills player could “single-handedly” end New England’s season.

Somewhat surprisingly, it’s not reigning MVP quarterback Josh Allen.

“If Milton Williams, Robert Spillane, Will Campbell, Morgan Moses and TreVeyon Henderson are healthy, the Patriots can still beat the Cooks and their lousy receiving corps. But Cook could single-handedly end this magical season.,” Vautour wrote.

Running back James Cook would be the biggest superstar on many other team’s rosters, but sharing the backfield with Allen has made the former second-round pick somewhat of an afterthought.

Cook was named a Pro Bowler for the third straight season on Tuesday, but when NFL fans think of Buffalo football, Allen is without a doubt the first player that comes to mind.

The Patriots wouldn’t underestimate Cook ahead of a potential playoff matchup though, as the 26-year-old helped rally his team to a 35-31 win over New England in Week 15. Cook finished the contest with a career-high-tying three total touchdowns, two coming on the ground and one through the air.

The Georgia product finished the victory with 22 carries for 107 yards as well.

Though the Bills’ late-round playoff shortcomings are well-chronicled, it’s notable that they’ve won at least one postseason contest in five straight seasons.

As long as Allen and Cook are healthy, Buffalo would be a very difficult playoff battle for the Patriots.

The New England Patriots have secured their spot in the playoffs. They still have to clinch the AFC East, but staying healthy with the playoffs on the horizon is also important.

Khyiris Tonga exited the Patriots’ game against the Baltimore Ravens in the second quarter. He was originally deemed questionable to return with a foot injury, but was eventually ruled out. According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport on Tuesday, Tonga has a “one-or two-week injury.”

Tonga has become an important player for the Patriots on both sides of the ball. He has started the last eight games at defensive tackle, but since Week 9, he has also been seeing snaps on offense.

Tonga is 6-foot-2, 335 lbs, and has served as the Patriots’ fullback recently. He is a big body and has been able to make an impact as a blocker. In Week 10, he was on the field for TreVeyon Henderson’s game-sealing 69-yard touchdown. He took out multiple defenders on the edge to spring Henderson free.

Tonga is important for the Patriots in all three phases. He also plays special teams. This season, he has logged 337 snaps on defense, 14 snaps on offense and 65 snaps on special teams. Mike Vrabel knows how impactful he is for the team, and getting him back before the playoffs would be great.

“That’s a guy that plays on three phases,” Vrabel said, via Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald, after the Patriots’ Week 10 win. “Helped us win defensively, helped us win offensively and then goes out there and stands in the way of three guys on the field goal protection unit.”

All things considered, getting Tonga back before the playoffs will be great for the Patriots. Losing him at all is a major loss, but at least the Patriots are expecting him back for the most important games of the season. He is not the only Patriot expected to return before the playoffs.

Perhaps the most important injury to monitor for the Patriots is Will Campbell. The rookie left tackle has missed the last three games after being placed on injured reserve. He is eligible to return before the playoffs as well.

New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel revealed on Tuesday that three players were in the concussion protocol leading up to Week 17 vs. the New York Jets.

The good news, however, is that one of the team’s best defenders is on the mend.

“#Patriots DL Milton Williams will practice this week, his first week of being eligible to come off IR, per Mike Vrabel,” Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald posted on Bluesky.

Defensive tackle Milton Williams has missed the last four games after being placed on injured reserve with an ankle ailment on Nov. 15.

“DT Milton Williams (ankle) on his return to practice this week: ‘I’m feeling good. Just have to see how it responds. If all goes well, it will be a good thing for the Patriots,'” ESPN’s Mike Reiss posted on Bluesky.

The offseason signing has the third-most sacks on the team (3.5) and is tied for third in quarterback hits (eight) and tackles for loss (seven) as well.

Two players represent the New England Patriots on the AFC’s Pro Bowl Games roster.

The NFL revealed Pro Bowl selections on Tuesday, and Patriots fans may feel the 12-3 squad got short-changed. Only quarterback Drake Maye and cornerback Christian Gonzalez made the cut.

Maye led the fan voting for much of the process before Travis Kelce and Josh Allen surpassed him in the last update. The MVP candidate nevertheless landed his second straight Pro Bowl nod alongside Allen and Justin Herbert.

The Patriots noted that Maye joined Dan Marino, Russell Wilson and Andrew Luck as the fourth quarterback to begin his career with multiple Pro Bowl selections. This one was a bit more earned than last season.

Down years from Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow made Maye a near lock amid a breakout campaign. The 23-year-old wields an NFL-leading 70.9 percent completion rate while matching NFC Pro Bowler Sam Darnold’s league-best 8.7 yards per pass attempt.

Maye has accounted for 29 touchdowns and amassed an AFC-high 3,947 passing yards after recording his first career 300-yard game in Sunday night’s 28-24 win over the Baltimore Ravens.

Meanwhile, Gonzalez will represent New England’s defense with his first Pro Bowl invite. The 23-year-old has allowed a 66.3 passer rating in coverage with 10 passes defended in 12 games.

