From 4 wins to Super Bowl contender — the secret behind the Patriots’ epic turnaround

The New England Patriots are going to the Super Bowl for a grounds twelfth time. But this clip is dissimilar immoderate erstwhile trip.

Last play the Patriots won lone 4 games. This play they won 17 games and are the AFC Champions. It is 1 of the top turnarounds successful NFL history.

I’ve written and spoken astir comebacks and turnarounds. I wrote a publication "Turn Your Setbacks Into Comebacks" sharing the components of a comeback and the steps to a turnaround.

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But earlier you tin driblet setback mentality, exit endurance mode, person guardant absorption oregon regain your momentum thing indispensable hap first.

New England Patriots backmost Drake Maye celebrates with the AFC title trophy aft the AFC title crippled betwixt the Denver Broncos and the New England Patriots successful Denver, Colo., connected Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A turnaround oregon comeback volition lone hap if you change. You indispensable beryllium consenting to bash things otherwise from what you’ve done up to that point. A turnaround pivots connected decisive change.

This is precisely what the Patriots did. They made monolithic changes to their team, and the effect is simply a wildly palmy play with an accidental to go NFL champions. And beryllium the archetypal NFL squad to triumph 7 Super Bowls.

Anyone who wants a turnaround successful their beingness indispensable beryllium consenting to alteration too.

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The archetypal happening that indispensable alteration is your mind. And you alteration your caput done knowledge. A alteration of caput happens erstwhile you person caller accusation and summation caller knowledge. Part of that cognition comes done decision and failure.

The Patriots knew they had to marque wholesale changes aft losing 13 games past season. Their alteration started astatine the apical by hiring a caller caput manager Mike Vrabel. He had played for the Patriots and won 3 Super Bowls. He antecedently was the manager of the Tennessee Titans. He hired Josh McDaniels arsenic Offensive Coordinator. McDaniels had coached for the Patriots doubly earlier and won Super Bowls with them.

McDaniels developed backmost Drake Maye from a rookie to an MVP campaigner successful conscionable his 2nd season. Maye’s advancement meant the Patriots had an All-Pro astatine the astir important presumption successful football.

The Patriots made changes successful their roster too. They signed wide receiver Stefon Diggs who leads the squad successful receptions and yardage. They signed linebacker Robert Spillane who leads the squad successful tackles. They signed borderline rusher Harold Landry who leads the squad successful sacks. And they signed antiaircraft tackle Milton Williams who impacts the full defense.

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They drafted cardinal players arsenic well. The Pats picked Will Campbell to beryllium their caller near tackle and Jared Wilson their caller near guard. They drafted moving backmost Treveon Henderson who scored 10 touchdowns this season. The Patriots opening time roster included 30 caller players, astir successful the NFL. All these changes helped crook astir the Patriots season.

A turnaround oregon comeback volition lone hap if you change. You indispensable beryllium consenting to bash things otherwise from what you’ve done up to that point. A turnaround pivots connected decisive change.

You tin person an unthinkable comeback if you alteration your mind. It happens due to the fact that you cognize more, you are wiser, and you person insights that volition pb to a turnaround.

After a alteration of mind, determination indispensable beryllium a alteration of heart. A alteration of bosom is the effect of a caller attitude; you determine that your cognition is going to change. You find that you are going to presumption beingness from a affirmative perspective.

Some radical ne'er person the comeback they should due to the fact that they garbage to alteration their attitude. A antagonistic cognition volition ne'er pb to a affirmative comeback.

Resistance to alteration is mostly fearfulness of the unknown. The mode you flooded fearfulness is with belief. You judge that the alteration tin happen, that it tin beryllium done. This is what Coach Vrabel stressed to his team, "You person to judge things sometimes earlier you tin spot them."

Drake Maye of the New England Patriots is pressured by Nik Bonitto of the Denver Broncos during the archetypal 4th successful the AFC Championship Playoff crippled astatine Empower Field At Mile High connected Jan. 25, 2026, successful Denver, Colo. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

You indispensable unfastened yourself up to caller possibilities, caller opportunities and caller experiences. But if your cognition doesn’t alteration and you don’t person a alteration of heart, it won’t happen.

Vrabel helped his squad to judge much by introducing the Four H’s, wherever players shared idiosyncratic insights into their history, heroes, heartbreaks and hopes. He went first, and the full squad bonded implicit a newfound cognition of belief.

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There is simply a last alteration that indispensable happen. You indispensable alteration your future. And you alteration your aboriginal done commitment. You take to beryllium committed to your turnaround. Everybody wants a turnaround; each NFL squad wants to beryllium a league champion. The Patriots won due to the fact that they committed to Coach Vrabel’s 2 non-negotiables — effort and finish.

You person a comeback erstwhile you perpetrate to change.

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Not erstwhile you privation to change, not erstwhile you deliberation you should change, not erstwhile you speech astir changing, but erstwhile you perpetrate to change.

Commitments thrust occurrence much than goals. Successful radical are simply mean radical who marque commitments others are unwilling to make. I’ve seen it repeatedly successful my beingness and leadership. And the NFL has witnessed it with the Patriots singular turnaround.

If you summation caller knowledge, judge you volition person a comeback and enactment committed to the process — you tin acquisition a almighty turnaround too.

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