After beating the Chargers on Sunday Night Football on Wild Card weekend, they are now set to host either the Steelers or Texans in the divisional round next Sunday. It's an unexpected outcome for a team that most analysts believed would not only win fewer than 10 games this year, but also miss the playoffs. Instead, they're the No. 2 seed and are one game away from the AFC Championship.
For the most part, it's fair to assume that the rest of the league and NFL analysts aren't exactly thrilled that the five-year drought in New England appears to be over, and it is clear that they have already found their next franchise quarterback in Drake Maye.
It has prompted a lot of hot takes from those in the media, and some former Patriots have even realized just how unhappy they all appear to be seeing the Patriots' success, with the latest to join the conversation being free-agent cornerback and fan favorite Stephon Gilmore, who made his feelings known on the matter after Sunday's win.
Stephon Gilmore acknowledges just how upset non-Patriots fans are feeling after Wild Card weekend
Seeing how his former team looked against the Chargers proved something even more to Gilmore: there are many people who are not happy about the Patriots' success.
He took to Twitter/X to share what Patriots' fans are thinking, and it's hard not to agree with what he had to say, especially as someone on the outside looking in.
People probably hot that the patriots back so fast. lol
— The Gilly Lock (@BumpNrunGilm0re) January 12, 2026
Based on the reactions to them earning the No. 2 seed, the fact that Drake Maye is a serious MVP candidate, and now they're going to the divisional round, Gilmore is spot on with his assessment.
It's a disappointing part of success, but at the same time, it's nothing new for New England. Even during their most successful years, analysts and fans were quick to diminish what they were accomplishing and trashed them left and right, despite the greatness they were witnessing from a modern-day dynasty.
Although that's a distant conversation for what's taking place with the current Patriots, their success is familiar yet disappointing for those hoping they would remain at the bottom of the league.
Those hopes have been crushed over the past season, even more so with their dominant win over the Chargers, and could only get worse if they continue their path to the Super Bowl next week, which would certainly be a nightmare scenario for the doubters and haters.