Patriots 2025-26 Season

[SparzWizard]

Finally won at Miami for the first time in six years. Sheeesh

[Donoghus]

A win is a win.  Rollercoaster of a game.

[Goldstar88]

Ugly win, but I will take it. Offense looked better, defense not so much.

[Neurotic Guy]

Ugly win, but I will take it. Offense looked better, defense not so much.

Gonzalez will help.  Anything on when he?s back?

[Phantom255x]

If the Patriots lose tomorrow then I'm probably just gonna temporarily retire from sports. Red Sox collapsing. Celtics tanking. Bruins sucking. Patriots hopeless. Ugh

I mean, this Dolphins team is teetering. If the Pats can't even beat the likes of the Dolphins (this messy version) and Raiders then you might as well get ready for another Top-5 pick while the Krafts continue to just sit around and not spend on talent (50M+ in cap space left btw)

Pats won and the Red Sox with a 6-run first inning?

[Vermont Green]

If the Patriots lose tomorrow then I'm probably just gonna temporarily retire from sports. Red Sox collapsing. Celtics tanking. Bruins sucking. Patriots hopeless. Ugh

I mean, this Dolphins team is teetering. If the Pats can't even beat the likes of the Dolphins (this messy version) and Raiders then you might as well get ready for another Top-5 pick while the Krafts continue to just sit around and not spend on talent (50M+ in cap space left btw)

Pats won and the Red Sox with a 6-run first inning?

Boston sports lives another day. 

[Vermont Green]

I wonder how those "JJ McCarthy is better than Drake Maye" conversations are going to go this week.

[Phantom255x]

If the Patriots lose tomorrow then I'm probably just gonna temporarily retire from sports. Red Sox collapsing. Celtics tanking. Bruins sucking. Patriots hopeless. Ugh

I mean, this Dolphins team is teetering. If the Pats can't even beat the likes of the Dolphins (this messy version) and Raiders then you might as well get ready for another Top-5 pick while the Krafts continue to just sit around and not spend on talent (50M+ in cap space left btw)

Pats won and the Red Sox with a 6-run first inning?

Boston sports lives another day.

No game today, so no one can lose! 

[Goldstar88]

I wonder how those "JJ McCarthy is better than Drake Maye" conversations are going to go this week.

JJ looked good week 1, Drake didn?t. Drake looked good week 2, JJ didn?t. Should probably give them a few more games before comparing. Also have to keep in mind who they are playing and the fact that JJ didn?t play at all last year. Hopefully both guys turn out to be good players.

[Donoghus]

Maye's more durable.  That's for sure.

[Phantom255x]

Just my $0.02

McCarthy feels like another Bo Nix and Mac Jones-type. And I know Mac Jones had an awesome day yesterday, but ultimately those QBs will thrive and succeed in great systems with good offensive coaching and good talent around them. But not really guys who can "elevate" a team on their own and probably won't be elite guys. Still guys you can win football games with though and probably make deep runs in the playoffs here or there.

I still think the Pats and Belichick screwed Mac over. He's not elite but not as bad as made out to be. The Judge/Patricia coaching fiasco, Belichick not talking or coaching him up, the lack of talent (his best receivers were Parker/JuJu, lol), etc. I mean, in 2021 with a better OC (McDaniels) and some talent around him and a decent O-Line, they did go 10-7 and make the playoffs. With this Niners team and with Shanahan, Mac could thrive. Bo Nix thrives with Sean Payton and some of the talent around him. KOC is a QB-guru and great offensive mind as well which benefits McCarthy.

I still think Maye has the overall higher ceiling than them. Does he reach it though? We'll see.

[Vermont Green]

I wonder how those "JJ McCarthy is better than Drake Maye" conversations are going to go this week.

JJ looked good week 1, Drake didn?t. Drake looked good week 2, JJ didn?t. Should probably give them a few more games before comparing. Also have to keep in mind who they are playing and the fact that JJ didn?t play at all last year. Hopefully both guys turn out to be good players.

I agree. My snark was directed at the media types that seem so quick to express bad takes.  JJ looks to me like a good athlete with a strong arm. I like him.  But I would rather have Drake and I did not give up on him based on one game that was not all that bad in the first place. 

