The New England Patriots may have finished the 2025 season with a Super Bowl loss to the Seattle Seahawks, but the way that game played out has clearly done little to earn them respect heading into 2026.
NFL.com, using odds from FanDuel Sportsbook, put together its list of the teams with the best shot at the 2026 Super Bowl, and the Patriots weren’t on it. Not in the top seven. Not anywhere on the board that matters.
That’s a tough look for a team that’s expected to get a major boost from quarterback Drake Maye. It’s also a reminder that the Patriots still have plenty to prove, even after a season that ended with them on the sport’s biggest stage.
There were real reasons the Seattle loss got away from them. Maye was dealing with a significantly injured right shoulder, and left tackle Will Campbell, the team’s second most important player, was also not close to 100 percent. Against a clearly superior Seahawks team, that was too much to overcome.
The offseason additions should help. The Patriots brought in top receivers A.J.
Brown and Romeo Doubs, and if Maye and Campbell are healthy, the offense ought to look better than it did in 2025. The defense should also be improved, assuming top cornerback Christian Gonzalez is actually on the field and not sidelined by a contract dispute.
Adding All-Pro safety Kevin Byard III only strengthens that side of the ball.
Even with that, the Patriots still aren’t getting the kind of attention you’d expect. Buffalo sits second on NFL.com’s list, ahead of New England despite the Patriots beating the Bills for the AFC East title on their way to the Super Bowl.
NFL.com writer Matt Okada had this to say about the Bills:
"Bills over Rams," NFL.com writer Matt Okada wrote. "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.
I picked Bills over Rams in this exercise last year, and I'm back for Super Bowl LXI. The Rams are the league's best team, but it's (finally) Josh Allen's time."
That should give the Patriots even more fuel. They beat the Bills in Buffalo in 2025, then dropped the second meeting at Gillette Stadium after jumping out to a 21-0 lead.
Their first chance to start changing the conversation comes on Sept. 9, when they open the 2026 season against the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks. That game will offer the first real look at how much ground the Patriots covered this offseason.
And that may be the biggest issue of all: depth. The Patriots have to prove they can survive a full 17-game season and still have enough left when it matters most.
Right now, that’s the flaw that stands out. Great teams have to absorb injuries, and the Patriots still look like a roster that has some catching up to do.
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Chargers May Have A Rare Christian Gonzalez Opening For The Wrong Reasons
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For the Patriots, the uncertainty hangs over the start of the season because Gonzalez has not committed to playing in the opener. And while there has been chatter about a possible trade involving the Chargers, nothing official has materialized, leaving the situation stuck in the space between leverage and patience. Until the wording gets settled or the market shifts, New England is left waiting on one of its best defensive players and watching the calendar with a little more concern than it hoped for. [Read more 🡒]