The NFL released its schedule last week. Given that it’s still mid-May, this of course means that it’s the perfect time to try to predict the outcome of every [New England Patriots](https://www.patspulpit.com/) game this year.
Come along with us while we predict them side by side and see if you agree with one of us, both of us, or if you think we’re both crazy.
Week 1: Patriots vs. Raiders
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**Pat:** The Patriots open the season at home, and facing the Raiders early is going to benefit them. Las Vegas drafted Ashton Jeanty in the first round, and it usually takes a back at least a few weeks to get his feet under him. I think this gives the Patriots a slight advantage, and their defense should be able to slow down Jeanty and also control the Raiders’ receivers. It might not be the highest scoring game, but I see the home team starting out with a win. | _Prediction: Win (1-0)_
**Matt:** The Raiders are not a good football team, and I expect the Patriots to open 2025 with a victory. While the additions of Pete Carroll and Geno Smith at the two most important spots in the sport are upgrades for them, there just isn’t much else on this roster. Edge rusher Maxx Crosby will provide an early test for Will Campbell, but the Las Vegas defense behind him is a work in progress that Drake Maye should be able to beat when he has time. | _Prediction: Win (1-0)_
Week 2: Patriots at Dolphins
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**Pat:** The Patriots have almost always struggled against the Dolphins in Miami, even when they were one of the best teams in the league and winning championships. There’s no reason to think that things will change this season. The Dolphins might not be headed anywhere either, but they still have a ton of talent and the home field advantage for them early in the season is a real thing. Unfortunately, I expect the Patriots to lose this game. | _Prediction: Loss (1-1)_
**Matt:** The Patriots have just two wins in their last ten trips to Miami. While the Dolphins appear to be a franchise in decline, they tend to play their best early in the season when the whole team is healthy. Mike McDaniel’s motion-heavy offense gave New England’s backfield fits last season, so this will be an early test for the new-look unit. I think the Dolphins take this one. | _Prediction: Loss (1-1)_
Week 3: Patriots vs. Steelers
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**Pat:** The Steelers have a talented defense, that is for sure, and they also acquired DK Metcalf this offseason, What they don’t have, however, is a quarterback. It looks like Aaron Rodgers will end up as their QB when all is said and done and if that is indeed the case, I think that the Steelers can be competitive, at least at the beginning of the year. I do think that Rodgers is destined to destroy another franchise if he stays long enough, but the coaching of Mike Tomlin should keep the ship moving forward for at least the first half of the season. Catching them here instead of later could therefore ve a tough break for the Patriots. | _Prediction: Loss (1-2)_
**Matt:** I expect this to be a low-scoring, physical affair between two teams that want to win in the trenches. While the Patriots will certainly have an advantage at quarterback, Pittsburgh will have an edge on the line of scrimmage. Combine that with the experienced coaching of Mike Tomlin, and I think the Patriots will drop their second game of the season here. | _Prediction: Loss (1-2)_
Week 4: Patriots vs. Panthers
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**Pat:** The Patriots host the former No. 1 overall pick, Bryce Young, and the Panthers. Young looked like a bust early in his career, but came back and played extremely well at the end of last season, which has the future looking a little brighter for the Panthers. I don’t love Tetairoa McMillan, their first round pick, and they are going to need big contributions from him and last year’s first-round receiver, Xavier Legette, if they’re going to be competitive. I think that the Patriots should have their way with the Panthers defense, and that the defense can slow Carolina down enough that the Patriots should win this game pretty comfortably. | _Prediction: Win (2-2)_
**Matt:** Drake Maye should have plenty of time to sit in the pocket the shred a poor secondary in Week 4. Nothing about Carolina’s defense is particularly threatening, providing an opportunity for a real bounce-back performance after back-to-back losses. On the other side of the ball, Bryce Young has shown improvement but the rest of this unit is still a few years away for the Panthers. I expect the Patriots to take this one decisively. | _Prediction: Win (2-2)_
Week 5: Patriots at Bills
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**Pat:** This is not a tough one to predict. The Patriots aren’t there yet, and the Bills are still one of the best teams in the AFC. I do think that New England might be able to keep it close, and that this could be a chance for Drake Maye to show the world how good he is in a primetime setting. However excited I am about Maye and the offense, and that the defense might be a little better equipped to handle Josh Allen and the Bills, it’s hard to imagine that the Patriots win this game. I could see them scoring a late touchdown to make the final score look more respectable, but I don’t think the result of this game will ever truly be in doubt. | _Prediction: Loss (2-3)_
**Matt:** The Bills are a Super Bowl contender playing at home on primetime. I see a path for the Patriots making this ugly and closer than you would think on paper behind Mike Vrabel’s coaching, but this should be a victory for the Bills. | _Prediction: Loss (2-3)_
Week 6: Patriots at Saints
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**Pat:** It feels like the Saints have been in cap hell for a decade, and, somehow, they’re still there. They do have some talent, but their quarterback situation is nothing short of horrendous. Unless Tyler Slough somehow is a solid player, they are going to be below average on offense. This might be an ugly game given that New Orleans does have some talent on defense, but I’m going to trust the Patriots offense to score more points at the end of the day. | _Prediction: Win (3-3)_
**Matt:** The Saints have one of the worst quarterback situations in the league with horrendous cap management limiting their ability to build this roster. That said, the roster is surprisingly strong outside of the quarterback position, and they have a real home field advantage. Their defense is strong up the middle with veteran players who could make life difficult for New England’s offense. To me, this is a game where the Patriots have the better coach and quarterback, but the overall roster deficiencies are still a bit too much to overcome. | _Prediction: Loss (2-4)_
Week 7: Patriots at Titans
