By Dominik Zawartko

Copyright clutchpoints

The New England Patriots ended Week 4 of the NFL season with the highest scoring total (42) and the greatest margin of victory (29) through Sunday’s games. While they hosted the 1-2 Carolina Panthers, the Patriots were looking to bounce back from a tough Week 3 loss that saw multiple parties to blame with five total turnovers during the game. However, following their latest dominant performance, fans are buzzing that their New England Patriots could once again become playoff contender in the AFC.
The Patriots are currently 2-2 and second in the AFC East behind the 4-0 Buffalo Bills. With Josh Allen and the Bills on their official revenge tour from last season, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where things flip and the Patriots end up winning their division. A quarter into the season, the Patriots currently sit eighth in the overall conference standings, tied with Kansas City as the only two 2-2 teams in the AFC.
While the standings will change constantly throughout the season, the Patriots make a solid case for being one of the top seven teams by year’s end if they’re able to ride the momentum of last week’s win.
New England Patriots’ backfield
© Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images
Between quarterback Drake Maye, running backs Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson, and center Garrett Bradbury, the New England Patriots backfield has combined for six total fumbles through the first four weeks of the season, tying them for most in the NFL. While it’s hard to win games with consistent turnovers, the Patriots have managed a 2-2 record and looked their best most recently against the Panthers.
Rookie ball carrier TreVeyon Henderson has been a bright spot in this offense in terms of ball security and he’s showing his worth as a complementary back to Stevenson. Rhamondre Stevenson shook off his previous mistakes and led a solid effort with 38 yards and a long 22-yard burst that gave the Patriots momentum during the game.
The backfield, however, is commanded by quarterback Drake Maye who, through his first four games, ranks sixth in the NFL in passing yards (988) and eighth in touchdowns (7). Maye has also seen massive upside as a rusher, scoring a touchdown on the ground in two of his first four games. Combine this with slinging the ball around 40 times a game and the New England Patriots have the potential to hang lopsided totals on most teams.
Mike Vrabel’s return to New England
Mike Vrabel built a Hall-of-Fame career as a player for the New England Patriots, winning three Super Bowl rings and earning Pro-Bowl and All-Pro honors. He has first-hand experience with the culture of the organization and is able to instill his own mentality within the locker room. Known widely around the league as a true “player’s coach,” Vrabel has all the ability to lead the Patriots to their first AFC playoff since 2021.
Vrabel collected a positive 54-45 regular season record in six years as the head coach of the Tennessee Titans. His biggest accomplishments were winning the AFC South and leading the Titans to the AFC Championship Game in 2019-20. The following year, Vrabel won 2021 NFL’s Coach of the Year. There’s no question that he’s been in this position before and he arguably has a more versatile team at his disposal this time around.
Of course, the growing pains of a new playbook and a second-year quarterback will catch up to the Patriots eventually, like in Week 3 against the Steelers, but their Week 4 bounce back is clear proof that Vrabel can coach this team out of their mistakes. With such a young core to work with, it seems as though this team has been extremely responsive in banding together around their head coach.
Can the Patriots make the playoffs?
It would be hard to predict the future by any means, but the New England Patriots have the Saints (0-4), Titans (0-4), Browns (1-3), and the Falcons (2-2) coming up within their next five games. In the back half of the season, the Patriots will face the Jets (x2), Bengals, Giants, and Dolphins, all making for very winnable or competitive games. If the Patriots manage to play like they did in Weeks 2 and 4, they have a very solid chance to end with a sizable winning record.
From there, they’re likely to be competing with the Broncos, Chiefs, and Ravens hovering around the Wild Card spot in the current standings. Things will vastly change up until that point, but the way the 2025 New England Patriots are built behind the leadership of Drake Maye and Mike Vrabel, the young team should have a chance to contend for the AFC Playoffs during the new year.