Patriots links 1/27/26: Vrabel Era starts with a bang… and a Bowl

TEAM TALK

• Evan Lazar presents a primer on the Seattle Seahawks, the Patriots opponent in Super Bowl LX on Sunday.
• Press Conferences:Marcus Jones and Cory Durden.

LOCAL LINKS

• Jerry Thornton shares his knee-jerk reactions to the AFC Championship game: Patriots at Broncos. ...history is never going to care that Maye had an ugly stat line."
• Chad Finn's Unconventional Review: Drake Maye/Mike Vrabel breakthrough has many similarities to the Tom Brady/Bill Belichick era; More.
• Tom E. Curran makes the case that this Patriots' turnaround is already one of greatest in NFL history.
• Conor Ryan notes that stats don't tell the story of Drake Maye's improbable run to Super Bowl LX.
• Ian Logue talks about how Mike Vrabel's Patriots vision has become reality.
• Andrew Callahan hears from Eliot Wolf on why he believed Super Bowl run was possible back in October.
• Sophie Weller notes Stefon Diggs describes first trip to the Super Bowl as perfect timing.'
• Steve Balestrieri recaps the Patriots beating the Broncos and the snow to return to the Super Bowl.
• Khari Thompson updates the Patriots Stock Watch to see who stood out or struggled in Sunday's win.
• Mark Morse picks through the Good, Bad, and Ugly from AFC Championship Sunday.
• Ethan Hurwitz looks back at how the Patriots built their Super Bowl roster.
• Justin Leger's Patriots-Seahawks tale of the tape: Super Bowl 60 keys to victory and more. There will be no Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, Russell Wilson, or Legion of Boom" this time around. It will be two very different Pats and Seahawks teams facing off in Super Bowl 60 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.
• Conor Ryan tells us 5 things to know about the Seattle Seahawks: Seattle boasts an elite defense; More.
• Conor Ryan reports the Patriots open as underdogs against Seahawks in Super Bowl LX predictions.
• Pats Procrastination podcast: Clare and Chudders recap Sunday's AFC Championship win. (43 min.)

NATIONAL NEWS

• Albert Breer (SI) NFL Takeaways: It's time to believe in Mike Vrabel's Patriots; More.
• Daire Carragher (PFF) Ahead of Super Bowl 60, the Patriots' run defense has turned a corner.
• Henry McKenna (FOX Sports) 5 Observations from Championship Sunday. 3. Everyone is afraid to say Part 1: Drake Maye was the youngest QB in the playoff field, but he's playing with wisdom beyond his years.
• Jay Busbee (Yahoo! Sports) Yes, open-air NFL playoff games are chaotic. That's exactly why we need them.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Should conference championships be played at neutral sites? /No!
• Gordon McGuinness (PFF) Highest-graded plays of the AFC, NFC title games.
• Judy Battista (NFL.com) 13 biggest winners and losers from Patriots-Broncos, Rams-Seahawks.
• Steven Ruiz (The Ringer) The winners and losers of the NFL's Conference Championships.
• Frank Schwab (Yahoo! Sports) Conference championship round winners and losers.
• Henry McKenna (FOX Sports) Another Dynasty in New England? Patriots built for sustained success.
• Jori Epstein (Yahoo! Sports) As snow and sacks thwart Drake Maye's passing dreams, his demoralizing' legs find a way to send Patriots back to Super Bowl.
• Staff (Football Zebras) 2025 AFC Championship Game: Patriots at Broncos live blog.
• Frank Schwab (Yahoo! Sports) Are NFL teams going for it on 4th down too often? And will that trend reverse itself?
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Mike Vrabel on fourth down decisions: We try to predict how many points we'll need to win.
• Jeffri Chadiha (NFL.com) Super Bowl LX: 5 factors that will determine Patriots vs. Seahawks. 2) Can Drake Maye return to regular-season form? More.
• Matt Verderame (SI) Four key matchups that could decide Super Bowl LX.
• Diante Lee (The Ringer) Four important questions about the Super Bowl matchup.
• Staff (PFF) 2026 NFL Free Agent Rankings: Top 250 players set to enter free agency.