New England Patriots - NESN.com
The New England Patriots are riding high as they head into Week 6. Fresh off a statement victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday Night Football in Week 5, it feels like the sky’s the limit for the Patriots the rest of the way out this season.
There have been some bumps in the road through five games, but New England has a 3-2 record, and if it didn’t turn the football over five times in its 21-14 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, it would likely be 4-1. Still, their record is currently good for the No. 7 seed in the AFC.
The Pats haven’t necessarily faced an intimidating slate of opponents to this point, but their win over the Bills proved that they can go toe-to-toe with the top teams in the league. With that in mind, there’s no reason why this team should not be aiming to find its way into the playoffs this year.
Further bolstering that train of thought is the schedule New England will face throughout the remainder of the season. With 12 games left to go, the Patriots have by far the easiest remaining schedule across the league, with their strength of schedule being over 10 percentage points lower than the next closest team.
You can make a case that the Patriots already won the toughest game on their 2025 schedule by beating the Bills at Highmark Stadium. While they still have to play Buffalo again, the only other teams that fall into the “toughest opponents” category on the above chart are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Atlanta Falcons.
Anything can happen in the NFL, but with their next three games being against the New Orleans Saints, Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns, there’s a decent chance the Pats will be favored to win each of those games.
It’s important not to look too far down the line, but things are looking up for New England when you look at its remaining schedule. First, they will focus on keeping up the positive momentum by taking down the Saints on Sunday afternoon.
