Since the day that Tom Brady announced he was leaving the Patriots and eventually signing with the Bucs, the franchise has been on a steady fall from the top of the NFL and securing an unfortunately cozy spot at the bottom of the league. That was expected to worsen once Bill Belichick was let go, only for Jerod Mayo to lead the team to the same record the legendary coach had totaled the year before.
That inevitably led Robert Kraft to Mike Vrabel, and despite everything working against the Patriots and how far they appear to be from being a complete competitive team, the optimism surrounding their 2025 season is the highest it has been in over five years.
It has prompted some analysts and fans to suggest they could be a sneaky good team in the AFC this season, with some even predicting they will make the playoffs via wild card by season's end.
That feels a bit presumptuous, while also adding an exceptional amount of pressure to the shoulders of the Patriots' organization to deliver beyond most expectations. However, that hype continues just days before their season opener against the Raiders, as FS1's Colin Cowherd made his prediction about the Patriots known.
More NFL analysts predict the Patriots will make the playoffs in 2025
.@colincowherd PREDICTS who makes the playoffs in the AFC this season pic.twitter.com/lD51DyGcfr
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) September 4, 2025
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Considering the amount of pure talent that the conference currently hosts, particularly at quarterback, it's almost unfathomable that the Patriots could even be discussed in this conversation, even if they are predicted to be only a wild-card team.
But it's clear that the Mike Vrabel effect is strong and being felt by those outside of New England well before seeing the rebuilt team take the field for a game that actually counts.
Cowherd hasn't been the most supportive of the team over the years, especially recently, so hearing his open belief that the Patriots could be a sneaky contender is fascinating. And he's not the only one to express this in recent days, either.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler joined the conversation, choosing the Patriots as an "under-the-radar team to make the playoffs" this season, further proving just how impactful Kraft's decision to hire Vrabel has already been.
“Mike Vrabel’s presence has already paid off. Quarterback Drake Maye is poised for a Year 2 jump. The defensive tackle duo of Christian Barmore and Milton Williams has a chance to be special. Two of their AFC East rivals (Dolphins and Jets) appear to be in transition. Running back TreVeyon Henderson has the explosiveness to break off big runs. And Josh McDaniels is a proven playcaller. Offensive line and wide receiver remain concerns, but New England has made efforts to address both spots. The Patriots haven’t produced a 1,000-yard receiver since Julian Edelman in 2019. For this to work, someone — paging Stefon Diggs — needs to break that streak. A wild-card spot feels attainable.”
Fowler is the latest to seemingly ignore the Patriots' divisional competition other than the Bills, who are (of course) projected to be the AFC East champions again, which could certainly work in their favor. However, the Dolphins, in particular, have given the Patriots issues over the last few years, so eliminating them entirely from being competitive might be a mistake.
Regardless, these kinds of predictions are proof of what the new regime has accomplished this offseason and how it could immediately pay off, even if they still have plenty left to do.
It adds a lot of pressure to a season that will already be loaded with high expectations from the top of the franchise all the way to the fans, so hopefully the added weight won't be a factor that breaks them.