If you are sleeping on the New England Patriots, you might be in trouble.
In a story called "1 Reason Every NFL Team Shouldn't Be Overlooked in 2026," NFL analyst Alex Kay of Bleacher Report named "running it back after shocking Super Bowl berth" for the New England Patriots.
In Year 2 of the Mike Vrabel era, the Patriots face the Seattle Seahawks, Pittsburgh Steelers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo Bills, Las Vegas Raiders, Jets, Chicago Bears, Dolphins, Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Chargers, Minnesota Vikings, Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos. It's a tough schedule.
However, the Patriots have a really talented roster, headlined by Drake Maye, A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs and Christian Gonzalez.
Maye finished the 2025 regular season with 4,394 passing yards and 31 passing touchdowns while completing 72.0% of his passes. He finished in second in MVP voting to Rams QB Matthew Stafford.
Since entering the NFL, Brown is fourth in the league in both receiving yards (8,029) and touchdown catches (56). Brown and Ja'Marr Chase are the NFL's only two players with at least 1,000 receiving yards and seven-plus touchdown catches in each of the past four seasons.
Brown had 78 catches for 1,003 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns last season with the Philadelphia Eagles. The Pro Bowler enters next season with 8,029 receiving yards and 56 receiving touchdowns in the NFL with the Tennessee Titans and Eagles. He was heavily linked to the Patriots because Vrabel coached him in Tennessee. The two are very close.
Maye enters next season with 6,670 passing yards and 46 passing touchdowns. It will be fascinating to see whether the Patriots can return to the Super Bowl and win it all. Maye and Co. have plenty of motivation after losing to Seattle 29-13 in Super Bowl LX.
"I think that's the biggest thing about it: It's humbling. You've got to get back to work. When you're so close and within reach, you want that feeling," Maye said. "Everybody says, 'You'll be back.' It's not that easy. So, we've got to get back to work, and I'm looking forward to trying to prove to myself that we can get back and just have another year to get a chance at it."
