Predictions for the Patriots' 2025 were very much all over the place, with some analysts believing they wouldn't win much more than they had over the last two seasons, while others pegged them as a sneaky playoff contender. Through the first seven games of the season, the latter has been looking more accurate, and that has officially put New England on the AFC radar, especially for the division title.
They go into Week 8 at the top of the AFC East after defeating the Bills in Buffalo on primetime television, and the reigning divisional champions following up that loss with another the next week against the Falcons.
That puts the Patriots one game ahead of them even after their bye week, and that has prompted a lot more postseason talk from talking heads across all networks.
The latest to join the playoff bandwagon is former Packers' great Greg Jennings, who believes the Patriots have a legitimate claim that not only will they make the playoffs, maybe even by stealing the division title, but also that they are better than the Bills at this stage in the season.
The Patriots might have a credible argument that they are better than their competition in the AFC East
Any suggestion that the Patriots have surpassed the Bills in any sort of way this season was not something anyone could have predicted before Week 1. But now that's not considered to be a hot take, which Jennings emphasized earlier this week while appearing on FS1's "First Things First."
.@kevinwildes: “Greg, do you think that the Patriots have legit claim that they are actually better than the Bills?”@GregJennings: “So, yes.”@kevinwildes: “Thank you.” pic.twitter.com/bCVyhJHCTY
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) October 20, 2025
Even more shocking than Jennings' statement is the fact that the others in the conversation, including notorious Patriots hater Nick Wright, somewhat agree with what he was saying.
That might be the most unexpected part of the entire conversation, as many people have long begged to see the Patriots at the bottom of the NFL. The fact that they have been putting out some of the worst performances since the 2020 season has been a welcome sight across the league.
But that isn't the case anymore, as Drake Maye looks like the real deal, and the pairing of Vrabel with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels looks like a match made in heaven. It was clearly the right move for Robert Kraft to make, and he is now the ultimate beneficiary of a Patriots resurgence.