Julian Edelman is no stranger to chasing championships. During his time with the New England Patriots, the team won three Super Bowls and played in five, and Edelman carved out a Hall of Fame-caliber career as a gutty slot wide receiver.
He's one of many believers in his former team as the Patriots have carved out a four-game winning streak - including the last three on the road - a stretch that has seen second-year quarterback Drake Maye playing at an MVP level.
For the first time since Tom Brady was throwing passes in New England, the Patriots are true threats in the AFC East. The Buffalo Bills have owned the division for the last half-decade, but Edelman is one of the believers that the time is now for the Patriots to rise back to the top.
Winning games you’re supposed to win, especially when there’s a ton of praise all week, is the mark of a well coached team.
— Julian Edelman (@Edelman11) October 19, 2025
Vrabel has this team trending exactly the way he wants. #GoPats
A big reason why?
The Patriots are taking care of business against teams they need to. They've spanked the Carolina Panthers and Tennessee Titans and emerged from a potential trap game in New Orleans with a win. Couple that with a road victory in Buffalo, and it appears we have a contender.
The Patriots will back up Julian Edelman's words the rest of the 2025 season
With the Patriots at 5-2 and the Bills at 4-2, Maye and company currently have a leg up in the AFC East, and the Bills still have to play the Chiefs, Buccaneers, Eagles, and Steelers. Aside from Buffalo, the only heavyweights left on New England's schedule are Tampa Bay and Baltimore - and that's if Lamar Jackson is healthy.
New England has a championship-caliber defense, one of the best head coaches in the league, and a quarterback starting to realize his potential —and then some. Couple that with one of Buffalo's weaknesses, and the Patriots could have a slight edge.
Edelman noted to Boston.com's Conor Ryan that Buffalo's inability to stop the run could be a fatal flaw for the Bills.
“They’re giving up 5.8 yards a carry right now, and that’s not sustainable if you want to play late into the season when the weather starts to turn, the tackling gets worse. I’m worried about them.”
The Bills are dangerous as long as Josh Allen is healthy; there's no denying that, and the Bills could get hot at any time. But the Patriots finally got their own running game going in Sunday's win at Tennessee, and if that trend continues into the second half of the season, New England deserves the edge.
Ultimately, it's up to the Patriots to prove Edelman's words to be true, but two more wins before New England heads to Tampa Bay in Week 10 could really get more people talking.