Going into the 2025 season, there were mixed feelings about what the newly revamped Patriots team would accomplish under Mike Vrabel and the new coaching staff. Although there was a feeling that they would improve from the year before, there wasn't much hope that they would look like the team of old and impress beyond the low expectations set before them.
Fortunately, as we saw, the vibes were good in Foxboro, and that became the foundation of their success, which led them to the Super Bowl. And although that game didn't end the way we hoped, it was still much better than anyone anticipated their season would be.
A year later, the hype is even higher, along with predictions about what their season could be, even though their schedule is expected to be much tougher this time around.
Even with that in mind, that hasn't slowed the excitement across the league. In fact, those at the NFL Network are hyping up the Patriots' 2026 season to a level that maybe some couldn't have envisioned, unless you were on the ride of a lifetime last season.
The Patriots have become a team to watch after their surprisingly impressive 2025 season
Ahead of Wednesday's schedule release, Eric Edholm of NFL Network revealed his top 10 games for the upcoming season, placing the Patriots and the Seahawks with three games each.
Not only is he looking forward to the Super Bowl rematch, but he also plans to circle the AFC Championship rematch and the Bills' road game at Gillette Stadium, which has become much more competitive recently.
Which matchup are you looking at? 👀
— NFL (@NFL) May 11, 2026
📺: NFL Schedule Release - Thursday at 8pm ET on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/D6aHcHcuvT
After what this team looked like in 2024, it's almost hard to fathom that they're back on the league's radar and have become a team that non-Patriots fans want to watch. But that's the impact of a good head coach and a rising superstar quarterback.
On top of that, it also puts a target on their back, particularly after representing the AFC in the Super Bowl.
It makes them a team the rest of the league will prepare harder for, and their most bitter rivals will want to disrupt their rise back to the top as much as possible. That will only make their season tougher, so hopefully, they'll prepare accordingly.
From what we've seen already, there's reason to believe they can accomplish that, and they'll have a lot of chances to prove that this year.
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