Patriots staying in Denver due to weather as Mike Vrabel gives players Super Bowl bus threat

The Patriots will get to enjoy Denver a little bit longer thanks to the winter storm impacting much of the United States. 

New England punched its ticket to Super Bowl 2026 with its 10-7 win over the Broncos in the AFC Championship game.

The Pats will have to celebrate their big win with a night out on the town in Denver, which head coach Mike Vrabel was fully on board with, but he also had a stern message for his team. 

Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel speaks with quarterback Drake Maye after the AFC Championship NFL football game against the Denver Broncos, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. AP

“No curfew tonight. But the bus leaving at 8 in the morning— so if you ain’t on it, you ain’t playing in the Bowl,” Milton Williams told Yahoo Sports’ Jori Epstein that Vrabel said.

The message seemed to get through to Williams loud and clear, with the Patriots defensive tackle telling Epstein, “I ain’t playing,” meaning that he had no intention of missing the bus and therefore not being able to play in the Super Bowl in February. 

The team plans to fly back to New England on Monday due to the snow and then begin preparations to play in the Super Bowl at Levi’s Stadium in San Francisco. 

The Patriots will face the Seahawks, who beat the Rams 31-27 in a thrilling NFC Championship game.

Christian Gonzalez #0 of the New England Patriots celebrates with teammates after intercepting a pass from Jarrett Stidham #8 of the Denver Broncos (not pictured) intended for Marvin Mims Jr. #19 (not pictured) during the fourth quarter in the AFC Championship. Getty Images

Vrabel wanted his team to enjoy the win on Sunday, but in his speech to the players inside the locker room, he also wanted them to keep their focus. 

“You have to celebrate tonight and then tomorrow, it’s how are we going to win the next game,” he said in his postgame speech. “How is this group going to find a way to win one more game. We’re going to pack our s–t up. We’re going to take our belief, we’re going to take our identity and we’re gonna go on the road.”