The New England Patriots had a brilliant season, but it ended in crushing disappointment when they lost Super Bowl 60 to the Seattle Seahawks. Many observers believed the Patriots had a big loss coming to them in the title game since they had one of the easiest schedules in recent memory and were not “deserving” of a spot in the big game.
However, they did earn their way into the Super Bowl, having risen from a last-place team in 2024 to a 14-3 record and first place in the AFC East. They had a winning head coach-quarterback combination in Mike Vrabel and Drake Maye, and they had a big play defense that prevented opponents from stringing drives together and taking control of games that could easily have gotten away from them.
The Patriots took advantage of every positive break they received until the Super Bowl, but that doesn’t mean they will be in a similar position next year. They had a fourth-place schedule last season and they will have a 1st-place schedule next season. It will be much more difficult to negotiate those opponents than it was last season.
The Patriots offense has to do more next season
Maye and the Patriots will have to grow considerably next year. That is clearly the lesson of the Patriots’ 29-13 defeat in the Super Bowl. The Patriots could not negotiate Seattle’s defense through 3 quarters as they were shut out until the fourth quarter.
The strength of the Seahawks was their defense, but this was not the kind of defense that ranked with the game’s all-time great teams. Just two weeks prior to the Super Bowl, the Rams had pushed the Seahawks to the limit in the NFC Championship Game. Matthew Stafford and the Rams fell by a 31-27 margin and would have been in the Super Bowl in place of the Seahawks with a break or two.
Maye was good enough to put together an excellent statistical season. He completed 354 of 492 passes for 4,394 yards with a 31 to 8 touchdown to interception ratio. However, when he had to go up against the motivated Seahawks, he was unable to get untracked until the final 15 minutes. He was confused by the pass coverage and he was overwhelmed by the pass rush.
Additionally, his receivers may not have been good enough to play effectively against a talented and motivated opponent. The Patriots will have an opportunity to delve into the free-agent market to improve their receiving crew.
Mike Evans could provide an upgrade
One of the key receivers that the Patriots should pursue is Mike Evans of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The 32-year-old Evans has been one of the best and most consistent receivers in the league throughout his 12-year career. He was limited to 8 games last year with a fractured clavicle.
Evans could provide as significant upgrade at the wide receiver spot. He had 74 receptions for 1,004 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2024, and he has had at least 1,000 receiving yards in his first 11 seasons. He best year came in 2016 when he caught 96-1,321-12.
The point is that Evans has seen it all throughout his career and he will not be overwhelmed by a defense like the Seahawks.
Upgrading the pass rush would be significant
Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
The Patriots were dependent on their defense last season, and inside linebackers coach Zak Kuhr clearly had a cohesive unit that worked well for the majority of the seasons. Kuhr took over primary playcalling on defense after defensive coordinator Terrell Williams had to take a leave of absence due to health issues.
There are areas that the team could improve through free agency and the draft. The Patriots ranked 4th in points allowed per game at 18.8 and also did a solid job in yards allowed at 295.2. However, the Patriots were led by Harold Landry and K’Lavon Chaisson, who had 8.5 and 7.5 sacks, respectively. While those are decent totals, no other Patriots defensive player had more than 4.0 sacks.
One of the players who could fit right in and has plenty of room to improve is Denver Broncos defensive end John Franklin-Myers. He had 7.5 sacks in 16 games last season along with 25 tackles and 6 tackles for loss.
Franklin-Myers languished during the first 5 years of his career with the Los Angeles Rams (1 season) and New York Jets (4 seasons), but started to thrive during his last 2 seasons with the Broncos. He has had 14.5 sacks during the last two seasons, and the 29-year-old is clearly improving.
Help at OT is needed
The Patriots struggled at protecting Maye in the postseason. It wasn’t just left tackle Will Campbell who had problems. The rookie allowed 80 QB pressures in 13 regular season and 4 postseason games. That’s far too many, but he was playing with an MCL sprain.
The Patriots allowed sacks on 14.8 percent of their passing plays, and that’s a figure that usually does not correlate with teams that play postseason football.
Packers offensive tackle Rasheed Walker could be a solid target. He was solid for the Packers in 2023 and ’24, but there was a bit of a regression last year. However, bringing Walker into the fold means they could switch Campbell to left guard, a position he should be able to handle much more easily.
Teams are either improving or regressing in the NFL. The Patriots are coming off a sensational season, but they have to make moves or they will not be able to repeat their success in 2026.
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