For much of the 2026 offseason, the conversation around the New England Patriots focused on how their schedule would be much tougher than last year's, and on how their performance would prove just how good, or not good, they really were.
Despite ending last season in the Super Bowl, their postseason struggles led many to believe their success came from a "historically easy" schedule. So knowing they were about to face a first-place gauntlet,, this year would be the true litmus test for where they stood in Year 2 under Mike Vrabel.
We saw that take a toll on them in the first three weeks of the season, but a win in Buffalo appears to have infused confidence back into the building, particularly Drake Maye.
They followed that up with a statement win over the Raiders and are now set to take on what is being called the easiest stretch of their season, starting with the Jets.
They then play the Bears on Thursday Night Football, and after facing some of the league's toughest defenses, Maye can breathe a sigh of relief knowing he won't be battling it out with a superstar pass rusher on a short week.
Drake Maye and the Patriots' offensive line won't have to worry about Montez Sweat in Week 7
From facing the No. 1 defensive line in the NFL in their season-opening Super Bowl rematch to trying to keep T.J. Watt, Greg Rousseau, and Maxx Crosby at bay, Maye was set to face another pass rush extraordinaire in Montez Sweat in Week 7.
However, it was announced earlier this week that the veteran was suspended for two games for violating the NFL's PED policy, meaning he won't be on the field for Week 6 or Week 7.
That is significant for a beat-up Patriots offense already dealing with the loss of Mike Onwenu at right guard and potentially without Will Campbell at left tackle for some time. On top of that, Maye has looked more confident and poised over the last two weeks, so not having to face a Pro Bowl pass rusher should help him maintain that next week.
It also helps the run game, which hasn't been all that good over the first month of the season, and could get worse with TreVeyon Henderson dealing with an ankle injury.
Regardless, knowing they won't have to account for a player like Sweat is one less thing to worry about when facing the Bears, who are also 3-2 going into Week 6 and will want to make their own kind of statement by beating the Patriots on primetime.
The teams will be connected for a while for a few reasons, one of which is that their starting quarterbacks came from the same draft class. They'll be compared until the end of their careers, so beating the other only helps validate that they picked the right player.
Beyond that is the interest in the head coaches. Robert Kraft interviewed Ben Johnson before inevitably hiring Vrabel. Many Patriots fans wanted the former Lions offensive coordinator to be the next head coach. But as we know, Vrabel was Kraft's guy.
So that puts more pressure on each coach to get a win, and maybe a little pressure on Maye to perform at a high level to ensure that happens.
He can breathe easier now that the team's weakened offensive line won't have to slow down a player like Sweat, which should make winning a little easier.
Add us as a preferred source on Google