Jun 9, 2025; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) looks to pass the ball during minicamp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Analyst Confident About Patriots' Playoff Chances

Originally posted on New England Patriots on SI
By Jared Koch | Last updated Jun 21, 2025 9:00 AM ET

Could the New England Patriots have the pieces in place this season to finally make their first playoff appearance since 2021?

In the eyes of Bleacher Report's Brad Gagnon, there could be a major reason to "buy" the Patriots' postseason chances this coming season, effectively ending a three-year drought of not making it to the dance.

For Gagnon, the optimism on the Patriots' playoff chances revolves around one critical factor: their drastic offseason improvements.

"They’ve made significant, proactive changes to further support rising quarterback Drake Maye on both sides of the ball and could very well be one of the most improved teams in the NFL," Gagnon wrote.

Not only on the offensive side, but defensively, this New England roster has been vastly improved from their four-win showing in 2024, and even enacted some major tweaks on the sidelines to give this coaching staff a much-needed facelift from the prior campaign.

And with such a major turnover taking place on the Patriots' unit, both with new young talent and strong veteran additions, that might be just enough to push New England over the hump and reach those playoff aspirations, even in a tough AFC.

A lot of responsibility does inevitably lie on Drake Maye's shoulders as he comes off an impressive rookie season in wake of the Patriots' disfunction, and with a heavily adjusted and upgraded roster, you'd assume the second-year quarterback would be in line to see some positive progression as well.

If that does end up transpiring and leads to this Patriots roster being a two-way force in the first year under Mike Vrabel, then it's easy to see this group's path to a playoff nod come their way.

It's far from a sure-fire bet, but there's undoubtedly a lot to like about this Patriots roster's ability to stay relatively competitive in 2025.

This article first appeared on New England Patriots on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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