Upcoming schedule gives Patriots opportunities to add more wins in 2024

When you're a rebuilding team, which is the case with the Patriots, the development of your young roster can be a bigger priority than what the scoreboard says at the end of a game. That was certainly the case in Week 6 against Houston, with fans clamoring over the performance of rookie quarterback Drake Maye against one of the league's top defenses, even though the more talented Texans walked out of Foxborough with a 41-21 win.

The combination of Maye and second-year receivers DeMario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte had fans sporting glimmers of hope. Boutte hauled in Maye's first NFL touchdown pass, a perfectly thrown 40-yard dime, a promising sign of life from what has been a dismal offense. Douglas had six catches for 93 yards and a touchdown and was the Patriots' leading receiver.

Time will tell, but Maye and Douglas could become quite a duo.

Through six games, the Patriots are where most pigskin pundits thought they would be: 1-5 and at the bottom of the AFC East. The first half of their schedule was quite rugged, with games against the Texans, 49ers, Dolphins, Jets, Bengals, and Seahawks. The Bengals' Week 1 win against Cincinnati is one the Bengals are probably going to scratch their heads over if they're sitting at home during the postseason.

Fortunately for Maye and the Patriots, the schedule begins to ease up to a degree over these next seven games. Yes, the rookie's development is essential, but there are many winnable games in this stretch that'll take the team into the first weekend of December.

The Patriots could go on an unexpected winning streak starting in Week 7

Let's take a look at these next seven games—at Jacksonville (London), vs. the Jets, at the Titans, at the Bears, vs. the Rams, at the Dolphins, and vs. the Colts—and think realistically about where this team can be as December commences.

The Patriots should certainly win the matchup against the Jags at Wembley Stadium. Jacksonville is 1-5, but the Patriots are the better 1-5 team and are clearly in much better shape. Trevor Lawrence has regressed, and Doug Pedersen is probably going to be looking for another job in January or sooner. If Maye plays like he did against Houston and limits mistakes, the Patriots should win this one.

The Jets, meanwhile, are a bigger soap opera than "The Young and the Restless," and egomaniac quarterback Aaron Rodgers is the main cast member. For all the talent the Jets have, they just fired their head coach and have a 40-year-old quarterback who invested more offseason time into hanging out with Tucker Carlson and Pat McAfee than developing chemistry with his young receivers.

This game is in Foxborough, and the Pats should end their eight-game home losing streak in this one.

The pitiful Titans are 1-4 coming off their bye week, and with games against the Bills and Lions looming, they are looking at 1-6 when the Patriots roll into Nashville. This one could go either way, as the Patriots have traditionally struggled in Tennessee since the old Houston Oilers moved to the Volunteer State in 1997. It's a toss-up here, but I'll take Maye over Will Levis 10 times out of 10. The Patriots get to a game below .500 in this one.

The Bears are looking like the toughest game in this stretch, but this battle between Maye and Caleb Williams could be high-scoring and entertaining with both defenses banged up. Chicago has a lot of playmakers surrounding Williams and the Patriots' front seven is ravaged with injuries. This will be a tough one for New England to steal on the road.

The stretch concludes with two of three games at home, with the Rams and Colts coming to Foxborough and a road trip to Miami serving as the creme filling of this sandwich. These aren't the Rams that won the Super Bowl in the 2021 season, and a West Coast team playing a 1:00 game on the East Coast will always be a little sleepy.

The Dolphins could very well be healthy by the time New England gets to South Florida the Sunday after Thanksgiving, and the Colts don't resemble the Peyton Manning-led Colts, so we'll give the Patriots two home wins and a loss to Miami.

When that stretch finishes, not only will Maye continue to develop and grow as a quarterback and build chemistry with his young receivers, but the Patriots will also find a way to post a 5-2 record over those seven games.

Developing Maye remains the item of biggest importance as this season rolls on, there's no doubt about that. Winning games will just be the icing on the cake.

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