Marcus Jones stands out as New England’s biggest snub. The cornerback has three interceptions, three fumble recoveries and two punts returned for touchdowns in a standout fourth season.

New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel praised Stefon Diggs’ play on Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens.

Diggs signed a three-year, $63.5 million contract with the Patriots this offseason to be a key receiver for the team. The veteran has made an impact on Drake Maye and the offense, and he showed on Sunday against the Ravens.

The 32-year-old had a stellar game as he had nine receptions for 138 yards. It was a solid performance from Diggs, and Vrabel had nothing but positive things to say about him.

“We talk about opportunities this whole year, and you know somebody, that receiving room, and I get the nature of the receivers in this league,” Vrabel said about Diggs postgame on Sunday. “I understand. I’ve been around this league for a while, and they all want the ball. That’s what they are supposed to do.

“When they don’t get it, they have to understand that they will get it. He took advantage of his opportunities, came through with contested catches, third-down conversions. It was great to see.”

Diggs has recorded 76 receptions for 869 yards and three touchdowns this season, as he’s well on track to once again have a 1000+ receiving yard season.

Along with Diggs, Vrabel was pleased with the play of the other Patriots receivers like Kayshoun Boutte, Kyle Williams, and Mack Hollins.

“Mack made plays for us, Kyle, Kayshon,” Vrabel added. “Unfortunate for Kayshon [Boutte], the penalty or whatever they called over there is completely whatever they called it over there.

“Then his ability to go down, which I thought he was competing for that ball, and I thought we were going to have that one. But Kayshon is going (to) help us out. All the receivers are going to play roles.”

With the win, the Patriots improved to 28-24 and are now 12-3. New England has clinched a playoff spot but is looking to win the AFC East.

The New England Patriots pulled off their best comeback in nearly a decade on Sunday night, erasing a 24-13 deficit in the fourth quarter to stun the Baltimore Ravens 28-24 at M&T Bank Stadium. It was the Patriots’ biggest fourth-quarter comeback since their historic Super Bowl LI rally against the Atlanta Falcons in early 2017.

But whereas that one was led by Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, this one was led by Mike Vrabel and a 23-year-old Drake Maye. Despite facing intense pressure from the Ravens’ defense, Maye calmly led New England on a pair of clutch touchdown drives during the fourth quarter to win the game and clinch a playoff berth.

On Monday, radio host Colin Cowherd showered Maye and his teammates with praise for their impressive comeback on the road.

“If you watch Drake Maye, in the final quarter, he was pressured on almost half of his throws, and yet was money,” Cowherd said. “That’s a star quarterback. Trailing, getting hit, drive them down the field.”

Cowherd complimented the Patriots by comparing them to the Los Angeles Chargers, who have also overachieved this year despite crushing injuries.

“The East Coast version of the Chargers. A team with a great coach and a great quarterback that should not be this good is the Patriots,” Cowherd said. “They’re still in a rebuild…Drake Maye’s only 23 years old. He was the rawest of all the quarterbacks in his class. Yet now he’s a top eight, nine, ten quarterback.”

Cowherd also praised New England for being ahead of schedule and overcoming numerous obstacles this season, including youth, injuries, roster depth and a relative lack of reliable weapons.

“For the Patriots to be this good with all their youth and all their new players is unbelievable,” Cowherd said. “That was a really impressive road win for Drake Maye.”

Maye will try to earn another road win on Sunday against the New York Jets as the Patriots continue to battle the Denver Broncos and Jacksonville Jaguars for the top seed in the AFC.

The New England Patriots moved to 12-3 and clinched a playoff spot with their 28-24 win over the Baltimore Ravens.

Trailing by 11 points in the fourth quarter, Drake Maye found Kyle Williams for a 37-yard touchdown down the sideline. The Patriots would go for two and convert to cut the deficit down to just three points.

It was Williams’ third touchdown of the season. All three of his touchdowns this season have been for at least 30 yards, and according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, he is the first Patriots receiver to have at least three receiving touchdowns of 30-plus yards in a season since Chris Hogan in 2016.

Per Reiss, the only Patriots player with more receiving touchdowns of at least 30 yards in a season is Randy Moss, who had four such touchdowns during the 2009 season. The Patriots selected Williams in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft out of Washington State.

He has just seven catches for 189 yards, but he is a big play waiting to happen every time he is on the field. He scored a 72-yard receiving touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for his first score of the year. His second touchdown was a 33-yard score against the New York Giants.

Williams has only played 26% of the Patriots’ offensive snaps, but he has proven to be an effective option when he is in the game. He played 28 snaps against the Ravens on “Sunday Night Football.” It was his fourth-highest snap count on offense of the season.

The Patriots are finding ways to utilize his speed on special teams as well. Williams has been returning kicks since Week 12 and has 290 kick return yards on 11 attempts. He is averaging 26.4 yards per return.

