Patriots Insider Warns Fans, Points Out 'Striking' Similarities To This Five-Win Team
Following a shocking trip to Super Bowl LX, could a major regression be in store for the New England Patriots during the 2026 NFL season?
Patriots Insider Warns Fans, Points Out 'Striking' Similarities To This Five-Win Team originally appeared on NESN . Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here . Much like the 2024 Washington Commanders, the 2025 New England Patriots were one of, if not the biggest surprise of the most recent NFL season.
The Commanders had a major regression last season though, dropping from 12 wins and a berth in the NFC Championship Game to five victories and a third-place finish in the NFC East. Could the Patriots face a similar fate in 2026? Insider Chad Graff of The Athletic tackled that topic in an article posted Tuesday morning, laying out reasons why New England may be in for a drop-off or could sustain its success.
"The similarities between the two teams are striking, especially in their preceding seasons. Both the 2024 Commanders and 2025 Patriots had first-year veteran leaders -- Dan Quinn and Mike Vrabel -- who leaned on their previous experience as a head coach elsewhere. Both had young quarterbacks -- (Jayden) Daniels and Drake Maye -- who drastically outplayed expectations and lifted rosters that otherwise wouldn’t have been championship contenders.
And, yes, both had easy schedules by virtue of their teams finishing last in their divisions the previous season," Graff wrote. "Everyone knows the Patriots had one of the easiest schedules in recent NFL history last season. The combined winning percentage of their opponents was .