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The Eye on Foxborough Newsletter

January 30, 2026

Mike Vrabel  (AP Photo)

Kicking off

After getting the Mile High monkey off their backs, winning in Denver for the first time in the postseason, in a blizzard no less, the Patriots magical mystery tour has one more stop.

Santa Clara, California. Site of Super Bowl 60.

The final leg of this incredible ride could bring a 7th Lombardi Trophy to New England.

The Patriots opened as 3.5 point underdogs in the championship game against the Seattle Seahawks.

It's hard to find anyone who thinks they can win, which is exactly the way they like it.

For much of the season, they've had a great time proving doubters wrong. They've been fueled by doubt and disrespect. 

They've taken advantage of the collective chip on their shoulder, and will need to do that one more time.

The Seahawks are a well-balanced team. There's a reason they're favored.

Learning Drake Maye has an injury to his throwing shoulder has caused notable concern.

The Patriots second-year quarterback hasn't played as well as he did during the regular season, but he's still managed to make the necessary plays - both with his arm and his legs - to get the job done.

Both Mike Vrabel and Maye, who has been limited in practice, have downplayed the injury during the week. 

We'll see soon enough.

Here's some clips from the week: 

For injured Drake Maye, playing isn’t the issue. It’s how good he’ll be | Karen Guregian

Patriots Drake Maye injury update: QB addresses shoulder concern before Super Bowl

Is Drake Maye injured? What we know about Patriots QB ahead of Super Bowl 60

Patriots fans beware: Sam Darnold isn’t seeing ghosts anymore

Josh McDaniels and Drake Maye’s secret play surprised teammates in AFC Championship

For logistics, Patriots, Mike Vrabel leaning on Josh McDaniels’ Super Bowl experience

Mike Vrabel responds to disrespect toward Patriots this season — ‘It doesn’t matter’

Super Bowl winner shares wisdom with Patriots teammates

Turbulent journey to Super Bowl 60 has Patriots star relishing breakout playoff run

Mr. Championship? Winning follows Patriots rookie wherever he goes

Patriots excited Terrell Williams making Super Bowl trip amid cancer fight

Patriots Hall of Famer shares Super Bowl cautionary tale ahead of big game | Karen Guregian

Elliot Wolf, Mike Vrabel partnership leads Patriots to Super Bowl | Mark Daniels

The Patriot Way is now the Mike Vrabel Way and it’s working

Stop calling it luck—the Patriots’ Super Bowl run is a masterclass in team building| Karen Guregian

Inside Patriots locker room: Mike Vrabel chugged a beer after AFC Championship win

Test your football knowledge against MassLive’s football experts by making picks each week in the Pro Football U Pick 'Em Challenge sponsored by MGM Springfield.

Follow along with our picks for every pro football game all season long in MassLive’s “Pro Football U Pick ‘Em Challenge” sponsored by MGM Springfield. You can test your football knowledge against our experts and win weekly and season-long prizes. You can still sign up and join the fun.

MassLive sports columnist Karen Guregian predicts the winners of MVP, Coach of Year races and more

With the Super Bowl a week away, I decided to make a few predictions on NFL award winners in the top categories ahead of the NFL Honors show on Thursday, where the winners will officially be announced.

MVP

Who should win: Drake Maye, QB, Patriots

Who will win: Matthew Stafford, QB, LA Rams

Coach of the Year

Who should win: Mike Vrabel, Patriots

Who will win: Mike Vrabel, Patriots

Comeback Player of the Year

Who should win: Stefon Diggs

Who will win: Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco

Offensive Player of the Year

Who should win: Puka Nacua, WR, LA Rams

Who will win: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle

Defensive Player of the Year

Who should win: Myles Garrett, Edge, Cleveland

Who will win: Myles Garrett, Edge, Cleveland

Offensive Rookie of the Year

Who should win: Tetairoa McMillan ,WR, Carolina

Who will win: Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Carolina

Defensive Rookie of the Year

Who should win: Carson Schwesinger, LB, Cleveland

Who will win: Carson Schwesinger, LB, Cleveland

Here is this week's highlighted question:

Are you worried about Drake Maye's shoulder? - Julie from Somerville

Guregian: Maye turned up on the injury report Wednesday. It was the first time the Patriots acknowledged any injury.

Both Mike Vrabel and Maye were vague, dodging direct questions. But there is an issue with his right throwing shoulder, there's no question about that. 

The fact he was "limited" isn't the best news ahead of the Super Bowl, but there's time for him to improve. But it's something to monitor. If he comes off the injury report next week, that would be a great sign. If he remains limited, and doesn't get back to full participation, the worry meter will rise.

For what it's worth, Maye believes he'll be just fine.

"I'm just going to try to do whatever I can to get back to 100%. I think a lot of people in that locker room would say the same thing," Maye said Thursday. "Having a two-week break is nice to rest a little more and get to know the Seahawks as well as I can. From there, I'm looking forward to getting out to practice and trying to transfer that to live game reps."

NOTE: MassLive columnist Karen Guregian will answer reader questions in this space weekly. If you have questions on the Patriots, NFL, or anything else, email Karen at kguregian@masslive.com or tweet to @kguregian.

Bill Belichick (AP photo)

Bill Belichick not getting into the Pro Football Hall of Fame is a joke

‘A disgrace’ — NFL world reacts to Bill Belichick’s Hall of Fame snub

Patriots legend says Hall of Fame needs to go back to drawing board in wake of Belichick snub

Patriots’ Mike Vrabel reacts to Bill Belichick Hall of Fame snub

Report: Ex-Colts GM told Hall of Fame voters Bill Belichick should ‘wait a year’ as punishment for Spygate

Patriots owner joins Trump for screening of ‘Melania’

Arraignment for Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore delayed until after Super Bowl

From Patriots owners to parking attendants, Mike Vrabel begins press conference with statement of gratitude

Tom Brady reacts to ex-teammate Mike Vrabel leading former Patriots team to Super Bowl

Rob Gronkowski picks Super Bowl 60 winner; Former Patriots TE has been wrong 3 years in a row

Patriots among 16 teams eligible for ‘Hard Knocks’ in 2026

Patriots executive who lost his wife buoyed by team’s Super Bowl run

Super Bowl tickets given to family of Mass. police officer killed in line of duty

Joe Mazzulla identifies what separates Patriots amid surprise Super Bowl run

NOTE: If you like what you see here, make sure to follow MassLive's Patriots reporters Chris Mason and Mark Daniels and columnists Karen Guregian, Matt Vautour and Sean McAdam and Nick O'Malley on Twitter. You should also bookmark MassLive's Patriots page and like our Patriots page on Facebook. 

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You're all caught up.

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