New England Patriots - NESN.com
Tom Brady watched his former team jump back on the map when the New England Patriots went 14-3 in 2025.
The Patriots will host their first home playoff game since Brady ended his decorated tenure six years ago. Mike Vrabel and Drake Maye will attempt to lead New England back to the Super Bowl, starting with Sunday night’s Wild Card Round game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
For the final time this season, Brady delivered his weekly top-10 power rankings on Wednesday. The seven-time Super Bowl champion placed the Patriots third behind the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos, who each have a first-round bye.
“What an incredible rebound from this organization in 2025,” Brady said. “Mike Vrabel helped re-establish the culture in Foxborough, and we got playoff football back at Gillette. There’s plenty of chaos around the league, but it feels like at least some order has been restored in the football world.”
Perhaps it’s for the best that Brady didn’t give the Patriots his top spot. The Fox broadcaster put them No. 1 five weeks ago, only for them to lose to the Buffalo Bills in their next game.
Brady bumped the Patriots down all the way to No. 8, even after they rallied to defeat the Baltimore Ravens in Week 16. The 48-year-old brought them back into the top five after New England pummeled the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins to conclude the regular season.
The Chargers didn’t make Brady’s top 10, but he showed more respect to fellow AFC opponents in the Jacksonville Jaguars (No. 4), Bills (No. 6) and Houston Texans (No. 7). Sunday’s game between the Patriots and Chargers starts at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.
