Watching the New England Patriots in 2025 is a bit of an emotional rollercoaster.
One minute, you are celebrating an incredible downfield throw from Drake Maye. Next, you find yourself groaning after another fumble by Rhamondre Stevenson or a holding call against an offensive lineman. Gut-wrenching mistakes are seemingly inevitable with this young roster, but somehow the Patriots find a way to be in each game to the very end.
No game illustrates the team’s chaotic nature more than the Sunday Night Football matchup Oct. 5 against the Buffalo Bills, which resulted in a statement 23-20 win for the Patriots over one of the AFC’s top contenders.
It was a messy performance that featured a number of mistakes — a first-quarter fumble by Stevenson, eight penalties against and costly miscommunications on defense — highlighting the Patriots’ inexperience and lack of discipline. In spite of all the miscues, they found themselves tied 20-20 within the final two minutes of the game and executed a brilliant drive to set up kicker Andy Borregales’ 52-yard game-winning field goal.
In previous seasons, an erratic performance like this from the Patriots would’ve all but guaranteed a loss. Fans have grown accustomed to the team’s erratic nature over the past few seasons. Recent rosters were defined by a mix of incompetence and a glaring lack of talent, dragging the franchise into irrelevance. But for the first time in a while, the team is actually fun to watch and winning games.
Maye has played like one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks to start the season, looking every bit like the franchise quarterback New England envisioned him to be after drafting him in the first round last year. Stefon Diggs, now fully recovered from the knee injury that sidelined him for most of 2024, turned back the clock against Buffalo with ten catches for 146 yards, looking every bit like his All-Pro self. Add in a reimagined defense that plays an exciting, aggressive style of football built to force turnovers, and suddenly, this entire Patriots team feels electric.
It cannot be ignored that the team is full of young, raw talent prone to making mistakes. While the win over the Bills showcased all the promise and potential of the 2025 Patriots, it’s also the same group that lost to the lowly Raiders, 20-13, Sept. 7 and fell to the Steelers after committing five turnovers in a 21-14 defeat Sept. 21. Both games were one-score losses that came down to the wire, and in each, the Patriots showed fight until the very end.
Win or lose, the Patriots are no longer a dull, hopeless team. There is a level of volatility that keeps fans uneasy, but that unpredictability is fun and makes every game worthwhile.
There is a lot of room for improvement for this Patriots team. Their hectic nature is not an ideal formula for sustained success, but it is important to recognize that this is all part of the rebuilding process. The team’s capacity to overcome its self-inflicted wounds and play competitive football is a testament to the culture head coach Mike Vrabel is establishing in his first year in New England.
For now, I am willing to live with the chaos. While my blood pressure may suffer every Sunday, I am just grateful to have a reason to be excited about Patriots football once again.
This article appeared in Vol. LX, Issue V, published Oct. 27, 2025.
