New England Patriots - NESN.com
Vibes are immaculate in New England these days. With a 28-23 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 10, the Patriots are now 8-2 on the season (5-0 on the road!), a dominant record that’s reminding Pats fans of the feeling they had when Tom Brady was under center.
Since Brady left New England in 2019, the franchise has been mired in mediocrity, with only one playoff appearance coming in 2021 — a 47-17 shellacking in the wild-card round at the hands of the Buffalo Bills.
Bill Belichick struggled to find Patriots success following Brady’s departure, as did Jerod Mayo, not to mention any Pats QB not named Brady. The Mac Jones era never got off the ground. Cam Newton, Brian Hoyer, Bailey Zappe, and Jacoby Brissett weren’t capable of moving New England into its proper post-Brady phase.
Well, New England has found its head coach and its starting quarterback, and a new era has definitely begun, even if it took more than half of a decade to figure things out following the end of the Brady dynasty.
With Maye just 23 years old and already playing like an MVP, and with Mike Vrabel having already won over the entire locker room in New England, the future is so bright that it’s blinding, but the biggest surprise is that the Patriots have a chance to contend right now. This is a Super Bowl contender in 2025-26, which is not something that many (if any) fans saw coming.
After New England’s Week 10 win, CBS Sports’ Tony Romo aptly summarized Maye’s rapid rise to stardom and the Patriots’ arrival as a legit threat.
“The MVP changes every week we feel like, but he’s had some sustained success for a while now,” Romo said of Maye. “For such a young guy to come in and really understand football (it’s impressive), and he’s benefitted from having Josh McDaniels there. And you need a coach, somebody to really teach you. And then you get to show off your talent, which he has. And boy, it’s come to fruition. I mean, if people did not think this team is for real, they are. New England can make a run in the playoffs.”
Maye and the Pats have a chance to get to 9-2 on Thursday. They’ll be hosting the 2-7 New York Jets at Gillette Stadium. Gang Green has been awful for most of the season, but they are coming off a win in Week 10 over the Cleveland Browns.
