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Drake Maye and Mike Vrabel earned a signature win on Sunday night. How did New England get here? Where is New England going? We take you behind the curtain.

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Drake Maye was nearly perfect in the second half. Mike Vrabel, true to his words, turned this AFC East tilt into a “street fight.” The New England Patriots let the NFL know on Sunday night at Highmark Stadium that they’re clawing right back into AFC contention with a 23-20 statement win over the previously unbeaten Buffalo Bills.

How did the Patriots get here? Go Long traveled to Foxborough, Mass., to find out.

We chatted with current players and coaches, as well as sources who witnessed the demise of an empire firsthand.

The End of Belichick was uglier than you think.

The Future, however, appears to be exceptionally bright. Our full piece is available to paid subscribers.

To current subscribers, thank you for fueling everything at Go Long.

To those on our free list, we’d love to have you join our community. These are the types of stories we’ll relentlessly pursue year ‘round. Whether you’re into the Patriots or not, I think you’ll find the insights fascinating.

What’s inside? Let’s sift through the rubble…

• The End of Bill Belichick. How did everything get so bad, so fast? We talk to sources inside the building who saw the legendary coach lose his fastball. (“The person in charge says something in a room,” one exec says, “and everybody just takes it as gospel. Fact. And it isn’t fact.”)

• The Jerod Mayo Disaster. All he ever knew was how business ran under Belichick and — yikes — that proved to be a major problem… even beyond the field. Instead of dissecting film, Mayo often had to spend hours on trivial matters like fixing a broken sauna. Calling your players “soft” usually doesn’t go over well, either.

• Why Mike Vrabel is the perfect coach at the perfect time. New England desperately needed clear, concise direction. From instructing players to pick up their dirty washcloths… to holding the blocking sled for 300-pounders… to all-out sprinting with kick returners down the sideline, Vrabel is striking all of the right notes. (“Everything he preaches about?” Morgan Moses tells us. “He did it. Turn on his film and he’s busting motherfuckers in the face.”)

• Merit rules. During training camp, Vrabel was black and white with players. If you didn’t want to be a part of this “street fight,” that’s OK. There’s the door. Those who made plays on the second or third team were immediately promoted mid-practice, too. (“Which you respect,” enter Garrett Bradbury says. “In this business, that’s not always the case. I think some guys are given more opportunities just because of who they are or what they’re paid. You will earn what you get here. And continuous improvement I think is a big thing for him. He knows how this league works. He’s played it. He’s coached it for a long time. He knows that you’ve never arrived.”)

• Drake Maye has it all. His arm. His athleticism. All of the physical tools were evident out of North Carolina. But players and coaches explain in full why Maye will ascend to the NFL’s elite. He’s mature beyond his years. And he’s widely regarded as one of the smartest people, period, in the Patriots building. Now, the 2024 third overall pick is studying what made Tom Brady the greatest ever alongside an OC who oversaw it all. (“The dude’s ceiling is through the roof,” vet Antonio Gibson explains. “He can make plays running. He can throw the ball. He can make the unorthodox throws. He’s got the smarts. So just seeing that this year — making all the play calls, alerting things, that was a big step from last year. … Ain’t no telling where he’s going.”)

ICYMI, our three-parter on the Chicago Bears is also available to paid subscribers:

House of Dysfunction, Part I: The Curious Case of Caleb Williams

House of Dysfunction, Part II: Inside the Chicago Bears' "rigged trial" at No. 1 overall

House of Dysfunction, Part III: Who's the boss?