New England Patriots - NESN.com
Rob Gronkowski believes in the 2025 New England Patriots.
The Patriots will seek their ninth straight win when they play the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. Gronkowski watched his former team improve to 9-2 when he signed a ceremonial contract to retire as a Patriot before their Week 11 victory over the New York Jets.
Gronkowski labeled the Patriots the best team in the AFC on “Fox NFL Sunday” prior to their Week 12 showdown at Cincinnati. The legendary tight end likes how they rebounded from a 1-2 start behind his former teammate, head coach Mike Vrabel.
“There’s a lot of energy in Foxborough right now. It was so great to be back and you felt that energy, even on a Thursday night game with a short week,” Gronkowski said. “But are the Patriots the best team in the AFC? I think so because they know how to be coached, and they know how to take that coaching and apply it to the field as well.
“And they have an offense and defense that knows how to work together. They play complementary football out there all the time, and they learn from their mistakes and they corrected them from the beginning of the season. So the Patriots, they’re the real deal.”
The Patriots go into Sunday tied with the Denver Broncos for the AFC’s best record. The 8-2 Indianapolis Colts trail by one win and can make a massive statement with a Week 12 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
The AFC’s usual mainstays haven’t played up to expectations, creating a feasible opening for New England to reclaim a conference it dominated for decades behind Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. The Buffalo Bills fell two games behind the Patriots in the AFC East standings after Thursday’s loss, and the 5-5 Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens are fighting to salvage a playoff spot.
For better or worse, defeating the 3-7 Bengals without Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase may not change anybody’s opinion about the Patriots. But it would make it more likely that the AFC runs through Foxborough this postseason.
