The 2026 New England Patriots season is just one week away.
Mike Vrabel’s group will kick off the new campaign next Wednesday night with a Super Bowl rematch in Seattle. The tough Week 1 matchup marks the beginning of what should be a much more difficult 17-game slate for the reigning AFC East champions.
Despite the challenging schedule, third-year quarterback Drake Maye and Co. enter 2026 with lofty expectations. Maye hopes to take another step forward after finishing 2025 as the NFL MVP runner-up. This year, he could put up even bigger numbers with star wide receiver A.J. Brown in the fold.
Will Maye stay in the MVP conversation? Will Brown regain his elite form in New England? We touch on those topics and more within our BOLD predictions below:
Patriots finish top 3 in rushing
The Pats placed sixth in total rushing yards (2,191) last year. Ahead of them were the Buffalo Bills (2,714), Baltimore Ravens (2,662), Chicago Bears (2,456), Washington Commanders (2,290), and New York Giants (2,195).
If Rhamondre Stevenson picks up where he left off, and TreVeyon Henderson builds off his encouraging rookie year, New England’s rushing attack should have no problem moving into the top three in 2026. Stevenson looked explosive at the end of last season and, by all accounts, starred throughout Patriots training camp. Henderson totaled 911 yards on 180 carries (5.1 YPC) while tallying nine touchdown runs (four of more than 50 yards).
The additions of wideouts Brown and Romeo Doubs should help open up the run game for New England in 2026. Maye, too, will contribute in the rushing department after notching 450 yards on the ground last season.
No Patriots defender earns more than five sacks
If there’s one glaring weakness on this Patriots roster, it’s the pass rush. They’re set to enter the 2026 season with free-agent addition Dre’Mont Jones, second-year linebacker Elijah Ponder, second-round rookie Gabe Jacas, and rookie seventh-rounder Quintayvious Hutchins on the edge. Veteran linebacker Harold Landry will begin the campaign on the PUP list.
In 2025, Landry (8.5) and K’Lavon Chaisson (7.5) were the only Patriots defenders with more than five sacks. Chaisson left for the Commanders in free agency.
Ponder fell just short of that benchmark with four sacks. He and Jones (seven sacks in 18 games between Baltimore and Tennessee) have the best chance of ruining this “bold” prediction.
New England ranked 26th in the NFL with 35 total sacks last season. That number could be even lower in 2026.
A.J. Brown leads NFL WRs in touchdown receptions
There’s no question Brown will be the focal point of the Patriots offense as Maye’s favorite target in 2026. Assuming he stays healthy, the three-time Pro Bowler should feast in Josh McDaniels’ system, especially in the red zone.
Brown has finished with exactly seven touchdown receptions in each of his last three seasons. His career-high is 11 TDs in 2020 (14 games with Tennessee) and 2022 (17 games with Philadelphia).
Los Angeles Rams star DaVante Adams led all WRs with 14 touchdown catches in 2025. Tee Higgins (Cincinnati Bengals) and Amon-Ra St. Brown (Detroit Lions) tied for second with 11.
If Brown is the true No. 1 wideout we expect him to be in New England, it isn’t hard to imagine him setting a new career-high in TDs. If he accomplishes that feat, he’ll be in the mix for the league lead in TD catches among WRs.
Patriots go undefeated against AFC East opponents
The Patriots regained the top spot in the AFC East last season while posting a 5-1 record against their divisional foes. Their one loss was a 35-31 defeat at home vs. Buffalo in Week 15.
Obviously, beating the Bills twice will remain a real challenge, but this Pats team should have no problem going 4-0 again vs. the lowly Miami Dolphins and New York Jets.
This year, New England will continue to assert its divisional dominance with a perfect 6-0 record against its AFC East opponents. If this prediction comes to fruition, it’d be the first time the Pats have gone undefeated against the Bills, Dolphins, and Jets in a season since 2012.
Drake Maye wins NFL MVP
Maybe this one isn’t that bold since Maye finished second in last year’s MVP race, and he’s currently tied for the fourth-best betting odds behind only Bills QB Josh Allen, Ravens QB Lamar Jackson, and Bengals QB Joe Burrow.
Some might expect Maye to regress with a much tougher schedule in Year 3. But with new weapons at his disposal in Brown and Doubs, plus his usual rushing ability, it’s easy to see Maye getting back in the MVP conversation. Especially if he and the Patriots overcome one of the most grueling schedules in football and cruise into a playoff spot.
