It has only taken six weeks for the New England Patriots to match their 2024 win total. Sunday's 25-19 win over the New Orleans Saints got the Patriots to 4-2, the amount of games won by New England a season ago. The Patriots' three-game winning streak is giving the fans the sense that this team is for real.
The Patriots found a way to win ugly in the Big Easy, highlighting that the mark of a good team is avoiding trap games on the road. New England found a way to do that, and this was a game the Patriots would've lost over the last few seasons.
Mike Vrabel and company preached short-term focus after Week 5's win in Buffalo, and that attention shifted directly towards the Saints. It paid off, and given what the Patriots' schedule looks like over the next several weeks, the ceiling is looking higher and higher.
Patriots can get to 11 wins and make the playoffs
While that appears to be a rosy prediction for a team that hasn't made the postseason in four years, a lot of things are in the Patriots' favor right now.
For one, their quarterback is playing at an MVP level. Drake Maye has commanded this offense extremely well, and his Year One to Year Two jump has been extraordinary.
Additionally, some of the perennial contenders in the AFC are dropping like flies. The Ravens are 1-5, and Lamar Jackson's health remains a question. The desperate Bengals just traded for the aging Joe Flacco. The Chargers and Broncos appear ready to unseat the Chiefs in the AFC West.
But the biggest factor? The Patriots' schedule. Tough games in the second half of the year in Baltimore in Cincinnati suddenly don't look as challenging. New England's next two games are against the Titans and Browns. They should be 6-2 come Halloween.
New England's toughest game between now and Thanksgiving appears to be in Tampa Bay. Expect that one to be a shootout. The Patriots still have the pathetic Jets twice, as well as the Dolphins, the Bills, and the Giants in Foxborough.
Getting to 11 wins and making the playoffs is suddenly a strong reality for this team. The Patriots have a lot to clean up from Sunday, but Mike Vrabel will ensure that happens.
The road to the playoffs is on.