As most Patriots fans know at this point in the 2025 season, the team has been the subject of much criticism over the strength of its schedule and how that has led to their first winning season in four years. It has become a growing narrative to downplay what they have accomplished, especially Drake Maye, so surely those doubters will be happy that their 2026 slate of opponents is expected to be much more difficult, at least on paper.
That is the future the Patriots are facing, as the winners of the AFC East, a feat they haven't accomplished since Tom Brady was under center. Most of their opponents have been determined for some time, but more are set to be made official with the results of Week 18.
Because of that, the primetime game on Saturday between the Seahawks and 49ers was one to pay attention to, as the winner would be one of the Patriots' final road opponents to be figured out.
With the Seahawks' win, which also made them NFC West Champions, that means the Patriots will be on the road in 2026 to play in Seattle for the first time since their shootout game in 2020.
With the Seahawks winning the NFC West, the #Patriots will travel to Seattle as a part of their road slate in 2026.
— Evan Lazar (@ezlazar) January 4, 2026
There is still one away game to be determined from this weekend's games, with the final opponent being either the Houston Texans or the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Patriots' having a winning season means they're in for a brutal schedule next year
From all the losing New England has done in recent years, they've faced a loser's schedule almost since Tom Brady left for Tampa. Now that they're back in the win column, they won't have that built-in excuse for the haters to use when they're successful in 2026, and will have to prove they're the real deal beyond what they accomplish this season, no matter how deep they go in the playoffs.
They go into their final game against the Dolphins on Sunday as the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoff picture, with a chance to steal the No. 1 spot and the luxury of a first-round bye, depending on how the Broncos fare against the Chargers.
It's quite a massive jump from what most analysts and fans expected them to be just one year removed from back-to-back seasons with just four wins, and a disastrous year under the ill-prepared Jerod Mayo.
And that's what makes the criticism about their schedule even more ironic, and it doesn't hold up when you remind anyone of the preseason projections for the season.
Fortunately, it doesn't matter, and now they're going into the playoffs with the AFC East crown. And next year, they'll face a tougher schedule and still do what they've been doing.