Williams has two more regular-season games left to tie and potentially pass Moss’s mark for the most 30-plus yard receiving touchdowns in a season.

The Kansas City Chiefs are grappling with several quarterback injuries as the season comes to a close. Patrick Mahomes is sidelined with a torn ACL, and backup Gardner Minshew also suffered an injury during the loss to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.

Amid all the quarterback injuries, former Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel took to X on Sunday night to share his thoughts on wanting to return to play for the Chiefs.

“Seeing a lot of people mentioning me going to the Chiefs. Arm’s loose. Phone line’s open,” Cassel wrote.

Cassel played for the Chiefs from 2009 to 2012, finishing with a 19-28 record. He began his NFL career with the New England Patriots, where he gained recognition during the 2008 season. That year, he started 15 games while Tom Brady was sidelined for nearly the entire season due to a torn ACL.

Cassel hasn’t played in the NFL since 2018, and at 43, there’s a strong likelihood he won’t be making a comeback. However, the Colts recently signed 44-year-old quarterback Philip Rivers, which could open the door for Cassel’s return.

The Chiefs will face the Broncos on Christmas Night, a game that could hold significant implications for Patriots fans. If Denver comes up short, it could bring New England one step closer to securing the No. 1 seed in the AFC.

The New England Patriots picked up a 28-24 victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday Night Football, overcoming an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit to earn the win. However, many of the team’s detractors were quick to note that they avoided having to play two-time MVP Lamar Jackson for more than half of this game.

Jackson appeared to suffer a back injury late in the second quarter of this game, and after retreating to the locker room before the rest of his team ahead of halftime, he did not return to the game. That forced Tyler Huntley into action, as Baltimore fought desperately to keep its playoff hopes alive.

The loss of Jackson ended up being one of several reasons the Ravens did not win this game, and as the calendar flips to Week 17, the team has to quickly figure out what the star QB’s status is. The fact that he didn’t return to the game isn’t a great sign, but according to Baltimore’s head coach, John Harbaugh, Jackson is day-to-day with a back contusion.

“Harbaugh said that Lamar Jackson is day-to-day,” Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic shared in a post on X. “Had the MRI and no damage beyond a ‘significant contusion.’ Currently in building getting treatment.”

With just two games left in the regular season, the Ravens face long odds of finding their way into the playoffs. Jackson’s injury woes throughout the year have made things quite difficult for Baltimore, and his back injury may end up being the straw that breaks the camel’s back.

As for New England, it has held onto control of the top seed in the AFC East, while also keeping its hopes of earning the No. 1 seed in the AFC alive. The Patriots will return to action in Week 17 for a matchup against the lowly New York Jets.

Pretty much everything’s gone right for New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye this season.

The second-year pro is an MVP contender, his Patriots clinched a playoff berth in Week 16 and the team is in good position to win their first AFC East crown in six years.

Josh Allen’s Buffalo Bills, meanwhile, lost four of seven games during the middle of the season and may finish as the division’s runner-up and things have been even worse for Travis Kelce’s Kansas City Chiefs.

Kelce has posted mediocre numbers and the three-time defending AFC champions have not only been eliminated from playoff contention, but two-time MVP signal-caller Patrick Mahomes suffered a season-ending torn ACL in Week 15.

Allen and Kelce did pass Maye atop the 2026 Pro Bowl Games fan voting leaderboard, however, as the final tallies were revealed on Monday.

Maye dominated the voting up until the final hours, leading all players in the race for the top spot until the polls closed at midnight on Dec. 15.

The North Carolina product finished in third place with 259,978 votes, while Allen was in second at 263,127 and Kelce garnered 420,383 tallies.

The Chiefs tight end’s finish wasn’t a shock, as he was the top vote-getter last season and is engaged to music superstar Taylor Swift.

The AFC and NFC rosters will be revealed at 10 a.m. ET on Tuesday.

The New England Patriots earned a thrilling 28-24 comeback victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday Night Football, pushing their record to 12-3 on the season. With the game hanging in the balance, second-year quarterback Drake Maye took matters into his own hands to ensure the Patriots would win this game.

This wasn’t necessarily Maye’s cleanest outing, as he committed a pair of turnovers that cost New England at least six points, but he pulled off the first comeback win of his young career. When all was said and done, Maye had completed 31 of his 44 pass attempts for 380 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 25 yards on 10 carries.

If those numbers seem impressive, that’s because, well, they are. Just how impressive are they, though? When you put it all together, Maye turned in a road performance under center that had literally never been seen in the NFL prior to this game.

In his first full season as New England’s starting quarterback, Maye has been wildly impressive. However, considering the stakes that were present against Baltimore, this may just be the best game of his young career.

With this win, the Patriots maintained their one-game lead atop the Buffalo Bills in the AFC East division. Matchups against the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins await New England, and it should be heavily favored to win both games.

The Pats have done a great job of focusing on going 1-0 each week, and they will look to carry that mindset into Week 17. New England will square off against New York next, with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m. ET on Sunday afternoon.