It's almost hard to believe the Patriots' 2025 season didn't start how anyone had hoped or imagined, as they lost to the Raiders in an embarrassing game and, two weeks later, fell victim to their own mistakes (again) against a very bad Steelers team.
Fortunately, they ended the first month with a 2-2 record and, with their Week 4 win over the Panthers, went on a 10-game winning streak that helped push them to the top of the division. The season ended with a 14-3 record, good enough to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl, and give them a first-place schedule in 2026.
That means they're about to face their toughest schedule in recent memory, starting with a rematch with the Seahawks in Seattle.
Based on how they fared in the Championship game, it's not entirely unreasonable that the Patriots are already being counted out. Most analysts and fans outside New England don't believe they stand a chance, especially on the Champions' home turf.
But other than being motivated by redemption to prove that they were just as worthy of being in the Super Bowl as their opponent, Mike Vrabel has a chance to prove everyone wrong even more by winning Week 1 and becoming just the second time the Patriots have won their season opener in the last six years.
Mike Vrabel and the Patriots can erase Jerod Mayo from the record books with a Week 1 win
The first month of the NFL season is typically seen as an extension of the preseason, with teams still acclimating to playing football and figuring out what kind of team they'll be that year.
So it's not unusual to see some of the best teams fall in Week 1, as the Patriots have done a lot since the 2021 season, and only Mayo was able to get a win to start the year.
That gives Vrabel another reason to break a frustrating trend by beating the Seahawks in Week 1, doing something even Bill Belichick couldn't do in the few years of his tenure.
- 2021 - L, Dolphins 16-17
- 2022 - L, @ Dolphins 7-20
- 2023 - L, Eagles 20-25
- 2024 - W, @ Bengals 16-10
- 2025 - L, Raiders 13-20
Although a win over the Seahawks in September won't change the Super Bowl result, it would be a refreshing way to start the season on the right foot and show that the offseason improvements were the right moves and clearly made an impact.
It would also be a positive way to kick off a season that's inevitably going to be under a microscope after the success they shockingly achieved last year, and that takes a little bit of stress off their shoulders the rest of the way.
On top of that, Vrabel would continue to prove why he is the reigning Head Coach of the Year by stomping out the Seahawks on the night of their Super Bowl celebration in their home stadium, and what better way to start a new season than that?
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