New England Patriots - NESN.com
Despite entering Week 12 tied for the best record in the NFL, the New England Patriots still have their doubters.
Behind MVP play from quarterback Drake Maye and the leadership of head coach Mike Vrabel, the number of NFL analysts and fans jumping on the Patriots bandwagon is growing though.
NFL staff writer Saad Yousuf of The Athletic included New England among their five teams “with the best chance at winning the Super Bowl” on Thursday.
They rank the Patriots as the top AFC contender (just ahead of the Denver Broncos and Buffalo Bills) and third overall. New England only trails the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams, who are ranked second and first, respectively.
“It’s incredible the job Mike Vrabel has done as coach in his first year with the Patriots. His defensive acumen is a given, but he’s brought along Drake Maye at the perfect pace and has allowed Josh McDaniels to do his thing on the offensive side,” Yousuf wrote. “The injury to Rhamondre Stevenson might have also been something of a blessing in disguise that helped the Patriots fully discover and use rookie TreVeyon Henderson.”
The Patriots are nearing their first playoff berth since the 2021 season and have a 1 1/2-game lead in the AFC East, which they haven’t won in six years. New England hasn’t won a Super Bowl since the end of the 2018 campaign.
