‘I Don’t Think There Is A Ceiling’

New England Patriots great Vince Wilfork believes there is no ceiling on the team’s success this season. (Photo by Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Boston Globe via Getty Images

Vince Wilfork isn’t surprised at all that the New England Patriots have been playing like a playoff team in the early stages of the 2025 season.

Wilfork predicted back in February following the Mike Vrabel hiring that New England would win nine games and could make it to the postseason in Vrabel’s first year as head coach. Fast forward to October and the Patriots are 5-2 and have already defeated the Buffalo Bills in Buffalo so far this season.

The two-time Super Bowl champion defensive tackle says there is no ceiling for the Patriots this season in what has turned out to be a wide-open conference and NFL this season.

“I don’t think there is a ceiling,” says Wilfork of the Patriots. “New England will be able to go as far as they want to go. I think they have the right pieces in place. Do they have the most talent or big name players? No, but they have enough. They have a group of guys that love to play football. They have a great head coach, they have a great staff behind them. They have everything they need to be successful.”

Wilfork was a part of many great Patriots teams after he was selected by Bill Belichick and the organization in the first round in 2004. He played with Patriots greats such as Vrabel, Tom Brady, Tedy Bruschi and countless others and spent 11 years in New England.

He further details why the Patriots — despite their lack of star power — can be a real threat in the playoffs.

The Patriots haven’t been to the postseason since 2021 and they haven’t won a playoff game since the Brady era back in 2018.

“You don’t need a bunch of All-Stars to win the championship — you just need a bunch of hungry men that’s fighting for one goal and willing to do anything they possibly can to take that W,” says Wilfork. “There’s no ceiling for us. It’s going to be whatever we decide we want to be. But I’m old school — winning takes care of all of that, you know. As long as we continue to win, we’ll put ourselves in a good position to make a run when they have the opportunity to be in those discussions. You have to win. That’s the key to all of this is winning.”

It’s worth noting that the Patriots have had the second-easiest schedule in the NFL, with their opponents holding a winning percentage of slightly more than 36%. New England’s victories outside of their win over Buffalo have been against the likes of the Tennessee Titans, Miami Dolphins, Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints.

Those are exactly impressive opponents. They’ll have the two-win Cleveland Browns and Atlanta Falcons before their next big test which will be against the 5-2 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

He says the Patriots — which are a young team — should just get better as the season progresses.

“I think when we play Tampa, it’s going to be a great opportunity for us to roll out there and play against another good football team,” says Wilfork. “In that time, I don’t think it’ll make or break us. But we’ll have a good idea on what type of team we have. At the end of the day, we don’t make the schedules. Whoever they put in front of us, your job is to win. If it’s a weak schedule, win them. Don’t lose the games, you’re supposed to win. That’s the key,

“The more wins you can tack on early, is going to be better in the back end (of the schedule),” Wilfork continues. “We’re sitting pretty right now. When Tampa comes to town, we’ll see what they’re here for.”

Vince Wilfork Teams Up With Samuel Adams For Beer Release

The all-time great defensive tackle is keeping busy these days in Boston with the release of his new brew, the “Vince Grill-Fork Lager.” It’s his first beer release under the Samuel Adams label, the flagship brand of the Boston Beer company. Samuel Adams have released some specialty lines from star Boston athletes, including Boston Celtics veteran Derrick White and former Boston Bruins star Brad Marchand.

“It carries a lot of weight and you can’t combine football without beer,” says Wilfork. When you talk about New England, you’re talking about Samuel Adams. It’s hand in hand, and to be able to partner with them, it’s a dream come true. If you’re from Boston, you drink Samuel Adams. It’s legendary with the commercials and the marketing and everything that it comes with. New England is Samuel Adams and New England equals the Patriots. It’s a blessing to be a part of something so great.”

The vienna-style lager has a smooth malt taste, which is perfect for BBQ with ribs or flame-fired burgers. The combination is perfect considering Wilfork is a big BBQ guy.

“It’s like a smooth taste, crisp finish and It pairs well with barbecue, with ribs or burgers or pulled pork or anything, and chicken,” says Wilfork. “It pairs well with barbecue, but the smooth notes is bold, it’s full of flavor. When you talk about it, it packs a huge punch, and it’s delicious. I had a chance to taste it, love it.”

Wilfork says his beer is the best out of all of the athlete drinks released through Samuel Adams.

“The one thing I really love about it is the boldness to it, because I’m a bold person,” says Wilfork. “It speaks to my personality of having this beer with that bold full flavor, ton of flavor. I’m going to say my beer is the best out of all the guys.”