In his first season as head coach of the New England Patriots, head coach Mike Vrabel has the franchise back in the Super Bowl, looking to win its seventh Vince Lombardi trophy. Like anything the Patriots do, there are plenty of opinions on their win, ranging from those within the game and watching from the outside.
New England defeated the Denver Broncos in a close defensive game affected by bad weather, 10-7 in the AFC championship game on Sunday. It wasn’t a masterclass by any means, but the Patriots got the win on the road in Denver despite quarterback Drake Maye passing for just 86 yards and being sacked five times.
Former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher summed it up nicely with his reaction on the CBS broadcast following the game.
"They've put together a very special group of people." - @CowherCBS on the Patriots pic.twitter.com/R8ooabWpaa
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) January 25, 2026
Others, like former NFL QB Robert Griffin III, showed love with statistics and praise for Maye.
Drake Maye faced the toughest path to the Super Bowl in NFL Playoff History.
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) January 25, 2026
No QB has ever beat 3 Top 5 defenses to get to the Super Bowl.
Until Drake Maye.
Chargers were #5 Defense
Texans were #1 Defense
Broncos were #2 Defense
PUT SOME RESPECT on Drake Maye’s name. pic.twitter.com/hlMX8wYPHn
Titans defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons congratulated his former head coach Mike Vrabel. Simmons, an All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowler, was drafted with the 19th overall pick in Vrabel's second year as Tennessee's head coach.
Happy as hell for Vrabel and the guys! That’s tough 🔥
— Jeffery Simmons (@GrindSimmons94) January 25, 2026
Of course, Dave Portnoy had to join in on the fun in congratulating his Patriots on advancing to Super Bowl LX.
There is no better feeling in sports than having your ticket already punched to the Super Bowl and sitting back with your legs kicked up watching the late game. #NEPats
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) January 25, 2026
Clay Travis congratulated head coach Mike Vrabel and the Pats by also taking shots at the Tennessee Titans in his X post.
The Titans fired Mike Vrabel and in his first year coaching a new team he takes them to the Super Bowl. This is the most Titans result possible.
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) January 25, 2026
The Patriots now advance to their 12th Super Bowl, extending their own NFL record.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) January 25, 2026
With a win two Sundays from now, the Patriots will set the record for most Super Bowl wins in NFL history with 7.
However, with praise usually comes criticism, which the Patriots get no matter what they do. If you're not a fan of New England, then you're probably at the other end of the reactions, where you'd rather see anyone make the Super Bowl but the Pats.
He played Herbert with no OL
— Ryan Fravel (@Fravel_Ryan) January 26, 2026
CJ Stroud and the worst offense in the NFL
Denver without Bo Nix
And so it begins. Time for the media to spend two weeks acting like this won’t be the worst Super Bowl since 48
— Carson🏔️ (@carson_orvis) January 25, 2026
It's easier to win when the opposing team has to rely on a backup QB to score
— Ryan Fravel (@Fravel_Ryan) January 26, 2026
Regardless of how anyone feels, the Patriots are heading to Super Bowl LX with a chance to surpass the Steelers for the most Lombardi trophies with seven.