The New England Patriots have won eight games in the last two seasons, combining for a 16-35 record during their three-year playoff drought. Now entering the Mike Vrabel and Drake Maye era, the Patriots schedule in 2025 sets up for more favorable results.
Let’s dive into our Patriots schedule predictions, providing game-by-game pick for the season.
Week 1 vs Las Vegas Raiders: Win (1-0)
The Patriots won their season opener in 2024 but then lost six consecutive games. So maybe defeating the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 1 isn’t a good omen. However, the highlight-reel plays from quarterback Drake Maye and the turnovers generated by Mike Vrabel’s defense will make this season-opening win feel a lot different than last year’s.
- Predictions: New England Patriots 23, Las Vegas Raiders 20
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Week 2 @ Miami Dolphins: Loss (1-1)
The Miami Dolphins have one of the best home-field advantages in the NFL early in the season. Traveling to Miami in early September is brutal, which puts this Patriots team in a very uncomfortable spot on the road. It’s going to take a toll on both sides of the ball, proving costly in New England’s first loss of the season.
- Prediction: Miami Dolphins 24, New England Patriots 21
Week 3 vs Pittsburgh Steelers: Loss (1-2)
New England is going to surprise people in 2025, but they won’t be Pittsburgh Steelers good this early in the season. What will really be the undoing for Maye and the Patriots’ offense is how easily Pittsburgh’s front seven gets home. It’ll keep the second-year quarterback out of rhythm for most of the game, leading to the Patriots’ second consecutive loss.
- Prediction: Pittsburgh Steelers 24, New England Patriots 17
Week 4 vs Carolina Panthers: Win (2-2)
The Patriots didn’t win their second game of the season last year until Oct. 27. In 2025, New England will celebrate its second victory on Sept. 28. While Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young will make some nice plays from a clean pocket, the inability of the receiving corps to separate from the Patriots’ secondary will prevent Carolina from rallying late. On the other side of the field, Maye delivers three total touchdowns for New England.
- Prediction: New England Patriots 27, Carolina Panthers 21
Week 5 @ Buffalo Bills: Loss (2-3)
We think the Patriots versus Buffalo Bills games will be a lot closer than anticipated this fall. What hurts Maye and Co. in this matchup is having to travel to Buffalo and face a hostile crowd. That’ll be a big problem for the Patriots’ offensive line, causing miscommunications and false starts that get in the way of this team pulling off an upset. At the very least, this game will start to show Vrabel’s defense really rounding into top form.
- Prediction: Buffalo Bills 24, New England Patriots 20
Week 6 @ New Orleans Saints: Win (3-3)
The Patriots’ schedule is very favorable this season, potentially giving them a chance at a winning record. New England’s defense should be able to tee off on the New Orleans Saints offense in this Week 6 matchup. Maye will deliver a pair of touchdowns, but it will be the sacks and takeaways generated by this defense that put New England on a path for its first winning streak since the 2022 season.
- Predictions: New England Patriots 28, New Orleans Saints 17
Week 7 @ Tennessee Titans: Win (4-3)
Momentum is building in Foxborough. Maye is turning flashes of excellence into week-to-week consistency, even delivering on the road. He keeps that momentum going for the Patriots in this Week 7 draw, and another defensive clinic by New England pushes them to a third consecutive victory. It’ll be the team’s first win streak since 2022.
- Prediction: New England Patriots 31, Tennessee Titans 21
Week 8 vs Cleveland Browns: Win (5-3)
Facing three of the worst teams in football can really help New England rack up wins. We fully expect the Cleveland Browns defense to cause a lot of problems for Maye. That’s why New England was so aggressive this offseason in upgrading its defense. It will be a defense-driven victory, with three-plus sacks and two interceptions helping New England hold the Browns under 10 points. It will mark the Patriots’ first three-game win streak since the 2021 season.
- Prediction: New England Patriots 17, Cleveland Browns 7
Week 9 vs Atlanta Falcons: Win (6-3)
Make it four in a row for the Patriots. The defense will falter in this one, really having no answer for Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson. It’s going to keep the game tight, but an inconsistent Falcons’ pass rush disappears in the fourth quarter, allowing Maye to deliver a fourth-quarter comeback for the victory.
- Prediction: New England Patriots 27, Atlanta Falcons 24
Week 10 @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Loss (6-4)
Thus ends the Patriots’ four-game winning streak. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a dark-horse Super Bowl contender in 2025. Tampa Bay’s offense is one of the few with a receiving corps that can best the Patriots’ secondary. More decisively, the Buccaneers’ offensive line provides Baker Mayfield with the clean pocket he needs to beat the Patriots relatively easily.
- Prediction: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31, New England Patriots 20
Week 11 vs New York Jets: Win (7-4)
This is going to be the year when the Patriots’ franchise really starts coming together. By this point in the season, New England should have one of the league’s best defenses—a great asset in support of a young quarterback. While the scoreboard won’t fully reflect it, this will be one of the team’s most well-rounded performances of the season.
- Prediction: New England Patriots 21, New York Jets 17
Week 12 @ Cincinnati Bengals: Loss (7-5)
New England simply won’t have the firepower to keep pace with the Cincinnati Bengals. Joe Burrow just needs one of Tee Higgins or Ja’Marr Chase to win their matchups, and the Bengals’ offense will rack up explosive plays. Maye will put on some highlight plays of his own, but he doesn’t have the weapons or offensive line to go score-for-score with Burrow.
- Prediction: Cincinnati Bengals 31, New England Patriots 24
Week 13 vs New York Giants: Win (8-5)
In Week 13, New England will match its win total from the previous two seasons combined. The New York Giants front seven is going to be a problem all day for this Patriots’ front, but there’s an even bigger advantage on the other side of the ball. It’s going to be a low-scoring game, but fans at Gillette Stadium get to see the Patriots double their win total from last year.
- Prediction: New England Patriots 17, New York Giants 13
Week 15 vs Buffalo Bills: Loss (8-6)
This is where the Patriots’ schedule gets a lot tougher. After facing quite a few bottom-five teams in the early months, New England draws the Bills and the Baltimore Ravens in consecutive weeks. It’s going to be an ugly showing, with the Patriots’ offense failing to get much going while Josh Allen and James Cook put the game away in the third quarter.
- Prediction: Buffalo Bills 27, New England Patriots 13
Week 16 @ Baltimore Ravens: Loss (8-7)
Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry will prove to be far too much for the Patriots’ defense, which will already be on a downturn after facing the Bengals and Bills in close succession. It also won’t help New England that its receiving corps will be blanketed by the Ravens’ secondary, resulting in consecutive blowout defeats.
- Prediction: Baltimore Ravens 30, New England Patriots 13
Week 17 @ New York Jets: Loss (8-8)
The Patriots’ playoff hopes will be extinguished in Week 17, which still makes this season a huge success. New England’s momentum has vanished at this point of the year and the Jets are going to take full advantage of an opportunity to prevent their rival from making the playoffs.
- Prediction: New York Jets 20, New England Patriots 17
Week 18 vs Miami Dolphins: Win (9-8)
A winning season for the Patriots. It’ll be their first since the 2021 campaign, though without a playoff appearance. Hosting the Dolphins in frigid January temperatures, the Patriots’ defense and run game will control this one from the opening kickoff. New England secures a 9-8 record, and a win to end the year provides something to build on heading into the 2026 NFL offseason.
- Prediction: New England Patriots 20, Miami Dolphins 13
