Unfinished Business: Patriots Outmuscle Adversity for Division Glory

Paul Riverbank, 12/26/2025Injury-weary but undeterred, the Patriots—guided by Mike Vrabel’s composed leadership—look to clinch the AFC East against a faltering Jets squad, exemplifying resilience and focus as the regular season nears its close.

Mike Vrabel, ever the pragmatist, sounded almost irritated when pressed on the bigger picture. “I can’t focus on the next two weeks,” he told the assembled press corps. “We’ve got to focus on this week and going on the road to a great environment, going to New York City, play the Jets and unfinished business.”

“Unfinished business”—the phrase lingers. And the sentiment is more than just coach-speak. This Patriots squad, for all its success this fall, has found itself scraping the bottom of its depth chart. Wide receivers? Holding on by a thread. Kayshon Boutte remains locked in concussion protocol, DeMario Douglas is fighting a hamstring that seems intent on lingering, and Mack Hollins ducked out of practice with what the trainers called an abdomen issue. Suddenly, Stefon Diggs stands almost alone, joined by Williams and a rookie, Efton Chism, who’s spent more time running decoy routes than actually touching the football.

At running back, there’s similar uncertainty. TreVeyon Henderson, also shaking off a concussion, has managed to practice. Whether he’ll play—or how much—is a betting man’s mystery. So the task could fall to Rhamondre Stevenson, who early this year looked one bad fumble away from the doghouse. Funny how football circles back: Stevenson now finds himself not just with the heavy workload, but with a measure of trust he’s spent a season earning. Only 425 rushing yards so far, true, but who cares in December? Ask the Ravens—he iced their hopes last Sunday with a 21-yard sprint that sealed the deal.

Nothing comes easy on the Patriots line, either. Vederian Lowe is penciled in for another start at left tackle. Ben Brown appears likely to line up at guard, with Jared Wilson joining the concussion conga line. If either Tackle—Moses or Munford—can’t shake their knee issues, Marcus Bryant, yet another rookie, could find himself thrown into the mix. Drake Maye has earned every gray hair he’s gotten: 380 yards against Baltimore with a patchwork line in front of him. “I’ve been really proud of those guys for stepping in,” Maye said, and for a team that’s had more shuffle than a Vegas blackjack table, credit matters.

Defensively, the picture is less clear than you might expect from a team holding a top-six ranking against the run. The front seven, lauded all fall, has shown leaks as December’s worn on. With Robert Spillane most likely sidelined by an ankle that doesn’t want to cooperate, next-man-up is Jack Gibbens, a serviceable linebacker whose name is rarely called for the wrong reasons. The silver lining? Milton Williams is back after four games nursing injury. Still sitting third on the team in sacks, Williams returns at just the right moment. The Jets, for all their issues, remain top-ten in the run game—no small threat.

About those Jets: if things look bleak in Foxborough, they’re downright funereal in New York. The losses have piled up—three straight blowouts, twenty-point margins not uncommon. Rookie head coach Aaron Glenn seems to run out of answers before he finishes a question. Under center, undrafted rookie Brady Cook is suffering a trial by fire: one touchdown, six picks in three outings. The vaunted Jets defense—at least what’s left of it after shipping out Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams—no longer looks capable of scaring anyone. The team hasn’t intercepted a pass all season. Not a single one.

Yet beneath the wreckage, little glimmers remain. New York’s offensive line managed to grind out 140 yards rushing the last time these teams met—remarkable, given what’s come since. And on special teams? The Jets have made the best of bad situations: three kickoffs have gone for touchdowns, a league best. Vrabel knows this. “We’ll have to cover with a purpose this week,” he warned, perhaps remembering his own days on the coverage unit.

What’s always present, threading through all 133 previous matchups, is the strange rivalry these franchises share—especially the uncanny ability for the Patriots to occasionally self-destruct when least expected. There’s a reason someone like Harold Kaese could write, after a 1966 tie, that sometimes “losing rather than winning seems to be the game’s objective.”

But this Patriots team doesn’t seem built for self-sabotage. They’ve overperformed despite injury and expectation alike, and Vrabel has been the steadying force—willing, perhaps, to take an ugly win over a perfect loss. This staff, often overlooked outside New England, has gotten something out of everyone, even if the Pro Bowl voting doesn’t recognize it. Drake Maye and Christian Gonzalez get the nods, while the likes of Marcus Jones go overlooked. They don’t seem bothered.

Sunday’s objectives are simple, even if the path there isn’t: survive, secure the win, and keep the roster intact for the next fight. If they manage that, the season’s horizon—once thought unreachable—remains open. Unfinished business, sometimes, is just another word for opportunity.

