Reasons for the Patriots to be positive or concerned in 2026

The New England Patriots went all the way to Super Bowl LX in the 2025 season, an achievement many expected given their four-win campaigns in each of the two seasons that preceded.

With Drake Maye having a true breakout season in his sophomore year, the Patriots won their first AFC East division title since 2019 and were crowed AFC Champions following a low scoring and snow filled win on the road to the Denver Broncos.

Up against the Seattle Seahawks, history did not repeat himself 11 years on from that Malcolm Butler interception that won them their fourth Super Bowl. They were outplayed and lost 29-13.

They go into the 2026 season wanting to avoid the “Super Bowl runner up jinx” that affected the Kansas City Chiefs last season and the San Francisco 49ers the year before.

Here are reasons Patriots fans should be concerned of a Super Bowl hangover, and reasons to be positive of another successful season.

Reasons to be concerned

No story has dominated the offseason quite like involving head coach Mike Vrabel and reporter Dianna Russini.

Many Patriots fans have expressed concern that this may force Vrabel to leave his position, which would be a blow to the team given the work he has done in just one year with the team in the position. Right now, there is no indication that this will happen, but it is bound to have an impact on the team next season.

The Patriots were also benefited by an easy schedule in 2025. They only faced three playoff teams in the regular season, with one of these in the Carolina Panthers having a losing record.

Four of the first five teams that picked in April’s NFL Draft in Pittsburgh faced the Patriots in 2025, a statistic which did extend to seven of the first 11 teams picking and 11 of the first 15 when the season ended before trades between teams altered this.

In the playoffs, they faced two quarterbacks in Justin Herbert and C.J Stroud who struggled immensely under pressure before facing Denver Broncos with backup quarterback in Jarrett Stidham in the AFC Championship.

Their 2026 schedule offers a much more difficult path to the Super Bowl if they wanted to repeat their success of 2025. They will kick off the season on the road to the Seattle Seahawks, the very team that beat them in Santa Clara back in February.

Their first four games of 2026 are against teams who made the playoffs in the 2025 campaign, and they face a further four more as the season goes on. Their games against non-playoff teams also present difficulty, with the Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions scheduled to play them, two teams that are expected to majorly improve in 2026.

In fact, only the 1971 Dallas Cowboys, 1972 Miami Dolphins and 2018 Patriots have followed up a Super Bowl defeat with a Super Bowl win the following season. Only three of the last 27 teams that loses the Super Bowl makes it back to the Conference Championship a year later and 12 of the last 27 Super Bowl runners-up have failed to make it back to the post season, and four have finished last in their division.

In the 21st century alone, Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts are the only quarterbacks to lose a Super Bowl and return to one with the same team.

With a tougher schedule to deal with, we will see the real Patriots in 2026. It is hard to see any type of repeat of last season for the team.

Reasons to be positive

Records are there to be broken and the Patriots will hope that they are not victims of the aforementioned post Super Bowl loss struggles. 

One player who has been linked heavily to the Patriots is Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J Brown, who has managed to return to a Super Bowl after losing one. 

The Eagles lost Super Bowl LVII but would win Super Bowl LIX two years later, with Brown scoring in both of these. It seems all but set for him and Vrabel to be reunited with each other following their time together at the Tennessee Titans.

The decision to trade away Brown on draft day in 2022 has played a big part in the downfall of the Titans, going from the number one seed in the AFC in 2021 to a combined 19-49 in the four seasons that followed.

Vrabel was visibly frustrated when the trade with the Eagles went down and the chance to be reunited with Brown is one he would be very excited for.

The same can be said for quarterback Maye, who will be have an elite receiver to throw to. 

Maye recorded 4,394 passing yards, 31 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 2025 and just a handful of votes off winning the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award, which went to Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford.

Having a duo such as Maye and Brown is only going to elevate this Patriots offense, that already features Kayshon Boutte and offseason addition Romeo Doubs, which should give Patriots fans hopes of a good season.

Their defense should also give the team hope of another strong season. In 2025, the Patriots finished ninth against the pass, sixth against the run and only three teams allowed less total points.

This is a unit that features defensive tackle Christian Barmore and cornerback Cristian Gonzalez, the latter being one of the best in the league in his position. With Vrabel’s history of excellence in the defensive side of the ball, this should be a unit that keeps the status quo. 

Zac Kuhr, who took over defensive play calling duties in difficult circumstances last season, has been elevated to the full time defensive coordinator position in 2026 and has proved worthy of the role. If he continues his work into the upcoming season, then the Patriots defense has the ability to win the team games alone.

Overall, for the Patriots,  it is hard to see their most optimistic fans expecting a return trip to the Super Bowl. However, a 10 or 11 win season and return to the postseason is not out of the realm of possibility, and would still be seen as a positive even if they go 0-1.

With their aforementioned tougher schedule, this might be a tough ask.