Did Patriots Just Call Their Shot With Bold AFC Championship Game Move?

The New England Patriots are entering the 2025 campaign with a sense of hope. After rookie quarterback Drake Maye showed off his promise last year, the front office worked hard over the offseason to upgrade the roster around him.

Just a season ago, the Patriots were a laughingstock, winning just four games and throwing away the No. 1 overall pick by winning their season finale in Week 18 against the Buffalo Bills. As a result, big changes were made over the past few months.

How big of an improvement those changes will lead to remains to be seen. There’s no doubt that New England will be better, but how much better? Some folks think they could be a sneaky playoff contender, while others think their rebuild is still a year or two away from being complete.

The Patriots seem to believe in themselves quite a bit ahead of the 2025 season. On Thursday, season-ticket holders received their parking passes for the year, and fans were quick to note that they received a pass for three potential playoff games, including the AFC Championship Game.

Are the Pats outright predicting they will be hosting the AFC Championship Game in a few months’ time? Absolutely not. However, when you make a decision like this, it’s going to catch the attention of fans.

A run to the AFC Championship Game would be quite improbable for the Patriots, considering where they were last season. Their defense regressed mightily from the 2023 season, and their offense struggled to support Maye.

Beyond that, there’s a group of superpower squads in front of the Patriots that they have yet to prove they can go toe-to-toe with. New England seemingly still have a long way to go until they can truly compete with the likes of the Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens, and the aforementioned Bills.

Chances are, this was merely a procedural move by the Patriots. However, the Washington Commanders proved last year that surprises can still happen in the NFL, and who knows, if everything breaks New England’s way, maybe their season-ticket holders will get to put these parking passes to use.