The New England Patriots have won eight games in the last two seasons, combining for a 16-35 record during their three-year playoff drought. Now entering the Mike Vrabel and Drake Maye era, the Patriots schedule in 2025 sets up for more favorable results.
Let’s dive into our Patriots schedule predictions, providing game-by-game pick for the season.
The Patriots won their season opener in 2024 but then lost six consecutive games. So maybe defeating the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 1 isn’t a good omen. However, the highlight-reel plays from quarterback Drake Maye and the turnovers generated by Mike Vrabel’s defense will make this season-opening win feel a lot different than last year’s.
Related: Best NFL dynasties ever, including the Patriots
The Miami Dolphins have one of the best home-field advantages in the NFL early in the season. Traveling to Miami in early September is brutal, which puts this Patriots team in a very uncomfortable spot on the road. It’s going to take a toll on both sides of the ball, proving costly in New England’s first loss of the season.
New England is going to surprise people in 2025, but they won’t be Pittsburgh Steelers good this early in the season. What will really be the undoing for Maye and the Patriots’ offense is how easily Pittsburgh’s front seven gets home. It’ll keep the second-year quarterback out of rhythm for most of the game, leading to the Patriots’ second consecutive loss.
The Patriots didn’t win their second game of the season last year until Oct. 27. In 2025, New England will celebrate its second victory on Sept. 28. While Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young will make some nice plays from a clean pocket, the inability of the receiving corps to separate from the Patriots’ secondary will prevent Carolina from rallying late. On the other side of the field, Maye delivers three total touchdowns for New England.
We think the Patriots versus Buffalo Bills games will be a lot closer than anticipated this fall. What hurts Maye and Co. in this matchup is having to travel to Buffalo and face a hostile crowd. That’ll be a big problem for the Patriots’ offensive line, causing miscommunications and false starts that get in the way of this team pulling off an upset. At the very least, this game will start to show Vrabel’s defense really rounding into top form.
The Patriots’ schedule is very favorable this season,...