DENVER — Mike Vrabel’s sprint off the field after victories is familiar at this point, now that his New England Patriots have won 17 of their 20 games this season. It’s a trek to get back to the locker room for hugs and handshakes with the players.
But on Sunday, as the snow fell and the Lamar Hunt Trophy was passed around, Vrabel took the long way. What once seemed like a fantasy was complete. The Patriots were headed back to the Super Bowl. And Vrabel wanted to soak it in.
So instead of the beeline he usually makes back into the stadium tunnel, Vrabel jogged around Empower Field at Mile High, high-fiving fans. He tossed his AFC championship hat into the stands. It was a fitting moment for a coach whose team has so embraced him, a group that now has him one win away from becoming the NFL’s first person to win a Super Bowl as a player and then as a head coach with the same franchise. All that stands in the way are the Seattle Seahawks.
After beating the Broncos 10-7 to claim the AFC title, Vrabel did everything you’d expect from him at this point. Handshakes, hugs, hollering. He talked about forming an identity and the team trusting in him.
“Sometimes you’ve got to believe things before you see them,” Vrabel told them.
What a beautiful summary of how these Patriots got here. There was little reason for belief before this season. Vrabel inherited a mess. The Patriots went 4-13 in each of the two previous seasons. Quick fixes are rare in the NFL, and this one seemed unlikely given the lack of high-end talent on the roster.
But Vrabel asked for faith and got it. New England was ambitious in free agency, spending big — but wisely — on players who have made a difference. They hit on several vital picks in the draft.
As a result, his Patriots went 14-3 during the regular season. They have beaten three good teams in the playoffs and have one massive game remaining. They are headed to their 12th Super Bowl, their 10th in the last 25 years.
“It’s all about the coach, man,” wide receiver Kayshon Boutte said.
There were so many reasons the Patriots could have lost this AFC Championship Game. They were outperformed by the Broncos in several areas. But they were better at head coach, and that mattered in a big way.
LET’S GO FINISH THIS pic.twitter.com/V1rOmQEmsV
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) January 26, 2026
For much of this season, the Patriots benefited from an easy schedule. They won a number of games because they could simply roll in with more talent than their opponents and get by. But they’ve needed the right coaching decisions in the biggest moments.
After an injury-riddled start to the season for cornerback Christian Gonzalez, Vrabel spent time with him, working to boost his confidence and bring out his best. Gonzalez helped seal the game Sunday with an interception on the Broncos’ final drive. Vrabel worked with quarterback Drake Maye on becoming a more vocal leader, then watched him run a naked bootleg to secure a game-clinching first down that sent the Patriots into victory formation.
“The camaraderie and the team chemistry that he’s built from the head coaching position, I hope he wins Coach of the Year,” veteran receiver Stefon Diggs said.
As Sunday’s game went on, it became more and more about managing the weather. After a calm first half, snow blew sideways after halftime. Vrabel adjusted the defense away from a blitz-happy scheme meant to rattle Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham. The Patriots also changed plans offensively.
“They threw some things out there, we were all over it, and you saw when they had to throw the football that it wasn’t that easy,” Vrabel said of the adjustments.
Meanwhile, on the opposing sideline, Broncos coach Sean Payton came under fire for a fourth-down call that ended up backfiring. Up 7-0 in the second quarter, Payton opted to go for it on fourth-and-1 at the New England 14-yard line instead of kicking the short field goal. Stidham tried to connect with running back RJ Harvey on the right, but his pass fell incomplete. Denver wouldn’t score again.
To be sure, this wasn’t the prettiest game. Maye (10-for-21 passing for 86 yards) wasn’t at his best against Denver’s suffocating defense, even before the snow fell. The running game — outside of Maye’s scrambles (10 carries for 65 yards and a touchdown) — was mostly a slog. The offense will have to get better after three straight so-so performances in the postseason, though those came against three top-five defenses.
But Vrabel has this defense dominating. Sure, this one was against a backup quarterback, but that’s now five straight impressive outings from that side of the ball.
“It’s a group effort, it just wasn’t me,” Vrabel said. “I stand up in front of you guys, and I am thankful (for) the people that are around us in that building, in our program.”
For all of the talk about Vrabel being a hulking, intense and intimidating coach, one of his overriding principles is always making things about his players. It’s when the former linebacker in Vrabel really comes out. He thinks about the three Super Bowls he won as a player and what it would mean for this group to do it next.
“I do this for the players, to be able to experience this with their families,” Vrabel said.
Now, the league’s most incredible one-year turnaround is nearing a conclusion. The Patriots dispatched the Los Angeles Chargers in the wild-card round with a balanced attack. Their defense swarmed the Houston Texans in the divisional round. Their head coach guided them to a snowy, hard-fought victory over the Broncos for the AFC title.
After the game, a makeshift stage was constructed on the field for Patriots players to come up, hoist the trophy and tell the TV audience how much this meant to them. There was talk of the Super Bowl to come and how this team has shocked the world by getting this far.
Vrabel looked around happily from that stage, a first-year coach headed to the Super Bowl just 12 months into this job. After he climbed down, he began that jog around the walls of the stadium with high fives for Pats fans. His sweatshirt was soaked, and his face looked cold.
But there was a lot still to be done. More hugs than he could count. A speech to his team in the locker room. A news conference. His voice grew hoarse as he zigzagged through the locker room, yelling at players in celebration.
Finally, he made a turn into the coach’s office, where his family was waiting. They cheered, and he smiled. The Patriots were headed back to the Super Bowl.