Since Tom Brady left the Patriots in 2020, they have quickly fallen to the bottom of the AFC East and the NFL, if we're being entirely truthful. Their hopes of continuing to reign supreme over the rest of the league vanished with the quarterback, and they have only made the playoffs one time in the five years since his departure.
After back-to-back seasons with four wins and 13 losses, a surge of optimism has emerged with Mike Vrabel as the team's new head coach. Besides the impressive hires he made to his staff to further solidify the excitement surrounding their 2025 season, the additions they have made to the roster have skyrocketed their chances of making the playoffs in the eyes of many analysts, which is excellent news for a team that has become almost irrelevant over the last few years.
It's become such a talking point that even Matt Holder of Bleacher Report believes they could potentially unseat the Bills from their throne atop the AFC East this year, with the main reason being the arrival of Vrabel in Foxboro.
Mike Vrabel could be the reason the Patriots take over the AFC East in 2025
In an attempt to predict a new winner for every division for the upcoming season, Holder believes the Patriots have the best chance of regaining hold of the AFC East and finally removing the Bills from their power.
He lists Vrabel's head coaching experience and the impressive offseason they've had through free agency and the draft as the main reasons, which he believes prove the new head coach is capable of turning things around in New England fairly quickly.
"Going from worst to first will be a difficult task for the Patriots, but landing one of the most-coveted head coach candidates of the offseason certainly helps.
Mike Vrabel won the AFC South twice and made three playoff appearances during his six seasons leading the Tennessee Titans, providing encouragement that he can turn things around in New England."
It certainly won't be easy to accomplish so early in his tenure, but the Patriots look the most equipped to pull off the seemingly impossible than they have since the 2019 season. Surrounding Drake Maye with the caliber of talent they have, plus the boosts to the defense, is difficult to overlook and could be exactly what puts their chances over the top.
Although they might not dominate every game or even win the most games, their offseason has been widely regarded as one of the best across the league, which could ultimately translate into making them divisional champions once again.
It's asking a lot of such a young team that's yet to play a game together, but Vrabel has led teams with far less talent to the playoffs before, so the Patriots' chances can't be ruled out. At the very least, their efforts prove that they're not far from reclaiming the AFC East, if not this season.