After putting together another disappointing season in 2024, the Patriots were near the top of the list to have one of the easiest schedules this year. Based on the strength of schedule math, that appears to be true despite some bumpy stretches that could become problematic for the improving team. But one thing was noticeable beyond that: they won't be going overseas for the first time in three years.
They are set to kick off the 2025 season with a bang by welcoming Josh McDaniels' most recent team, the Las Vegas Raiders, to Gillette Stadium in Week 1. The offensive coordinator tried his hand at head coach for the second time in 2023, only to be relieved of his duties a year later. This will be the first time he goes against his former team since, allowing the Patriots to potentially squash the Raiders on behalf of McDaniels.
The same can be said about their Week 7 matchup with the Titans, Mike Vrabel's former longtime team. After spending six years in Tennessee, they unexpectedly fired the head coach, who then spent a year with the Browns as a coaching and personnel consultant. This will be the first time going against his former team, hoping to prove them wrong for letting him go.
There was a chance the Patriots would have the opportunity to do that in international games, but they were not among the few teams that would spend time in another country this year.
The Patriots won't be able to change their overseas record in 2025
Because some of their upcoming opponents were reportedly set to have an international game this year, it was possible the Patriots would have been chosen to be their opponent in either Berlin, Dublin, London, Madrid, or São Paulo.
Considering how poorly they have played in recent years when given the opportunity to fly across the pond, it would have been nice if Vrabel could have helped almost rewrite history by leading the Patriots to a win on international soil.
Or perhaps it's a good thing that he won't have that chance, as the game in Frankfurt in 2023 seemed to be the beginning of the end for Bill Belichick, who was eventually fired at the end of the season, and the game in London last year, which was also reportedly a key moment in Robert Kraft's impending decision regarding Jerod Mayo's future.
Maybe it's better that Vrabel won't have to deal with the potential curse that might come with the Patriots playing overseas. But because there is so much hype around what kind of coach he will be for the team and the expected winning, it might be fair to assume he wouldn't suffer the same fate as those before him.
Regardless, the 2025 season will be a telling sign of where the Patriots are headed in their immediate and long-term future. Vrabel will have a good chance to get them back to relevancy and competing for championships again, which has evaded them since Tom Brady left in 2020.
That is the hope, and fortunately, the Vrabel era is off to a tremendous start with an impressive free agency and draft class to kick things off.