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The New England Patriots\u00a0have surprised everyone this season, and now have a chance to clinch the division on Sunday in an\u00a0AFC East showdown\u00a0against the Buffalo Bills.<\/p>\n
And with that, the Patriots had some time to rest and get healthy coming off the\u00a0bye week\u00a0after having won 10 straight games. Plus, an interesting trend involving head coach Mike Vrabel is setting New England up for success against the Bills.<\/p>\n
During his tenure as head coach of the\u00a0Tennessee Titans, Vrabel was 6-0 coming off a bye, which included a 42-16 win over the Bills in 2020. So, will the Patriots head coach be making it seven victories off the bye this week?<\/p>\n
He is doing everything in his power to ensure his team is prepared, while also motivating them by emphasizing how much is on the line.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re just trying to play for the championship that we have available this week, and I think it\u2019s a great testament to our players that have put us in this position to be able to do that,\u201d Vrabel told reporters on Monday. \u201cAgain, that\u2019s not going to be easy. This is a very good football team. There\u2019s a reason that they\u2019ve won this division five years in a row. A lot of respect for them. They\u2019re never out of it, never down, and they may be down, and just like last week, it\u2019s a football team that understands that somebody\u2019s going to make a play. And then the quarterback is going to give them a chance to the very end.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Jack Gibbens spent time with Vrabel in Tennessee, being part of the team\u2019s wins following the bye. So, is there a secret to Vrabel\u2019s success in these specific games?<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know if there\u2019s a secret,\u201d\u00a0Gibbens told the Boston Globe\u2019s Chris Price. \u201cIt\u2019s just good to kind of get a little mental reset. But just as soon as we get back in here [Monday], we\u2019ve got to lock in. We\u2019ve got to get a good day of working here, because the bye is only an advantage if you take advantage of it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got an extra day on the Bills, who are recovering from their Sunday game now, and we\u2019re going out there trying to get better. So you\u2019ve got to take advantage of that, for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n
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<\/figure>\nWhen the Patriots arrived back at the facility on Monday after the bye week, there were some questions surrounding whether they would be getting back some players who were dealing with injuries.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, some of those guys will practice today,\u201d Vrabel told reporters before the practice session. \u201cI think, for sure, Wednesday, some of those guys that weren\u2019t available. We\u2019ll kind of just see where they\u2019re at today, but I think we\u2019ll be okay come Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga, left guard Jared Wilson, and special teamer Brenden Schooler were out there practicing with the team, which is a good sign as the Patriots will need everyone on Sunday.<\/p>\n
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