New England Patriots linebacker Harold Landry III (2) heads to the locker room after the victory over the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025. Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Patriots Own Second Seed in AFC

Originally posted on New England Patriots on SI
By Tyler Geis | Last updated Oct 21, 2025 3:00 PM ET

Someone check the calendar; it feels like early 2005 all over again. Because if the season were to end today, the New England Patriots would be the second seed in the AFC playoff picture.

Yeah, you read that right.

The Patriots have now won four straight games ever since their Week 3 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. A game that saw Mike Vrabel's squad make a lot of costly mistakes throughout a game that many thought could've been winnable.

Since then, the Pats dominated the Carolina Panthers, upset the Buffalo Bills on Sunday Night Football, won big in the Superdome against the New Orleans Saints and aided in their coach's revenge over his old team, the Tennessee Titans.

With a 5-2 record, the Patriots are now one of the talks of the league. In terms of NFL rankings based on record, the Patriots would have the two seed in the AFC playoff picture if the playoffs started this coming weekend. Ahead of them is a familiar foe, the Indianapolis Colts, who currently have a 6-1 record and the first seed in the AFC.

I’m not sure if you’re aware of this, but the Patriots are currently the 2 seed in the AFC playoffs. pic.twitter.com/6Lh5uMpMkm
— Savage (@SavageSports_) October 19, 2025

This is all hypothetical, so to speak, as there is a lot of football left to play in the season. But if you take a look at the Patriots' remaining games and compare it to how they're currently playing, let's just say the chances are good that Pats fans will get their first home playoff game since January of 2020.

Things can obviously change as the season unfolds, but as it stands right now, the Patriots will play only three teams on their schedule that currently have winning records (Falcons, Buccaneers, and Bills for a second time). Outside of that, it's the Browns, the Giants, two games against the Jets, a rematch against the Dolphins at home, and the Bengals and the Ravens.

You can't help but ask yourself, can the Patriots really hold on tight and ride this out into the postseason?

There's always a high chance that a hot streak can end for a team, but for right now Drake Maye and company have momentum on their side. To even make Patriots fans more nostalgic, if all stays on pace for how it should, there could be a postseason battle between the Colts down the road.

Both teams have been the shocker of the 2025 regular season with just how well they've played. So yeah, it does feel like early 2005 all over again.

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

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