Image courtesy of MassLive
By Alan Segel
NEFJ Contributor
FOXBOROUGH – Perfection.
It is more than just a word. It is a condition, state or quality of being free or as free as possible from all flaws or defects. When it comes to sports, perfection is something extremely hard to achieve. It does not matter the sport; perfection just does not happen very often and usually not at all.
Here in 2025 though the Patriots have earned the right to use that elusive description when it comes to their performance away from the confines of Foxborough and Gillette Stadium. Their play may not have been error free on the road all of the time but the results are a perfect 8-0.
It is the third time the Patriots have achieved this lofty status (2007,2016) and it is only the 12th time this has been done in NFL history. The only other franchise to achieve this three times are the San Francisco 49ers who did it in 1984,1989, and 1990. Interestingly, teams that accomplished this feat only won the Super Bowl 5 times.
The reason?
The playoffs are a different animal than the regular season. The stakes are heightened and the competition is on a much different plain than the regular season. Players don’t always react in road playoff and championship situations the way they did in the regular season. It is something that the Patriots players realize and understand.
“You have to trust that wherever you have been you are going to continue to grind it like you usually would,” Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs told me. “You pack the identity. We have been in Buffalo and Tampa Bay which are two very hostile environments to play in. The crowd got very loud and you have to band together. I don’t expect it to be any different going into a game like this. We can’t do anything different than what we have been doing. If you try and make it more than what it is or less, that is when things happen.”
There have been 55 AFC Championship games. The home teams are 38-17 in those games. The Patriots have been in 15 of these and at home are 7-1 but, on the road, just 4-3. The Broncos have played eight AFC Championship games 5,280 feet in the air and they are 7-1 inside their home confines.
The Patriots have played four playoff games in Denver overall and two of them were for a ticket to the Super Bowl. The Patriots are 0-4 in those games which might lead even the most ardent Pats fan to be a bit nervous about what Sunday has to offer. Things tend to happen to Patriots teams in Denver but this current Patriots edition, while respectful of the challenge, is not bothered by a venture into Empower Field at Mile High.
“We are still treating this the same,” says Patriots linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson. “I don’t think it is a different challenge for us because for every away game we always have the same mentality “we all we got, we all we need. It is what we say and it is what we truly mean. The environment will be hostile but we have the will, the grit, and the tenacity not to quit but continue to fight. It is about moving on to the next play whether it is good or bad.”
During the year I have noticed how this team is genuinely close. It is not a myth and they have created a true bond with each other. They want to play for the guy next to them and they don’t want to let their brothers in pads down.
“We have a lot of unselfish guys that genuinely care about each other,” said Patriots linebacker Jack Gibbens. “They are willing to do whatever is asked of them and guys have a whatever it takes mentality. It is what we have carried with us throughout the season; BUT especially on the road. You have to bond together and just whatever it takes to get the win is what we are going to do.”
Many of the Patriots players told me that they know and realize that this will be the loudest environment they have played in this season. The crowd in Denver can definitely affect the visitors with their roars. The noise regularly hits over 100 decibels which is louder than some power tools. It has reached 105 to 110 on some plays which is very loud and poses a risk of hearing loss with prolonged exposure. This is what the Patriots face on Sunday, but center Garrett Bradbury is not too concerned.
“I don’t think there has been much emphasis as to what the crowd is going to be like. Everything is just about us. When the ball is snapped it is about who we are and how we are playing football. Are we playing with the identity we want to play with because home game or away game those are going to be the factors that play into it. So, if we can stay true to those things and just play our style of football, good things happen.”
The Patriots expect good things to happen, but they also know that the Orange clad team on the other sideline is formidable.
“Denver is a great team,” Patriots rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson told me. “They have a great offense and defense and we know it is going to be a tough road environment like always. The biggest thing is to focus on the preparation for Sunday.”
Patriots guard Mike Onwenu agrees, “I like to think about the game the same way, it is a football game. I know it is for higher stakes but at the end of the day it is a football game and we are going to play a football game.”
Yes, they are going to play a football game. This one though is a for a spot in Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara on February 8. As quarterback Drake Maye said on Wednesday: “it is a win or go home game for the third week in a row.”
However, he and his teammates realize that falling one game short of their ultimate dream is not the script they want.
So, I very much think, from gauging the temperature in the locker room, that going 9-0 on the road for the 2025 season is the mission they want to accomplish.