I whipped up a bit of stir in the Patriots media bubble last week.<\/p>\n
Although I was confident New England could win 10 games before pre-schedule release, I wouldn\u2019t have been stunned by nine. But following the announcement, I saw as many as 13 winnable matchups.<\/p>\n
The idea of 13 wins for a rebuilding team didn’t feel realistic, and I laid out my usual caveats during our Patriots Daily live stream<\/a>. Still, it was wild to see on my co-host Mike Kadlick\u2019s timeline<\/a>, and I was understandably ripped for the hot take.<\/p>\n I can\u2019t stress enough that predictions in May mean as much as predictions in August: absolutely nothing. But I stand by my thought that, based on what we know, the Patriots winning nine or fewer games would be a disappointment.<\/p>\n To exceed expectations, teams need talent in key roles, and of course, a little bit of luck. New England still lacks an elite receiver and edge defender, but they check enough boxes to expect big change in 2025.<\/p>\n Here’s why I believe the Patriots will put together their best season since 2021.<\/p>\n The Patriots will face three of the league’s best quarterbacks in Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, and MVP Josh Allen (x2). However, outside of those juggernauts, New England’s schedule is full of unproven teams. And while strength of schedule numbers can be deceiving, the Patriots having the third-easiest lineup sounds about right.<\/span><\/p>\n This season\u2019s easiest strength of schedules based on last season\u2019s records: pic.twitter.com\/6LrlqRuD81<\/a><\/p>\n — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 15, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\nAN EASY SCHEDULE<\/b><\/h2>\n
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