Anyone else tired of all the talk about how easy the Patriots schedule was last year and this year is brutal?

[Rob0729]

Ok, the narrative about how easy the Patriots schedule was last year and the overrating of how hard the schedule this year is to push the narrative that the Pats will go from 14-3 and in the Super Bowl to possibly a losing record and out of the playoffs is a little out of control.

Yes, the schedule was easy last year and the pounded on a lot of easy teams. The Broncos schedule wasn't much harder last year and they had eight one score wins and have an infinitely tougher schedule this year. Yet no one is talking about their schedule or even how teams that win a lot of one score games one year historically have a huge downfall the next. The Bills had a very similar schedule last year and arguably have a harder schedule this year. Yet, I don't hear anything about their schedule either.

The Pats still beat the Texans and Chargers in the playoffs and both rather handily. And now many people have both those teams winning their divisions while having the Pats missing the playoffs. The Broncos game was too flukey to really speak to it.

The funny thing is if the Pats went 9-8 last year and barely missed the playoffs, I bet a lot of people who are writing them off as a team due for a massive decline would have them as this year's hot take choice to make the playoffs and possibly do a lot of damage in the playoffs. I think people are actually more down on them for being far more successful than expected.

As for this year's schedule, it is tough, but it isn't even in the top 5 toughest schedules according to preseason SoS. I think people are overrating some of the teams on the Patriots schedule too. Jacksonville had a good run in the second half of last year, but that was in part because of their cupcake schedule (Arizona, Titans twice, the depleted Colts twice, Jets). People just assume that the Chiefs are going to be good, but they weren't good last year even before Mahomes was injured. People expect Detroit to rebound, but that is in part of they have the easiest SoS right now. Pittsburgh is likely to decline.

 

[PatsFan2]

Ok, the narrative about how easy the Patriots schedule was last year and the overrating of how hard the schedule this year is to push the narrative that the Pats will go from 14-3 and in the Super Bowl to possibly a losing record and out of the playoffs is a little out of control.

Yes, the schedule was easy last year and the pounded on a lot of easy teams. The Broncos schedule wasn't much harder last year and they had eight one score wins and have an infinitely tougher schedule this year. Yet no one is talking about their schedule or even how teams that win a lot of one score games one year historically have a huge downfall the next. The Bills had a very similar schedule last year and arguably have a harder schedule this year. Yet, I don't hear anything about their schedule either.

The Pats still beat the Texans and Chargers in the playoffs and both rather handily. And now many people have both those teams winning their divisions while having the Pats missing the playoffs. The Broncos game was too flukey to really speak to it.

The funny thing is if the Pats went 9-8 last year and barely missed the playoffs, I bet a lot of people who are writing them off as a team due for a massive decline would have them as this year's dark horse choice to make the playoffs and possibly do a lot of damage in the playoffs. I think people are actually more down on them for being far more successful than expected.

As for this year's schedule, it is tough, but it isn't even in the top 5 toughest schedules according to preseason SoS. I think people are overrating some of the teams on the Patriots schedule too. Jacksonville had a good run in the second half of last year, but that was in part because of their cupcake schedule (Arizona, Titans twice, the depleted Colts twice, Jets). People just assume that the Chiefs are going to be good, but they weren't good last year even before Mahomes was injured. People expect Detroit to rebound, but that is in part of they have the easiest SoS right now. Pittsburgh is likely to decline.

The Pats Defense Beat those Teams: aided by horrific QB plays. The Offense and Maye Struggled throughout.

 

[Brady85-23]

We're on to Seattle

 

[Rob0729]

The Pats Defense Beat those Teams: aided by horrific QB plays. The Offense and Maye Struggled throughout.

Sure, but that was probably because Will Campbell was not in condition to be starting and Maye was under unusual pressure. And Maye's shoulder was probably already injured. Plus, Maye was actually very good in the second half of the Texans game. He just was bad in the first half.

And the Pats won. It doesn't matter how bad the offense played.

 

[AQPE]

It’s an “I told you so” setup, a “safe” one since no one being honest can really deny it. As I say so often here this is a game played by certain people who want to be viewed as having special insight trying to explain things they don’t understand.

 

[Bill Lee]

I agree. Regardless of the opponent, you still had to execute your own offense, defense and STs at a high level to go 14-3. The other team gets paid too. And you did it after going 4-13 the season before. A lot of positive things had to happen to turn that around.

 

[upstater1]

The truly weird thing is that they're discounting the Patriots for the weak schedule last year, but they're not coming at the Bills for the same exact thing. The difference between the Bills and Patriots schedule was only 3 games. The Patriots were 1-2 in those games. In fact, one could easily argue they'd have gone 2-1 if the schedules were flipped between the 2 teams since one of the teams the Bills played (but the Patriots didn't) was Houston, who the Patriots absolutely disassembled in the playoffs. But even if the Patriots had gone 0-3 instead of 2-1, they still win the AFCE. They'd have been 13-4 at that point!

 

[FreeTedWilliams]

They beat the #7,4, & 1 seeds in the playoffs!

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

The easy schedule is no lie, but that talk should have gone out the window the minute we beat up lac and Houston. other than Seattle what team looked better than us in last year’s playoffs where the stakes are highest and there are no easy schedules? Hard to find one.

Its hilarious what an incredible year both Drake and the patriots had last year yet people only want to look extra hard for the negative and ways to discredit them.

 

[Steve102]

 

[XLIX]

"Anyone else tired of all the talk about how easy the Patriots schedule was last year and this year is brutal?"

 

[sb1]

This year’s schedule is harder than 2025 but it isn’t that brutal.

The Jete and Phins absolutely suck and we get them 4x this year. Also get a weak division winner (Pitt) at home, Seahawks in week 1 which honestly is a perfect time to play them and two of the toughest games Denver and GB are at home. Chargers will be tough. KC in Arrowhead but if we beat Buffalo in Buffalo last year no reason to think that game is unwinnable either.

I see a lot of parallels to 2002. That schedule was a lot harder than this one imo. Though I expect a lot more from AJB than Donald Hayes lol

 

[Rob0729]

This year’s schedule is harder than 2025 but it isn’t that brutal.

The Jete and Phins absolutely suck and we get them 4x this year. Also get a weak division winner (Pitt) at home, Seahawks in week 1 which honestly is a perfect time to play them and two of the toughest games Denver and GB are at home. Chargers will be tough. KC in Arrowhead but if we beat Buffalo in Buffalo last year no reason to think that game is unwinnable either.

I see a lot of parallels to 2002. That schedule was a lot harder than this one imo. Though I expect a lot more from AJB than Donald Hayes lol

The difference between this year and 2002 is the Pats acquired a lot of older over-the-hill players in 2001 who played really well, but were really on their last legs. A lot of them just weren't the same in 2002.

I see a lot of similarities of the 2002 Patriots with last year's Commanders.