New England Patriots

New England Patriots

When the New England Patriots released former starting safety and team captain Jabrill Peppers in late-August and then later traded away their other starter at the position from 2024, Kyle Dugger, in late-October, part of the reasoning behind the moves was the improvement of Jaylinn Hawkins. These decisions have paid off for the team, as Hawkins has gone from a role player and special teamer during the previous year to one of the NFL's top five safeties in 2025, according to Pro Football Focus' rankings.

The Chargers' offensive front is pretty banged up, but it appears they'll get one of their top playmakers back for Sunday's wild-card game against the Patriots. Chargers running back Omarion Hampton told reporters that he plans to play on Sunday night despite being ruled questionable with an ankle injury. Hampton returned to practice on Friday after missing the first two practices this week, although he was seen wearing a large brace around his injured right ankle.

The idea won't be well-received by Patriot Nation. Douglas has an infectious personality and is well-regarded. Yet, after leading the team in receptions with 66 for 621 yards and three touchdowns in 2024, he regressed to only 31 catches for 447 yards and three touchdowns in 2025. In addition, there is a clear replacement already in place who's a candidate to rock the NFL world if the Patriots' coaches ever snap out of their fog and realize exactly what they have on their hands.

"It's a tough injury, but I know one thing about Patrick," Brady said. "He's very tough and he's very resilient. He's going to work extremely hard to get back. You see these ACL tears happen a lot in the NFL and it's tough to see it happen because you have these incredible athletes at the top of their game. You get hit the wrong way, or contorted a certain way and all the force goes to these knees or in some cases the ankles ... it's the nature of the sport."

The loss of Milton Williams has been felt by this defense in a major way. The Bills continued the trend of easily running the ball, a trend New England has fed into over the past few weeks. Khyiris Tonga missed their matchup against the Giants, and Robert Spillane's absence against the Bills with a foot injury hurt their defense in a big way.

After a much-needed bye week, the Patriots were immediately tested in Week 15, as they welcomed the Bills for their second matchup of the season, which could have sealed the division in their favor for the first time in six years. Based on how they played in the weeks leading up to the game, which included a 10-game win streak, it looked like the Bills should be the underdogs on the road.

I got an extremely rare blood infection. On November 20, I was placed in a medically induced coma after I was found unresponsive in my bed. I was asleep for six days. Unfortunately, with my organs failing and the sickness infecting my placenta, our baby passed away in my womb. Hours later, my body went into natural labor and Jahlani watched me deliver our baby unconscious. He said it was like my body just knew what to do.

The New England Patriots have been consistently tied to nearly every available top wide receiver over the last five years, whether it be during free agency or ahead of the trade deadline. That's no different, even this season, despite having a receiving corps outperforming all expectations, led by Kayshon Boutte and Stefon Diggs. It explains why there will inevitably be an interest in former WR1 Brandin Cooks, who requested his release from the New Orleans Saints this week, and is now headed to waivers.

"We all we got, we all we need" has been a rallying cry for the Patriots after wins this season. And after Tuesday's NFL trade deadline came and went, it looks as though New England's front office echoed a similar approach when it comes to targeting outside help. New England opted to stand pat at the trade deadline, moving forward with the same roster that has jumped out to a 7-2 start this season.