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In one of many greatest early surprises of the 2025 NFL season, the New England Patriots sit atop the AFC East after six weeks. New England is in first place in its division for the primary time since 2019, the final time the franchise captured an AFC East crown.
The Patriots leapfrogged the five-time defending division champion Payments for the highest spot within the division following Buffalo’s 24-14 loss to the Falcons on Monday night time. Whereas each groups have 4-2 data, New England has the tiebreaker over Buffalo by advantage of its 23-20 win over the Payments in Week 5.
Whereas it is new floor for these Patriots, New England owned the AFC East from 2001-19. Over that span, the Patriots gained 17 division titles en path to capturing six Tremendous Bowls and 9 AFC championships.
Since 2019, nonetheless, the Patriots have been supplanted by the Payments because the beasts of the East. However whereas Buffalo has dominated the East, it hasn’t parlayed that dominance into a visit to the Tremendous Bowl. The Payments, regardless of all of their success in the course of the Josh Allen-Sean McDermott period, are nonetheless in pursuit of their first Tremendous Bowl berth since 1993, when the franchise misplaced within the huge sport for a fourth straight 12 months.
New England has been one of many greatest shock tales in the course of the first half of the 2025 common season. After a 1-2 begin, the Patriots have gained three straight video games that features their highly-emotional win at Buffalo. The Patriots adopted that efficiency up with a gritty, 25-19 win over the Saints in New Orleans final Sunday.
Based mostly on their remaining schedule, the Patriots ought to stay within the thick of issues so far as competing for a playoff spot in addition to the AFC East title. Eight of New England’s ultimate 11 video games are towards groups that at present have a shedding report. The Patriots have two upcoming video games towards the winless Jets and two different video games towards groups (the Titans this week and the Ravens in Week 16) that at present have one win apiece.
The Patriots’ success has been the byproduct of an environment friendly passing assault and a protection that’s at present seventh within the NFL in fewest factors allowed. In a number of methods, the Patriots’ present system for achievement is just like the one they parlayed into the franchise’s first Tremendous Bowl win 24 years in the past.
Like that workforce, the Patriots have a second-year quarterback on the helm in Drake Maye. Like Tom Brady again then, Maye is making the mandatory huge performs whereas largely caring for the soccer and never placing his protection in too many unhealthy spots.
It has been a full workforce effort on protection, which once more harkens again to how the Patriots gained the 2001 Tremendous Bowl. The unit, which has been one of many NFL’s finest towards the run, got here up with a season-high three turnovers that proved to be an enormous distinction of their upset win in Buffalo.
A direct connection to that 2001 squad is Mike Vrabel, the Patriots’ first-year coach who starred at linebacker for New England throughout their first three Tremendous Bowl wins. Whereas it is nonetheless early, Vrabel must be thought-about as a early front-runner for NFL Coach of the 12 months, an award he gained again in 2021 whereas teaching the Titans.
Talking of the Titans, Vrabel will make his return to Nashville on Sunday when the Patriots face a Titans workforce that fired their coach, Brian Callahan, on Monday.
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