With a 12-win season hanging tantalizingly in front of them, the Patriots sit somewhere between the improbable and the uncomfortable. On paper, this week’s visit to the Jets looks almost too good to be true. Their New York rivals, drubbed and depleted, have limped to a miserable 3-12. It’s easy to imagine this matchup as a formality—just a late-season speed bump. But the NFL, with its perennial fondness for chaos, rarely hands out freebies.Mike Vrabel, ever the pragmatist, sounded almost irritated when pressed on the bigger picture. “I can’t focus on the next two weeks,” he told the assembled press corps. “We’ve got to focus on this week and going on the road to a great environment, going to New York City, play the Jets and unfinished business.”“Unfinished business”—the phrase lingers. And the sentiment is more than just coach-speak. This Patriots squad, for all its success this fall, has found itself scraping the bottom of its depth chart. Wide receivers? Holding on by a thread. Kayshon Boutte remains locked in concussion protocol, DeMario Douglas is fighting a hamstring that seems intent on lingering, and Mack Hollins ducked out of practice with what the trainers called an abdomen issue. Suddenly, Stefon Diggs stands almost alone, joined by Williams and a rookie, Efton Chism, who’s spent more time running decoy routes than actually touching the football.At running back, there’s similar uncertainty. TreVeyon Henderson, also shaking off a concussion, has managed to practice. Whether he’ll play—or how much—is a betting man’s mystery. So the task could fall to Rhamondre Stevenson, who early this year looked one bad fumble away from the doghouse. Funny how football circles back: Stevenson now finds himself not just with the heavy workload, but with a measure of trust he’s spent a season earning. Only 425 rushing yards so far, true, but who cares in December? Ask the Ravens—he iced their hopes last Sunday with a 21-yard sprint that sealed the deal.Nothing comes easy on the Patriots line, either. Vederian Lowe is penciled in for another start at left tackle. Ben Brown appears likely to line up at guard, with Jared Wilson joining the concussion conga line. If either Tackle—Moses or Munford—can’t shake their knee issues, Marcus Bryant, yet another rookie, could find himself thrown into the mix. Drake Maye has earned every gray hair he’s gotten: 380 yards against Baltimore with a patchwork line in front of him. “I’ve been really proud of those guys for stepping in,” Maye said, and for a team that’s had more shuffle than a Vegas blackjack table, credit matters.Defensively, the picture is less clear than you might expect from a team holding a top-six ranking against the run. The front seven, lauded all fall, has shown leaks as December’s worn on. With Robert Spillane most likely sidelined by an ankle that doesn’t want to cooperate, next-man-up is Jack Gibbens, a serviceable linebacker whose name is rarely called for the wrong reasons. The silver lining? Milton Williams is back after four games nursing injury. Still sitting third on the team in sacks, Williams returns at just the right moment. The Jets, for all their issues, remain top-ten in the run game—no small threat.About those Jets: if things look bleak in Foxborough, they’re downright funereal in New York. The losses have piled up—three straight blowouts, twenty-point margins not uncommon. Rookie head coach Aaron Glenn seems to run out of answers before he finishes a question. Under center, undrafted rookie Brady Cook is suffering a trial by fire: one touchdown, six picks in three outings. The vaunted Jets defense—at least what’s left of it after shipping out Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams—no longer looks capable of scaring anyone. The team hasn’t intercepted a pass all season. Not a single one.Yet beneath the wreckage, little glimmers remain. New York’s offensive line managed to grind out 140 yards rushing the last time these teams met—remarkable, given what’s come since. And on special teams? The Jets have made the best of bad situations: three kickoffs have gone for touchdowns, a league best. Vrabel knows this. “We’ll have to cover with a purpose this week,” he warned, perhaps remembering his own days on the coverage unit.What’s always present, threading through all 133 previous matchups, is the strange rivalry these franchises share—especially the uncanny ability for the Patriots to occasionally self-destruct when least expected. There’s a reason someone like Harold Kaese could write, after a 1966 tie, that sometimes “losing rather than winning seems to be the game’s objective.”But this Patriots team doesn’t seem built for self-sabotage. They’ve overperformed despite injury and expectation alike, and Vrabel has been the steadying force—willing, perhaps, to take an ugly win over a perfect loss. This staff, often overlooked outside New England, has gotten something out of everyone, even if the Pro Bowl voting doesn’t recognize it. Drake Maye and Christian Gonzalez get the nods, while the likes of Marcus Jones go overlooked. They don’t seem bothered.Sunday’s objectives are simple, even if the path there isn’t: survive, secure the win, and keep the roster intact for the next fight. If they manage that, the season’s horizon—once thought unreachable—remains open. Unfinished business, sometimes, is just another word for opportunity.