New England Patriots - NESN.com
When fans think of explosive New England Patriots teams through the years, the 2007 squad immediately comes to mind. Tom Brady and Randy Moss headlined a savage and unstoppable offense that season, driving the Pats to a 16-0 regular season record. No one is denying the all-time eminence of that team. But amazingly, a notable stat suggests that the 2025 Patriots, led by Drake Maye, might be an even more explosive offense.
ESPN’s Mike Reiss pointed out an interesting Patriots statistic on Sunday. Through Week 11, New England leads the NFL in explosive plays, also known as offensive plays of 50 yards or more.
“The Patriots lead the NFL with seven offensive plays of 50 yards or more this season (four of which were TDs), with the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints tied for second with five apiece,” Reiss wrote. “New England has accomplished the feat in 11 games, while the Colts and Saints have played 10.”
“Vrabel noted those plays last week when touching on the importance of offensive balance, and how some 50-yard runs from rookie speedster TreVeyon Henderson have helped,” Reiss continued. “How rare is that production? Consider that in the Patriots’ Tom Brady era (2001-2019), the most 50-yard offensive plays through the first 11 games of any season was four (three of which were TDs). That was in the 2007 record-setting season when the team went 16-0 in the regular season.”
It feels unbelievable that Brady’s ’07 team only had four 50-plus yard plays through Week 11. We often think about that team in the form of Brady-to-Moss highlights each week, which seemed to feature multiple deep balls on a regular basis.
The 2025 Pats are explosive in a different way, given the nature of their running game. Henderson’s breakout performance against the Jets was the most recent example.
Maye’s legs also introduce a completely new dimension for opposing defenses to worry about. Brady is the GOAT, but he was never a threat to scramble.
The ’07 Pats were so dominant that even if a defense knew what was coming, there was absolutely nothing to be done. Brady and Moss are arguably the most talented players at their respective positions in the history of the sport, and they were at the height of their powers. Wes Welker gave teams headaches, too.
And while the ’25 Pats don’t have the same degree of all-time talent (well, that remains to be seen with Maye), they might be more versatile and more unpredictable than the ’07 offense. Their offense can beat you in so many different ways, and with so many different characters. You never know who will be a factor.
This “all hands on deck” approach has defenses confused about who or what to focus on. The best bet is to stop the ball at the point of attack (Maye), but New England’s offensive line seems capable of giving Maye the time he needs to distribute the football to all of his various weapons.
