At this point in the NFL offseason over the last five years, the Patriots have been focused on the upcoming free-agent class and the draft, as they have missed the playoffs almost every year since Tom Brady left for the Bucs.
This season is different, however, as they handled business against the Chargers on Wild Card Weekend to face either the Steelers or Texans next Sunday in the divisional round.
Plenty of players deserve a lot of credit for getting the team to this point, especially with their performance against the Chargers. It was a defensive-heavy game for New England, and three of their biggest standouts put on one of the best performances of their tenures, seemingly earning a new contract because of it.