New England Patriots Mid-Season Report

Evaluating the Patriots Performance Thus Far in the Season

By: Finn Konary 10/15/25

WR Stefon Diggs and QB Drake Maye

Another season of New England Patriots football is well underway, with a new coaching regime under Mike Vrabel leading the team. The Patriots look to forge their new culture and identity over the course of the first few weeks, while also hoping to provide fans with some hope after back to back 3-14 seasons in 2023 and 2024. Overall, the influx of talent and experience in the offseason, both player and staff wise, has contributed to a relatively strong start for the Patriots. Fans should be excited both by what Patriots football has looked like so far, and by what is to come.

The Patriots are 3-2 after five games, a huge improvement from last year, when they were 1-4 through five. While this alone is encouraging, early records can be misleading due to the strength of opponents. In the case of the Patriots, they have beaten some teams that are not considered very good, but they also beat the Buffalo Bills on Sunday Night Football at Buffalo. To put this into perspective, the Bills were previously undefeated on the season (4-0) and unbeaten at home for their past 14 regular season games . Additionally, the Patriots win against the Carolina Panthers previous week meant this was the first time they had won two games in a row since the 2022 season .

As mentioned earlier, a big reason the Patriots are playing better this season than in years prior is due to the massive overhaul of the franchise during the offseason. In addition to key coaching change, this overhaul included bringing in former offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, wide receiver Stefon Diggs, defensive tackle Milton Williams, and rookies like left tackle Will Campbell in the draft. The effect of these additions is best exemplified in the year over year change in performance for the Patriots. Last year, the Patriots defense was 22nd out of 32 teams in total defense allowed, 10th in passing defense, 23rd in rushing defense, and 25th in red zone defense, allowing opposing teams to score on 63.2% of their trips to the red zone, or the distance between the 20-yard line and the endzone. This year, through the first four weeks, the Patriots are 16th in total defense allowed, 26th in passing defense, 2nd in rushing defense, and 31st in red zone defense . The defense certainly showed improvement in some areas, while they also underwent some unfortunate regression. Overall, however, the defense has improved from last year and it should continue to do so, barring injuries.

Offensively, the Patriots early success can be credited to a variety of sources, including Josh McDaniels, and second-year quarterback Drake Maye. Last year, the team was 31st in total offense, 32nd in passing offense, and 13th in rushing offense . Comparatively, the Patriots through four weeks this year are 14th in total offense, 7th in passing offense, and 25th in passing offense . Once again, while the Patriots offense has improved in some areas and regressed in others, overall, the offense is performing better this year than last.

While it is still early, the Patriots have shown improvement from last year, due in part to the changes made in the offseason. This team has a chance to compete for a playoff spot in the AFC, especially given they have the 3rd easiest schedule in the league by opponents combined winning percentage from the previous year.