Despite the nearly unanimous belief throughout the 2025 offseason that the Patriots would not win double-digit games this season and miss the playoffs, the narrative has now shifted to they were given an easy schedule, and that it shouldn't be a surprise they won 14 games.
It's funny how an unexpectedly successful season under new leadership and a second-year quarterback can change the discourse around a team so quickly and abruptly, but that's where the Patriots are and will be until next season.
Because we already knew who most of their opponents would be since divisions are rotated in a pattern, it was clear that their 2026 opponents would be much more difficult than those they faced this year, at least, on paper.
And now that Week 18 has concluded, their opponents have been finalized, and surely, those discrediting their success this year won't have much to say when they continue to win.
The Patriots' 2026 opponents have been finalized after Week 18
With the Steelers sneaking out the win against the Ravens on Sunday Night Football, the Patriots can add Pittsburgh to their list of stops on next year's schedule, along with the rest of their opponents.
HOME | AWAY |
|---|---|
Buffalo Bills | Buffalo Bills |
Denver Broncos | Chicago Bears |
Miami Dolphins | Los Angeles Chargers |
New York Jets | Kansas City Chiefs |
Green Bay Packers | Miami Dolphins |
Las Vegas Raiders | Jacksonville Jaguars |
Pittsburgh Steelers | New York Jets |
Minnesota Vikings | Detroit Lions |
Seattle Seahawks |
The Patriots will be on deck to face eight playoff teams from this season, immediately discrediting anyone ready to suggest they have another year of easy opponents.
It will be a big test for Mike Vrabel's team, and Drake Maye will have a big opportunity to prove he can be just as good against widely considered better defenses than the ones he faced this year.
Although most arguments against New England aren't valid, the perception across the league is that their strength of schedule has been the main driver of their success, and now that they've won the AFC East, they'll face a much tougher batch of teams and prove them all wrong.
They'll go into the 2026 offseason with nearly $50 million in cap space to spend in free agency and plenty of draft picks to add even more young talent to the roster. They hit it out of the park in this year's draft, as 15 rookies were on the 53-man roster by the end of the season, most of whom were big contributors throughout the year.
If they can do that again in the spring, the sky is the limit for what they can do next year.