FOXBORO — In the midst of a stretch when the Patriots were scheduled for — and won — three straight road games, a mantra stuck.

Head coach Mike Vrabel played a clip from the 1979 film, “The Warriors,” when a rival gang member taunts the titular group by chanting, “Warriors, come out to play.”

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“We definitely took to it,” safety Dell Pettus said. “It’s something that we get to bring along with us when we’re traveling and playing on the road. I just think us being a resilient group and being in close games before with each other, we always say, ‘we all we got, we all we need.’ And like, that’s definitely true when we go on the road, because everybody’s rooting against you. Somebody’s got to have your back, and we know it’s your brothers.”

Most players, many of whom were born decades after the movie was released, had never seen the film, but the “Road Warriors” moniker stuck, and the Patriots finished 8-0 in away games.

They face their toughest test yet this Sunday when they travel to Denver to take on the Broncos in the AFC Championship Game. The Patriots are 0-4 in playoff games in Denver. The altitude at Mile High Stadium brings another element, but the Patriots haven’t been bothered by raucous, hostile environments this season.

Players went so far as to say they enjoy playing on the road.

“I think playing on the road is one of the coolest things of coming off the field at their place with screaming fans and coming out with a win,” quarterback Drake Maye said. “I think it’s pretty cool to celebrate and celebrate in the away locker room that’s different, Coach has always been saying Road Warriors, so we’re trying to find that one more time and finish out strong what we’ve done this year, and we got a tough job and tough challenge. But I think the guys will be pumped up and ready for it.”

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) looks to pass while pressured by Buffalo Bills defensive end Greg Rousseau during the first half of an NFL game in Orchard Park, N.Y., on Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)

He has been phenomenal on the road this season, completing 72.1% of his passes for 2,186 yards with 17 touchdowns and just three interceptions. His passer rating (120.2), yards per attempt (9.4) and passing yards per game (273.3) have all been higher on the road this season.

Maye isn’t the only Patriots player who enjoys playing the villain.

“I like seeing a whole bunch of people who were rooting against us, like, start leaving the stadium early,” Pettus said. “I like that type of stuff. I enjoy it.”

“Probably when we win, they enjoy it,” Vrabel quipped. “Yeah, I enjoy it, too.”

The Patriots’ defense, based on expected points added metrics, plays nearly identically at home (-0.13 EPA per play, -0.16 EPA per pass, -0.10 per rush) as on the road (-0.09 EPA/play, -0.13 EPA per pass, -0.03 per rush). Their offense actually fares better on the road (+0.15 EPA per play, +0.31 EPA per pass, -0.02 EPA per rush) than at home (+0.07 EPA per play, +0.13 EPA per pass), +0.00 EPA per rush).

What else is it about this team that plays so well in opposing stadiums?

“I feel like Vrabes has like, instilled that road warrior mentality in us,” defensive tackle Cory Durden said. “Obviously, we went undefeated on the road this year. We’ve had a lot of success, but it’s kind of like our back against the walls. We kind of feel like it’s just us. Obviously, our fans travel, but with the team, that’s the mentality that we have going into the away games, is it’s just us. There’s nobody else there. And things tend to work out for us.”

Pettus said it goes back to some of the preseason bonding that Vrabel had players undergo to get to know their teammates better.

Players have said all season that this year’s roster has a closer bond than most pro teams, and it starts with the leadership from Vrabel.

“When you know what other guys are playing for, when you know the stories and their backgrounds, it really helps you get close to somebody and want to do better,” Pettus said. “I mean, just the struggling that we do as a group, that we have done, being in a close game together, that’s the type of stuff that helps us play well, in my opinion, when we go out on the road.”

It makes sense for defenders to feel that way.

For as beneficial as the Patriots’ home crowd has been at interrupting the opposing offense’s pre-play communication, it’s equally difficult for the defense.

“It’s quiet,” Durden said of road games. “Their offense is on the field. So, it’s nice to finally have some quiet, be able to communicate, not be like hearing screaming. These last two games have been tough, man, because our fans are so loud. So it’s like, that’s what I’m excited about, is just some quietness, being able to communicate and hear everything.”

Vrabel has also been preaching to players to “pack your identity.”

What does that mean to players?

“Just means come ready to play,” Pettus said. “Like, we ain’t gonna make up anything that we haven’t done before. Just be who we’re supposed to be, and just take it with us when we go.”

“Man, whoever you are, continue to be that,” outside linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson added. “You can have different personalities and the same mentalities and still be on the same page, for sure.”

The Patriots are 5.5-point road favorites on Sunday. They got a break when starting quarterback Bo Nix went down with a broken ankle in the divisional round, but the Patriots are still taking the Broncos’ offensive line and defense seriously this week.