From Drake Maye to Mike Vrabel, this Patriots team looks oddly similar to the one that started the dynasty

February 3 is a significant date for the New England Patriots. It was on this day in 2002 that the organization hoisted its first Lombardi Trophy and launched a two-decade dynasty that put the NFL in a chokehold, adding five more Lombardis to the trophy case along the way.

Fast forward 24 years, and here they are again, back in the Super Bowl with a chance to add another title to the organization's résumé. This latest run to the big game, however, isn't led by the likes of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, as those other championship teams were. 

Instead, it's an entirely new cast of characters with different talents and backgrounds, but the goal remains the same: to become Super Bowl champions.

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Drake Maye wasn't even alive when the franchise won that first Super Bowl, but his team shares plenty of similarities with that championship club of yesteryear, which feels especially noteworthy on this anniversary as the Patriots prepare for another Super Bowl berth.

The most glaring similarity, outside of the same logo on the side of their helmets, is, of course, the presence of Mike Vrabel. The former linebacker first arrived in Foxborough in 2001 as a free agent and is now back with the organization in 2025, serving in his first year as head coach.

But let's dive a little deeper with Vrabel. He's reaching the Super Bowl in his seventh season overall as a head coach and with his second team. You know who did the same thing back in 2001? Bill Belichick. Moreover, both coaches quickly elevated their organizations, each entering the year with at least 60-1 odds or longer to win the Super Bowl (60-1 in 2001 and 80-1 in 2025).

The similarities extend to the roster, too, as both teams were led by second-year quarterbacks. After being the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Maye has surged into an MVP candidate in Year 2 and has the Patriots in Super Bowl LX. Back in 2001, a second-year quarterback by the name of Tom Brady stepped in following an injury to Drew Bledsoe, helped lead New England to Super Bowl XXXVI and began writing his place in NFL history as the greatest of all-time.

Here are even more nuggets that make these two versions of the Patriots look like mirror images of one another.

Both teams ranked in the NFL's top 10 in points per game and points per game allowed, and each faced one of the five easiest schedules in the league. Heck, they even played in snowy playoff games -- the infamous "Tuck Rule" contest came in a blizzard at Foxboro Stadium against the Las Vegas Raiders in the divisional round, and this year brought a second-half whiteout at Mile High against the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game.

Of course, there's one major difference between the 2001 Patriots and the current rendition of New England. That team won it all, and the jury is still out on how the final chapter of this 2025 squad will unfold.