Patriots Mailbag: Playoff spot clinched, what’s next

The New England Patriots are heading back to the NFL playoffs. With their comeback win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night, the Patriots officially clinched a spot in the postseason.

However the focus with the team doesn't appear to be on that accomplishment, but rather on what's next. Both head coach Mike Vrabel and quarterback Drake Maye downplayed simply earning a playoff spot when speaking to the media on Tuesday, instead looking ahead to the next potential step.

"Just unfinished business," Vrabel said when asked his message to the team for the next two weeks after clinching the playoff spot. "Still want to play for the division. We want to win the division. Haven't done it in a long time...there's some unfinished business. The season isn't over. This wasn't our goal and I'm excited that we won, but we've moved on."

"It's as simple as go win the division," Maye said, when asked his approach to the end of the regular season. "That's what the goal was. It wasn't to make the playoffs. It was to win the division, and that's what we're going to try to do."

So, what lies ahead for the Patriots in terms of needing to clinch the division, and more? We'll get into that in this week's Patriots Mailbag...

We got a number of injury updates on Tuesday. Khyiris Tonga is expected to miss one to two weeks, while TreVeyon Henderson, Kayshon Boutte, and Jared Wilson are all in concussion protocol.

Clinching the division is the most important thing for the Patriots over the next two weeks. That being said, getting healthy might be second on the list. Concussion timelines can be tricky, but nothing reported so far has indicated any of those players will definitively be out for the playoffs.

Of the teams who still can finish over .500 in the AFC, here's how I'd rank them as potential Patriots playoff opponents, easiest to hardest, factoring in specific elements of the matchups (strengths/weaknesses, home/road, etc.)...

Colts
Chargers
Steelers
Ravens
Jaguars
Texans
Broncos
Bills

The Bills still feel like the toughest matchup for three main reasons - the familiarity, their strong run game, and having the best quarterback of any of the teams on that list. However, it's close with them, the Broncos, and Texans, the Denver getting the slight nod for the second spot since as things stand now that game would be on the road. If the Patriots got the one seed, that could flip.

Homefield advantage also factors into the Jaguars and Chargers being ranked as low as they are. If the Patriots were to lose the division and have to visit either one (more likely Jacksonville), that could change things. That highlights the importance of the Patriots winning the division, to force some of those warm weather/dome teams to come play in Foxborough in January.

Injuries play a factor too. For instance, if Lamar Jackson's back injury ends up causing him to miss time, they'd obviously move further down the list.

On Gonzalez, the off-coverage zone scheme definitely doesn't play to his strengths. That's made it tougher to judge where he's at this year.

As for Henry, his four drops this year is the most he's had in a season in his career, and his 7.1% drop rate is narrowly on pace for a career high. That being said, he's also one contested catch away from tying a career-high in that department. So in that sense, his hands have been strong. He's 31 and the team probably should start thinking long-term about the position this offseason, but four drops shouldn't be the be-all-end-all in that conversation or accelerate the process of replacing him.

I still think Gonzalez has the talent to make it work in any defense, regardless of scheme (but he's better in some scenarios than others). That being said if the Patriots do shop him, they can't accept anything less than this. The Jets traded Sauce Gardner for two firsts and wide receiver AD Mitchell, and he had a down year in 2024 then missed time leading up to the trade.

Mack Hollins is on a two-year deal, so the Patriots won't need to make this decision right away (although he has no guaranteed money in 2026, so reworking the deal may come up). Giving Hollins a multi-year deal ended up being good foresight by the Patriots, as he has stepped into a key role both on and off the field for the team. If he was on a one-year deal, he'd be a strong extension candidate.