The New England Patriots do not have a very difficult schedule for the 2025 NFL regular season, and one of the primary reasons for that is the quality of quarterbacks they will face.
Quarterback depth charts can certainly change between now and Week 1 in September, but right now, it looks like the Patriots could play against two rookies (maybe three), one second-year player and several quarterbacks who weren't with their current team last season.
It's not all easy, though. The Patriots will play against some very good quarterbacks in 2025, including a couple former league MVP winners, but overall there are plenty of potential wins on New England's 17-game slate.
Here's our ranking of every opposing quarterback on the Patriots' 2025 schedule.
14. Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints
Matchup week, location: Week 6 at New Orleans
Following Derek Carr's recent retirement, rookie Tyler Shough is the likely favorite to start at quarterback for the Saints in Week 1. The Saints drafted Shough in the second round (No. 40 overall) of the 2025 draft. The 25-year-old signal caller threw for 3,195 yards with 23 touchdowns and six interceptions for Louisville last season.
Shough could be a quality starter, but the fact that he's a rookie makes the Saints a favorable matchup for the improved Patriots defense.
13. Mason Rudolph, Pittsburgh Steelers
Matchup week, location: Week 3 at New England
Will the Steelers pursue Aaron Rodgers? He would probably be a better option than Mason Rudolph, who sits atop Pittsburgh's quarterback depth chart right now.
Rudolph has made 18 starts since making his pro debut in 2019. He appeared in eight games (five starts) for the Titans last season and threw for 1,530 yards with nine touchdowns and nine interceptions.
12. Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns
Deshaun Watson
Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Watson has yet to play a full season for the Browns.
Matchup week, location: Week 8 at New England
Watson has played in just 19 games in three seasons since joining the Browns. Injuries limited him to seven games in 2024, and he threw for 1,148 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions in those matchups.
Will Watson be healthy enough to play a full season in 2025? We'll see. Cleveland also has veteran Joe Flacco, along with rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, on the depth chart.
11. Russell Wilson, New York Giants
Matchup week, location: Week 13 at New York
Wilson went 6-5 in 11 games for the Steelers last season, but his stats were actually pretty decent. He completed 63.7 percent of his passes for 2,482 yards with 16 touchdowns and five interceptions.
If Wilson doesn't play well early in the season, we could see rookie Jaxson Dart at some point. The Giants drafted Dart with the No. 25 pick in the first round last month.
10. Justin Fields, New York Jets
Matchup weeks, locations: Week 11 at New England, Week 17 at New York
The Jets signed Fields as a free agent back in March, and then they didn't draft a quarterback, so it looks like he'll have every opportunity to start Week 1 for New York.
Fields has not lived up to expectations since being drafted 11th overall by the Chicago Bears in 2021, but he did dominate the Patriots on "Monday Night Football" with the Bears during the 2022 campaign.
9. Cam Ward, Tennessee Titans
Cam Ward
Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
Cam Ward was the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Matchup week, location: Week 7 at Tennessee
The Titans made Ward the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft after a stellar season at the University of Miami. There will be growing pains for Ward, but he has all the physical tools to be successful.
8. Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers
Matchup week, location: Week 4 at Carolina
Young had an awful rookie season and didn't have a great start in 2024. But over the final eight games last season, he threw for 12 touchdowns with only three interceptions. He looked much more comfortable in the pocket. Young brings a lot of positive momentum into the 2025 season, and the Panthers made a strong effort to improve the talent level around him, highlighted by drafting Arizona wideout Tetairoa McMillan with the No. 8 overall pick.
7. Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta Falcons
Matchup week, location: Week 9 at New England
The Falcons surprisingly drafted Penix early in the first round last year, and he eventually took over for Kirk Cousins as Atlanta's starting quarterback late in his rookie season.
Penix wasn't very accurate throwing the ball, but he does have a strong arm and a high football IQ. He also has plenty of high-end talent around him, most notably running back Bijan Robinson and wide receiver Drake London.
6. Geno Smith, Las Vegas Raiders
Matchup week, location: Week 1 at New England
Smith revived his career and became a very good quarterback for the Seahawks over the last five seasons, and now he has a chance to help turn around the Raiders franchise, which has made only one playoff appearance (2021) since 2016.
Smith has thrown 71 touchdowns with 35 interceptions over the last three years. He's a massive upgrade over what the Raiders have had at quarterback recently.
Smith also has some weapons to work with on the Raiders, most notably tight end Brock Bowers and rookie running back Ashton Jeanty. Las Vegas could be a fun offensive team in 2025.
5. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
Matchup weeks, locations: Week 2 at Miami, Week 18 at New England
Tagovailoa is a very talented quarterback. When healthy, he's capable of playing like an MVP candidate. But staying on the field has proven challenging for Tagovailoa. He has suffered multiple concussions in his pro career, and he only played in 11 games last season. In fact, he's played a full 17-game campaign just once in five seasons with the Dolphins.
That said, he has caused the Patriots all sorts of problems. Tagovailoa is 7-0 against the Patriots in his career, and he's completing 69 percent of his passes for 1,616 yards with 11 touchdowns and four interceptions in those games.
4. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Baker Mayfield
Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
Baker Mayfield leads one of the NFL's best passing attacks.
Matchup week, location: Week 10 at Tampa Bay
Mayfield has become a top-tier quarterback since joining the Buccaneers. He set career highs with 407 completions, a 71.4 completion percentage, 4,500 passing yards and 41 touchdown passes last season. And he has no shortage of weapons in the Tampa Bay passing attack, highlighted by wide receivers Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Jalen McMillan and rookie first-round pick Emeka Egbuka.
This Buccaneers offense represents one of the toughest challenges for the Patriots defense next season.
3. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
Matchup week, location: Week 12 at Cincinnati
Burrow is an elite quarterback. He led the league in both passing yards (4,913) and passing touchdowns (49) last season. He also has the league's best wide receiver duo in Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
The Patriots actually did a great job slowing down this Bengals offense in a 16-10 win to begin the 2024 season. Can they do it again in 2025? It's going to be an even tougher challenge this time.
2. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
Matchup week, location: Week 16 at Baltimore
Jackson is a two-time league MVP and one of the best quarterbacks of his era. He can destroy defenses through the air and carve them up running the football. Jackson has a 2-1 record with seven touchdowns and two interceptions in three career starts versus the Patriots.
1. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Josh Allen
Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
Josh Allen has won five of his last six games vs. the Patriots.
Matchup weeks, locations: Week 5 at Buffalo, Week 15 at New England
Allen won his first league MVP last season. He threw for 3,731 yards with 28 passing touchdowns, along with 531 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns.
The Patriots did a pretty decent job against Allen in their Week 15 matchup last season. Allen completed 16 of 29 pass attempts for 154 yards with one touchdown and one interception in that game, which the Bills won 24-21.
Allen has won five of his last six games against the Patriots.