For the New England Patriots, clinching a playoff spot wasn’t the real finish line; it was just the start of the real danger zone: complacency. While fans celebrate the end of a four-year playoff drought, Pats’ wide receiver Stefon Diggs thinks that the journey is not even halfway done. Ahead of the team’s upcoming clash against the New York Jets, Diggs is already sounding the alarm on what could end their run prematurely.

“Yeah. You just don’t let your foot off the gas. Don’t get comfortable. Um, you go into the playoffs cool, but you’ll be out of the playoffs faster than you know it if you don’t play good ball consistently week in and week out and kind of putting that left in front of the right,” Diggs said, in a recent conversation posted by the Patriots on YouTube.

“You want to be healthy, and you want to be in a good spot. So, it’s good these last two weeks to be playing good football. You know, it’s something that you could be proud of, something that you could look at on tape like, “Okay, we’re going in the right direction going into the piece.”

The New England Patriots have returned to the NFL playoffs for the first time in four years, clinching a postseason berth with a dramatic 28-24 win over the Baltimore Ravens in week 16, improving their record to 12-3 and officially punching their ticket to the 2025 postseason.

Their Week 16 victory not only secured a playoff spot but also positioned them at the top of the AFC standings. With the top seed in the AFC currently up for grabs, the Patriots find themselves in fierce competition against the Broncos, as both sit at 12-3, but the latter holds the benefit of a tiebreaker.

With two games left, the Patriots’ remaining schedule includes a road game against the New York Jets in Week 17 and a home matchup against the Miami Dolphins in Week 18. Both contests are critical: winning them would help New England secure the top seed, while losses could open the door for tiebreaker scenarios or drop them lower in the postseason bracket.

This comes at a time when Drake Maye prepares for his first NFL playoff run. Maye also explained that Patriots’ OC Josh McDaniels has been talking to him about playing well in the final regular-season games.

“Coach McDaniels has talked to me about improving and getting better in practice as you reach the end of the season and reach playoff time. You want to feel like you’re improving in practice.” He further added,

“You want to practice well during the week, and you always feel like you play the best when you have a good week of practice. So, it’s really big on continuing a little winning streak these last couple games, heading into the playoffs feeling good about ourselves and feeling like we’ve still got some work to do.”

Even though New England has already clinched a playoff spot, the Patriots are still fighting for division positioning and a possible first-round bye, so the final two games against the Jets and Dolphins still matter.

Drake Maye’s odds of winning the NFL MVP award

Drake Maye emerged as one of the leading candidates for the 2025 NFL Most Valuable Player award. Recent trends show Maye closing the gap on longtime favorite Matthew Stafford, with sportsbooks listing him near the top of the odds board. Maye’s MVP odds have tightened around +170 to +180 in some markets, compared to Stafford’s slight edge as the current favorite.

A big reason for this surge is Maye’s statistical excellence in the ongoing season. He has thrown for 3,947 passing yards with 25 touchdowns and only 8 interceptions through Week 16, while leading the league in completion percentage (about 70.9%) and advanced metrics like QBR and completion above expected. The numbers place him among the most efficient and productive quarterbacks in the league, metrics that MVP voters often factor heavily into their decisions.

Despite his strong case and high-profile performances like the comeback win over the Ravens that clinched a playoff berth, polls still show Maye finishing just behind Stafford in some national MVP votes. There’s also some skepticism from pundits suggesting his breakout could be “unsustainable” long-term.

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