The New England Patriots have made an unforeseen turnaround in 2025, winning ten of their first twelve games and, to this point, are the top seed in the AFC. The success has largely been due to the development of Drake Maye, whose MVP campaign continues with the most passing yards he's ever had in a game on Sunday against the Bengals.
While Maye's development has been massive, the development of other players has been key. Kayshon Boutte has emerged as one of the league's premier deep threats, Jaylinn Hawkins has ascended to be one of the league's best safeties, and Marcus Jones, historically an elite punt returner, is maybe the best slot cornerback in football right now.
It's hard to discount the importance of new additions, too. Mike Vrabel and Josh McDaniels both returned to New England and have brought in their own group of players who've made a tremendous impact. Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins have been great additions at wide receiver, Milton Williams is a game-changer on the defensive line, and Robert Spillane is one of the best run defenders in the league.
The rookies have also made their presence felt. First-rounder Will Campbell and third-rounder Jared Wilson have started every game at left tackle and left guard, TreVeyon Henderson is the team's leading rusher, and Craig Woodson has started each game at safety. Even kicker Andy Borregales, a sixth-round pick, is 15/16 on field goals and without an extra point miss over his last ten games.
Patriots fans should not be satisfied with their success so far
While 10-2 is an amazing start to the year, Patriots fans shouldn't be all that shocked. Going into the year, ten of 17 opponents had a losing record in 2024, giving them a .429 strength of schedule, the third easiest road in the league at the time.
As it's panned out, their strength of schedule to this point is even lower at .356. The next-easiest schedule belongs to Denver at .441, meaning the Broncos' opponents have won nearly 10% more games than the Patriots' opponents.
New England's made were better than anyone else's, too. They handed $65 million more in free agency than the next biggest spender, the Minnesota Vikings, and $111 million more than the third biggest spender, the Seattle Seahawks. They spent $293 million more than last year's Super Bowl Champion Eagles.
On top of all this, the Patriots made four selections in the top 100 picks of the draft, including Will Campbell at No. 4 overall and TreVeyon Henderson at No. 38. They've had a seemingly infinite flow of resources at their disposal to make this team better, and make it better they did.
Just to reset: I heard a lot of people say they’d be happy if the ceiling of this Patriots season was to show up in “In The Hunt” graphics after Thanksgiving. pic.twitter.com/btP9rB2cMf
— Michael Hurley (@michaelFhurley) November 24, 2025
Fans should no doubt be psyched at the development the team has made. From winning eight games in two seasons to a now nine-game win streak, the emergence has been incredible to watch. Nonetheless, this emergence shouldn't stop fans from asking for more from their squad at the tail end of the season.
Injuries to Campbell and Wilson will hurt the offensive line, while the absence of Milton Williams also hurts, but other highly paid players will need to step up.
This team has shown they are of No. 1 seed caliber, and while fans should be grateful for the improvement, they should still be looking for more.