#new-england-patriots

#new-england-patriots

The New England Patriots' offense stalled in a major way during the playoffs. They scored a single touchdown against the Chargers in a 16-3 win in the wild-card round, then scored 21 points despite forcing five turnovers against the Texans. After a strip sack put New England inside the red zone against Denver, Drake Maye ran in a touchdown for their only score of the game. They totaled 78 yards in the first three quarters of the Super Bowl.

The most intriguing of all is defensive end Bradley Chubb, who spent the four seasons in Miami and could be a solid addition to the Patriots' pass rush. The 29-year-old was a first-round draft pick in 2018 and hasn't always played like his draft status, but he could be what their defense needs in the midst of their retooling, especially if they're unsure about bringing back K'Lavon Chaisson or how Harold Landry III might fare after potentially having surgery this offseason.

With the sting of a decisive loss in Super Bowl LX lingering, coach Mike Vrabel widened the lens with his message to players in their final meeting last Tuesday. He told them it was a "disappointing finish to a phenomenal, exciting, enjoyable year." Then he turned to a home analogy. He told players a solid foundation has been built in his first year. And now they will focus on tweaking it, much like finishing a basement or adding space to the existing structure.

The New England Patriots were flat-out destroyed in the Super Bowl this year. While the final score showed a difference of just two possessions, the offense went an entire half without a drive of more than 28 yards. Going into the fourth quarter, they didn't have a single point, and while they managed a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns, the effort was in vain.

The Patriots enter the 2026 offseason in a far different position than in recent years, primarily because Mike Vrabel is returning as head coach rather than Robert Kraft having to conduct another search, as he has since 2023. That's a positive after the devastating Super Bowl loss, but it was a productive and impressive season. That doesn't mean, however, that Vrabel might not make some changes to his coaching staff, particularly on defense, as most Patriots fans know, Terrell Williams was hired as the defensive coordinator but had to miss the 2025 season due to a cancer diagnosis.

'Keep going. Steph Curry. Keep shooting,' Diggs said after the game, per MassLive's Mark Daniels. 'He's 23 years old. It's a team effort. From my standpoint, I wish I could've done more. It's hard playing quarterback.It's not a one-man band. He has a supporting cast. We needed to do a better job supporting him. He's young, he did what he could, fought long, fought hard... I'm just super proud of him.'

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Patriots are moving defensive coordinator Terrell Williams into a "high-ranking" role on Mike Vrabel 's staff - opening up the defensive coordinator position for the 2026 season. Rapoport noted that Patriots inside linebacker coach Zak Kuhr is considered the top candidate to take over as the team's full-time DC moving forward. Williams - who was named as New England's DC after spending six seasons with the Titans - had to take a leave of absence in the spring because of health issues.

The New England Patriots had an active 2025 offseason, spending the most in free agency of any team and selecting 11 players in the NFL Draft. 10th in effective cap space and owning 12 selections in the 2026 draft, they may be one of the league's more active teams once again. While cap space and draft capital are no issue for New England, the NFL may make a rule change that could give them even further capital to play with.

In the end, the many parallels the 2025 Patriots drew during their unexpectedly wonderful season to the beloved 2001 edition cannot include the comparison everyone wanted the most. Those 2001 Patriots stand alone as the most improbable champion in franchise history, and perhaps NFL history. A victory over the Seahawks in Super Bowl LX might have put this season's Patriots in their company, given the combined 8-26 record the previous two seasons.

There wasn't much the New England Patriots did to cheer about in the 29-13 drubbing they sustained against a superior Seattle Seahawks team. The better team won, and getting torched by 16 is always preferable to getting edged by a point or two. MVP-level quarterback Drake Maye will be back. And another key piece, one of the few who excelled in the Super Bowl, Mack Hollins, will also return.

"There's a lot of fence-mending that's going to need to happen if the Raiders are going to hang on to Maxx Crosby," Breer said on NBC Sports Boston's Early Edition. "It goes all the way to the top of the organization with Tom Brady and Alex Guerrero. The way the communication happened with the injury in December left a mark."

One key player who is set to be a free agent this offseason is K'Lavon Chaisson, who joined the Patriots on a bargain deal worth just $3 million and had a crazy year in New England. The 20th overall pick in the 2020 draft spent four years in Jacksonville before signing with the Raiders for a year and then the Patriots. His one year in New England was a good one, as he tallied 7.5 sacks and 18 QB hits during the regular season.

Looking ahead at the Patriots' offseason: With the 29-13 defeat in Super Bowl LX against the Seahawks, the Patriots head into the offseason on a decidedly sour note. Yet just as the majority of the 2025 season was one built on optimism, the same narrative will likely hold true in the coming months. Setting aside the Super Bowl disappointment, New England remains in an advantageous position in terms of its roster and the potential to improve.