It's time to cancel all the easy strength of schedule chatter. Mike Vrabel's squad didn't only win its seventh game in a row on Sunday - it went on the road and slayed a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that entered with a 6-2 record, was coming off a bye week, and had only lost to NFC powerhouses Philadelphia and Detroit this season.
Among the biggest weaknesses has been the backfield. At the start of the season, it looked like they were in need of major upgrades at the running back position because Rhamondre Stevenson's fumbling issue reared its ugly head. Then, Antonio Gibson tore his ACL and will be sidelined for the rest of the season, eliminating one of the most reliable members of the RB group.
Because they were given the superstar treatment this week in their matchup against the Bucs, the New England Patriots had a lot of eyes watching their game in Tampa, wanting to see if the current leaders in the AFC East are the real deal or are a product of their easy strength of schedule. It was a lot for the Patriots to live up to, as they hoped to continue
The New England Patriots' safety room looked pretty cut and dried during the preseason. While the team didn't have a true deep man, veterans Jabrill Peppers and Kyle Dugger seemed sure to man the two spots as they did with some success in 2024. Instead, Mike Vrabel and Terrell Williams' new defensive scheme required a different style of player. Peppers was the surprise release before the season, while Kyle Dugger fell down the depth chart.
McDaniels and Vrabel have one thing in common with their past: they love to run the football. The Patriots haven't run the ball as well as fans might have hoped, with Rhamondre Stevenson averaging just 3.4 yards per carry and the rushing offense 17th in the league. For a team that ranked 14th in rushing last season, this reality is somewhat disappointing.
He's completed 63.9 percent of his passes for 1,919 yards, 13 touchdowns, and two interceptions this year to go with a 98.1 passer rating. While those stats might not jump off the page, Mayfield's had to make do with a rotating cast at wide receiver this season, thanks to injuries. He's also been fearless on long-distance throws, completing 14 of 39 passes of 20-plus air yards for 511 yards, eight touchdowns, and zero interceptions.
One illuminating way to gauge how your favorite football team is perceived around the NFL is to look at which announcer teams television networks deploy to call their Sunday games. During the two-decade dynasty, Jim Nantz called so many Patriots games - first with analyst Phil Simms on CBS's top team for 13 seasons, then with Tony Romo beginning in 2017 - that a moment was spent acknowledging his 100th broadcast of a New England contest during an October 2020 matchup with the 49ers.
There's a chapter in New England Patriots franchise history that can only be coined "We all know Tom's age and contract situation." That famous Bill Belichick quote coincided with one of the most jarring Patriots draft picks of the Tom Brady era - Eastern Illinois quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in the second round of 2014. Belichick even doubled down two years later, spending a third-round pick on Jacoby Brissett.
The New England Patriots are sporting a handsome 7-2 record after nine games, making even the rosiest predictions look tepid. One reason is that Mike Vrabel's first overall Patriots' draft pick, left tackle Will Campbell, is crushing Pro Football Focus's (PFF's) rookie ratings weekly. For some, it was a risky pick who'd project only to an NFL guard position. The reason was his shorter arms, which measured a whopping 3/8" shorter than the supposed requisite minimum.
It's just the direction that we're going at the middle of the season. And I think, more importantly, the season just kind of started. Obviously that first halfway point throughout the season - guys kind of figure out what kind of team you are, what kind of team you want to be, where you measure the things you've been doing well. So [we're] trying to figure out that identity at this point. And I feel like we know who we are. We know where we want to go, what it's going to take to get there. So guys coming in
One of the most criticized position groups on the New England Patriots' roster has actually been sneaky-good to start the 2025 season. Criticized all offseason for their lack of a true No. 1 wide receiver for young quarterback Drake Maye, the Patriots have been surprisingly productive down the field with Kayshon Boutte, Stefon Diggs, and DeMario Douglas doing the bulk of the damage.
It feels like it has been decades since the Patriots were considered a legitimate threat not only in their division, but in the NFL, and because of that, they have primarily played in the morning slot on Sundays with the D-team in the booth to call their games. They also haven't been featured much on primetime since Tom Brady left five years ago, other than the seemingly required Thursday Night game that no team wants to play.
The New England Patriots' Mike Vrabel undertook a major roster rebuild in the 2025 offseason. One position he addressed was the edge on defense. He signed free agents Harold Landry III, who has performed as expected, and also K'Lavon Chaisson, who has exceeded expectations after nine games and is headed for a career season with 5.5 sacks already. Chaisson's previous high had been five sacks in 2024.
The New England Patriots snuck by the Atlanta Falcons by the proverbial "skin of their teeth", 24-23 after a missed extra point by the Falcons. A lot went wrong, including two unusual gaffes by the soaring Drake Maye, but one aspect loomed particularly large for the listless Patriots' defense. They can't get sacks when they need them, and they have to remedy that now. The Patriots were out-sacked six to one by the Falcons in this tale of two halves.
Over the first eight games of the season, the Patriots have dealt with more than their fair share of questionable calls by NFL officials, as they have had the most flag-happy crews on hand for more than one of their games. It has made life difficult in more ways than one, like stripping away an impressive touchdown by DeMario Douglas against the Saints, which hasn't helped their early struggles with avoidable penalties.
