The Patriots spent the offseason hearing about how soft their path had been. Now they’re living through the other side of that argument, and the first month has already said plenty.
Through five games, New England has stared down a brutal opening stretch and still came out 2-2 in the first four, then beat the Raiders last week to move through a slate of opponents with a combined 9-2 record. That matters because this was supposed to be the part where the schedule swallowed them whole. Instead, they knocked off the Bills in Buffalo when Buffalo was unbeaten, kept trending upward against Las Vegas, and forced a lot of the early chatter into the bin.
The old complaint has followed them from 2025 into 2026: that their rise was really just the product of an easy schedule. But the league didn’t hand them a pass this year. It handed them one of the hardest strength-of-schedule runs in recent memory, and the Patriots answered by surviving a first month that was described as the toughest opening four-game stretch any team had faced in 40 years.
Now the calendar finally starts to ease up a bit.
New England gets the Jets in Week 6, then the Bears in Chicago on Thursday Night Football, the Dolphins in Miami, and the Packers at home. It’s still a difficult run, no question, but it’s a step down from what they’ve already absorbed. And after two straight wins, that shift comes at the right time.
The Jets are not the same easy target they’ve been in some recent years. They’ve outperformed expectations because of their draft and the return of quarterback Geno Smith, who beat the Patriots at Gillette Stadium in Week 1 last year. New England already has one win over New York this season, which gives them a tiebreaker edge in the AFC East race, and another victory Sunday would make life even tougher for the Bills, who draw the Raiders in Week 6.
There are some injury concerns to keep in mind. Will Campbell and TreVeyon Henderson are among the names New England is dealing with, but the feeling around the team is that the depth should hold up. The defense has already shown it can do damage without its starting cornerbacks, their immediate backups, and other injured stars.
And that’s part of why the Patriots have been able to steady themselves so quickly. Drake Maye and the offense have looked sharper over the past two weeks, and the group appears to be carrying a different kind of confidence than it had after the first three games. If they can turn this softer section of the schedule into momentum, the rest of the season starts to look a lot different.
In Other News...
Patriots Win Still Exposed A Secondary Problem Fans Can't Ignore
The Patriots 45-17 win over the Raiders looked convincing on the scoreboard, but it also highlighted a familiar problem in the defensive backfield. Las Vegas tight end Brock Bowers kept finding room against New Englands smaller defensive backs, using his size to create mismatches and finishing with a productive afternoon that underscored why the matchup was such a concern.
New England does have options if it wants to get bigger on the back end, and the conversation now turns to possible help at cornerback and beyond. Free agent Jeff Okudah and Chiefs cornerback Kristian Fulton are among the names to watch, while practice squad options like Elliott Davison and Alzillion Hamilton also give the Patriots some internal choices as they try to address a weakness that showed up even in a lopsided win. [Read more 🡒]
A.J. Browns Return Looks Even Better For Patriots Fans
A.J. Browns move to New England before the 2026 season already looked like a major addition when the Patriots brought him in, and it has only become easier to see why since then. Brown has settled into the offense smoothly, giving the Patriots the kind of established playmaker they wanted, while the conversation around the deal has only grown louder as fans and analysts continue to weigh what it means for both sides.
The contrast has been hard to miss, because the Patriots have reason to feel good about how the trade has worked out for them. Philadelphia, meanwhile, has been dealing with injuries, coaching questions and a losing record, which has made the optics of the swap look even better from New Englands perspective and kept the trade among the more talked-about moves of the young season. [Read more 🡒]
Romeo Doubs Is Giving Patriots Fans A Very Familiar Debate
Romeo Doubs has wasted little time becoming one of the more interesting names in New Englands passing game, and not always for the cleanest reasons. In his first month with the Patriots, he has flashed the kind of versatility that made the team believe he could matter right away, while also turning in stretches that have left fans wanting more from a player tied to bigger expectations.
With A.J. Brown sidelined, Doubs has been asked to handle a larger workload than the Patriots probably planned on this early, which has only sharpened the scrutiny around his play. The upside is still obvious, and his role could look different once Brown is back, but for now Doubs is in that familiar New England spot where promise, pressure and patience all seem to be colliding at once. [Read more 🡒]