SANTA CLARA, California — As the New England Patriots continued to rack up wins late in the regular season, coach Mike Vrabel shied away from mentioning the idea of a Super Bowl run when he spoke to his team after games.
But there were hints of where he felt this team could go.
“We’ve got to keep going because they keep getting bigger and bigger. They get bigger and bigger," he reminded them after wins late in the season.
Now, those words have manifested themselves into a chance for Vrabel to lead his first Patriots team to the franchise’s seventh Super Bowl title when they meet the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday (Monday in Manila).
While the players have certainly been the engine — a fact the coach has pointed out on virtually every occasion he’s asked about the team’s success — Vrabel’s leadership can’t be discounted.
And after moderate expectations for this group coming off New England’s back-to-back 4-13 finishes over the past two seasons, the Patriots suddenly have an opportunity to become the sixth team to win a Super Bowl after finishing with a losing record the previous season.
Vrabel has also instilled a sense of urgency into a team that entered the postseason with only 18 players who’d even appeared in a playoff game.
“We’re all just locked in because we know what’s at stake,” cornerback Carlton Davis III said. “We know we don’t get too many chances at this. Making a playoff run just being able to advance in the playoffs and get to this point. We’re just giving it our all.... It’s paying off right now.”
Patriots offense
It begins with quarterback Drake Maye, who in just his second season finished second in MVP voting after posting a league-best 72% completion percentage, to go along with 4,394 passing yards and 31 touchdowns.
He is the fourth quarterback since 2000 to win each of his first three career playoff starts, joining Tom Brady (won first 10), Joe Burrow (three) and Jake Delhomme (three). Maye is also the first quarterback in history to win three games against top five defenses in a single playoffs — the Chargers (No. 5), Texans (No. 1) and Broncos (No. 2).
