When the 2024 season started, the prime focus of the Patriots was the development of rookie quarterback Drake Maye. The roster around him is not that of a Super Bowl contender, and New England is probably another draft and free agency period or two from being back in the NFL's upper echelon for which it lived for two decades.
Even though the 3-8 Patriots are one loss away from their third consecutive losing season and fourth since Tom Brady's departure, Maye's development has been spectacular. The Patriots have their man, and whatever happens the rest of the season is gravy at this point.
That will especially hold true if the Patriots can be a playoff spoiler for many teams down the stretch.
Jerod Mayo has said he wants the Patriots to be a team nobody wants to play in November and December. That's part of how you build into a contender. Think of the 1993 team that finished 5-11 but won its last four games, knocking Miami out of the playoffs in the regular-season finale. Three years later, the Patriots were in Super Bowl XXXI.
That should be New England's prime focus down the stretch, and with games remaining against the Dolphins, Colts, Chargers, and Bills (twice), opportunities are right out in front of the Patriots to spoil some contenders' playoff positioning.
The Patriots can crush the postseason dreams of their final stretch of opponents
It starts with Miami, which at 4-6 is healthy and has its eyes on making a postseason charge. The Dolphins likely need to get to 10 wins to clinch a Wild Card berth, and a loss to the Patriots at home would be extremely damaging.
The same can be said for Indianapolis, which enters Week 12 at 5-6 and just one game out of the last playoff spot in the AFC. The Colts have flaws and inconsistencies and will come to Foxboro in Week 13. We all know the history between these two teams, and while Maye and Anthony Richardson aren't Brady or Peyton Manning, the animosity remains, and the Patriots could very well deal the Colts a blow with a Week 13 win.
Looking at the Bills, it's pretty clear they will win the AFC East. What Buffalo is truly after is assuring the AFC playoffs go through western New York. This one is a catch-22 for Patriots fans who surely despise their division rivals but, like the rest of NFL America, are weary of Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Taylor Swift being atop the league's throne. Could a Week 18 upset in Foxboro deny the Bills home-field advantage?
The Chargers at 7-3 are sitting pretty and have an outside chance at catching Kansas City in the AFC West. A 1:00 East Coast game in December could spell trouble for the warm-weather Chargers, and the Patriots could very well spoil their path to a high postseason seed.
Playing spoiler for one of these teams could be a small nugget during the Patriots' rebuild and something to build on for 2025 and beyond.