[SparzWizard]

Patriots currently leading the league in sacks 

While the explosive plays are nice, it's always about knowing how to tackle and slow the opposing player down each time. The secondary got burned a couple times. Hope that resolves when Gonzalez returns.

[Vermont Green]

The sample size is still small (2 games), but there are rankings and tiers out there now for QBs.  This one that I found on USA Today is more favorable on Drake Maye than most of the others, but they mostly seem to have Maye ranked in the 10-15 range, based on the two starts this season.  This one has him ranked 11th, just after Hurts and just before Kyler Murray.  I included Maye's draft classmates for some context.  Jaylen Daniels was not listed, maybe because he was injured.  JJ McCarthy was not listed either.

11. Drake Maye, New England Patriots
Maye is arguably off to the best start of any second-year quarterback in 2025. His 517 passing yards rank ninth in the NFL, his 71% completion rate ranks eighth and he has three touchdown passes with another on the ground. His one interception is a small blemish on an otherwise impressive stat line, and some of the excellent throws Maye has made on tape should make up for it.

13. Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta Falcons
Penix is arguably having the second-best year of all second-year quarterbacks, and like Maye, has a 1-1 record to show for it. The Falcons quarterback threw for nearly 300 yards in his 2025 season-opener against the Buccaneers, and he led what should have been a game-winning drive if not for a 44-yard field goal attempt sailing wide right. In Week 2, he played relatively mistake-free football ? read: no turnovers ? against a Brian Flores defense, which is an impressive feat in itself, and helped secure his team's first win of the year.

17. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears
Williams has looked better than his team's 0-2 record might make one believe. He's generally seemed more decisive and confident in making his reads in Year 1 with Ben Johnson, but his team's Week 1 collapse against Minnesota and Week 2 blowout at the hands of Detroit have overshadowed some of that. ESPN ranks Williams 16th in QBR (57.5) and PFF ranks him 14th with a 74.7 grade.

25. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos
PFF grades Nix as the worst quarterback in the NFL through two weeks with a 40.9 overall grade that includes an abysmal 39.0 passing grade. At least he has one win this year, though it wasn't exactly thanks to his 176 passing yards, one touchdown and two interceptions against the Titans Week 1.

[Goldstar88]

The sample size is still small (2 games), but there are rankings and tiers out there now for QBs.  This one that I found on USA Today is more favorable on Drake Maye than most of the others, but they mostly seem to have Maye ranked in the 10-15 range, based on the two starts this season.  This one has him ranked 11th, just after Hurts and just before Kyler Murray.  I included Maye's draft classmates for some context.  Jaylen Daniels was not listed, maybe because he was injured.  JJ McCarthy was not listed either.

11. Drake Maye, New England Patriots
Maye is arguably off to the best start of any second-year quarterback in 2025. His 517 passing yards rank ninth in the NFL, his 71% completion rate ranks eighth and he has three touchdown passes with another on the ground. His one interception is a small blemish on an otherwise impressive stat line, and some of the excellent throws Maye has made on tape should make up for it.

13. Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta Falcons
Penix is arguably having the second-best year of all second-year quarterbacks, and like Maye, has a 1-1 record to show for it. The Falcons quarterback threw for nearly 300 yards in his 2025 season-opener against the Buccaneers, and he led what should have been a game-winning drive if not for a 44-yard field goal attempt sailing wide right. In Week 2, he played relatively mistake-free football ? read: no turnovers ? against a Brian Flores defense, which is an impressive feat in itself, and helped secure his team's first win of the year.

17. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears
Williams has looked better than his team's 0-2 record might make one believe. He's generally seemed more decisive and confident in making his reads in Year 1 with Ben Johnson, but his team's Week 1 collapse against Minnesota and Week 2 blowout at the hands of Detroit have overshadowed some of that. ESPN ranks Williams 16th in QBR (57.5) and PFF ranks him 14th with a 74.7 grade.

25. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos
PFF grades Nix as the worst quarterback in the NFL through two weeks with a 40.9 overall grade that includes an abysmal 39.0 passing grade. At least he has one win this year, though it wasn't exactly thanks to his 176 passing yards, one touchdown and two interceptions against the Titans Week 1.

Who were the opponents, though? Box Nix played well for an entire season last year, throwing for 3800 yards, 29TD?s with 12Int?s. He led the Broncos to the playoffs. Drake looked good against Miami, hopefully he can string together a few good games in a row.