The New England Patriots have been one of the NFL’s most consistent and disciplined teams this season, rolling into their bye week with an impressive 11-2 record. But as former Patriots linebacker and three-time Super Bowl champion Ted Johnson reminded everyone this week, now is not the time to get comfortable.
Johnson, speaking on WEEI, didn’t mince words when it came to the dangers of believing your own hype. His message to the current Patriots roster?
Stay hungry. Stay sharp.
Because in this league, momentum can vanish as quickly as it’s built.
“If we could just go back to 2021,” Johnson said, “it wasn’t that long ago. The Patriots were 9-4 going into their bye.
They had won seven straight. Then they came out of the bye and lost three of their next four.”
That 2021 team, Johnson pointed out, serves as a cautionary tale. The Patriots were red-hot heading into their break, but something shifted.
Whether it was complacency, overconfidence, or just a loss of rhythm, they came back “a little soft, a little doughy,” as Johnson put it. And in the NFL, that’s all it takes to derail a season.
Fast forward to 2025, and the parallels are hard to ignore. The Patriots are again riding high, fresh off a dominant Monday Night Football performance against the Giants that had them looking like the most complete team in the league.
Offense, defense, special teams - it all clicked. They didn’t just win; they imposed their will.
But as Johnson emphasized, the NFL doesn’t hand out trophies in December. And the next two games on the Patriots’ schedule are anything but cakewalks.
First up: the Buffalo Bills. Yes, New England already beat them once this season, but sweeping a division rival - especially one with a quarterback like Josh Allen - is never easy.
The Bills are still in the playoff hunt, and they’ll be playing with urgency. They know what’s at stake.
Then comes a trip to Baltimore, where Lamar Jackson and the Ravens will be waiting. Baltimore has had an up-and-down year, but when Jackson is healthy and locked in, he’s one of the most dynamic players in the league. Add in a Ravens defense that thrives on physicality and chaos, and you’ve got the recipe for a slugfest.
These are the kinds of games that test a team’s mettle. The Patriots have been praised for their discipline, their execution, and their ability to adapt - all hallmarks of a well-coached, playoff-ready team. But as Johnson warned, none of that matters if they lose their edge.
“Right now, everyone’s telling them how great they are,” Johnson said. “That they’re the best team in the NFL.
The toast of the town. The new ‘it’ team.
And I would just caution them not to get too comfortable listening to all that praise.”
It’s a message grounded in experience. Johnson’s been inside the locker room.
He knows what it takes to win in December and January. And he knows how easy it is for even the best teams to stumble if they start believing they’ve already arrived.
The Patriots have the talent. They’ve shown the toughness.
And they’ve put themselves in position to make a serious run. But the next few weeks will reveal just how locked in this group really is.
Because in the NFL, the line between contender and cautionary tale is razor-thin.
The bye week is over. The real test starts now.