For more than two decades, the New England Patriots were, more often than not, the team to beat. Long gone are the Bill Belichick and Tom Brady days, and after what felt like an eternity, the Pats might be back to where they belong.
Sometimes, all it takes is one guy to turn a franchise around. Fortunately, the Patriots may have found two. First, they landed their franchise quarterback with Drake Maye, and then, they re-established the Patriots Way with Mike Vrabel.
The early returns of this partnership were more than encouraging. The Patriots returned to the Super Bowl for the first time in the post-Brady era, and, even with all the chatter about an easy schedule, it looks like everyone wants to watch the Patriots again in 2026.
That's why Eric Eldholm of NFL.com has them starring in 3 of the top 10 regular-season matchups for next season.
Drake Maye and Mike Vrabel will be in for revenge in 2026
Eldholm chose the Buffalo Bills at Patriots, Denver Broncos at Patriots, and Patriots at Seattle Seahawks as the 5th, 7th, and 10th best games of the regular season. Oddly enough, that doesn't align with the "Patriots only made it to the Super Bowl" narrative about the schedule.
Still, Patriots fans should be used to that at this point. They've been the team everybody loves to hate for most of their recent history, and things won't change even if Belichick and Brady are no longer on the premises.
Maye and Vrabel have an opportunity to build something special in Foxborough. Inevitably, they'll have to deal with the burden of comparison, as Patriots fans are used to a different standard, but it's fair to say they've gotten off to the right foot.
Vrabel coached the team to a 14-win season, and Maye was an MVP finalist in his first full season as a starter. They fell short of the ultimate goal, but that's much more than most head coaches and quarterbacks can ever dream of, and they did it in just one year.
The Patriots enter this season with some issues to address, and they can't afford to get complacent. The only thing tougher than reaching the Super Bowl once is doing so in consecutive seasons, so they can't look past any of their opponents.
That said, it's clear that the league is in a much better place when the Patriots are good. Even though they will never admit it, every story needs a villain, and even the biggest Patriots hater must've missed them during this unfortunate stretch. Don't worry, guys, they're not going anywhere.
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