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**Pat:** Mike Vrabel going back to the place where he was fired with his new team feels like an automatic win. At the very least, you have to believe that the guys in the locker room are going to fight for their head coach, so everyone should be supremely motivated to win this one. The Titans will also have a rookie quarterback, albeit the No. 1 overall pick, and don’t have a lot of talent on the roster in general. This might not be a blowout, but the Patriots should be able to come away with the win. | _Prediction: Win (4-3)_
**Matt:** I don’t care who takes the field for the Patriots this Sunday; Mike Vrabel will have them motivated and ready to go against his former team. I expect the Patriots to come out fast and physical in this one, and that’s all it should take against a poor Titans roster. I look at this one as a confidence-building opportunity. | _Prediction: Win (3-4)_
Week 8: Patriots vs. Browns
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**Pat:** The Browns definitely have a solid defense, and Myles Garrett lining up against a rookie starting his eighth career game is a clear mismatch. With that being said, the Browns offense is a mess, even with them adding TreVeyon Henderson’s Ohio State running mate, Quinshon Judkins, in the second round of the draft. It might be a defensive battle, but I think the Patriots can pull out the victory. | _Prediction: Win (5-3)_
**Matt:** The prospect of Myles Garrett against Will Campbell terrifies me, and the Browns are just a year removed from having the top defense in the NFL. They also have the most tumultuous quarterback situation in the league by a wide margin, though. Like the game against New Orleans, the Patriots should have the better coach and quarterback here with a worse roster elsewhere. Unlike the Saints game, I think they overcome that at home and get a win. | _Prediction: Win (4-4)_
Week 9: Patriots vs. Falcons
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**Pat:** The Patriots face off against another young quarterback, but one that I actually believe in. The Falcons also spent not one, but two first-round picks to address what was an anemic pass rush a year ago. I actually think Atlanta is a little further along in its rebuild than the Patriots, and they pull this one out, ending the Patriots’ winning streak. | _Prediction: Loss (5-4)_
**Matt:** While New England’s offense may still have plenty of flaws, nothing about this Atlanta defense is built to expose them. The Falcons struggle to get after the passer, and Drake Maye should have plenty of time to dice up their secondary. Meanwhile, I expect the Patriots to rattle Michael Penix Jr. Christian Gonzalez against Drake London will be a fun matchup to watch when Atlanta has the ball, and I think Gonzalez will come out on top. The Patriots make it three wins in a row here. | _Prediction: Win (5-4)_
Week 10: Patriots at Buccaneers
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**Pat:** I believe that the Bucs are going to be the best team in the NFC South this year. Baker Mayfield has played exceptionally well since his arrival, and they brought back Mike Evans and Chris Godwin to support him. Add Bucky Irving at running back, and the offense should be solid again — and that’s before you include their first-round rookie, Emeka Egbuka as a WR3. The defense was solid last year, and it added Haason Reddick, plus two rookie cornerbacks. The Patriots might be able to compete in this game, but it shouldn’t be a matter of debate that the Bucs are better than them right now. | _Prediction: Loss (5-5)_
**Matt:** Playing at Raymond James Stadium for just the second time in franchise history, I think things go worse for the Patriots this time around. The Buccaneers are well poised to win the NFC South, and their roster is just better than New England’s all around. | _Prediction: Loss (5-5)_
Week 11: Patriots vs. Jets
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**Pat:** The Jets have a talented roster, and they seem to have started to make good decisions as well, like drafting two tackles in the last two first rounds. I think that the Patriots are on the way up, but the Jets are as well, even though I’m not sold on Justin Fields as a quarterback. That said, I do believe that the Patriots and Jets will almost certainly split their series this season. So the question is: which game will each team win? The Patriots have a road game before this short week, while the Jets have a home game, and it’s an awfully short trip to New England. Because of that, I think the likelihood is that that this is the one that the Jets win. | _Prediction: Loss (5-6)_
**Matt:** In New England’s first home primetime came since Week 2 of the 2023 season, I expect them to win a big division matchup. These two teams should be relatively evenly matched, and the game features former Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn in his new role as Jets head coach against his former defensive line coach Terrell Williams, now the defensive coordinator for the Patriots. In what should be a physical, low-scoring affair, give me Drake Maye in front of a rowdy crowd for a Patriots win. | _Prediction: Win (6-5)_
Week 12: Patriots at Bengals
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**Pat:** The Patriots have had success in the last few years against the Bengals, and I absolutely hate what they are doing this offseason by lowballing, and not trading, Trey Hendrickson. With that being said, I do think there is still a good amount of talent on this roster, and they almost always start the season off slow and then get hot as the year goes along. With the Patriots playing the Bengals in this spot, there is a much better chance that they come up short to lose four games in a row. | _Prediction: Loss (5-7)_
**Matt:** New England shocked everyone by upsetting Cincinnati in last year’s opener. That won’t be the case in 2025. The Bengals should be well past their usual early-season jitters by this point in the calendar, and Joe Burrow with his two star receivers may be too much for the Patriots to handle even with Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis in coverage. This one could set up as a fun quarterback duel between Burrow and Drake Maye, but I’m taking the home team. | _Prediction: Loss (6-6)_
Week 13: Patriots vs. Giants
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**Pat:** Some of the teams that the Patriots play this year will be better than expected, but the Giants are not one of them. Their roster is brutal, and I do not believe that Jaxson Dart is going to be ready to play well this season, which means they will be dealing with Russell Wilson at quarterback. Is it possible that he is decent for a bit this year? Yes, but by the time they come to New England at the beginning of December, the Giants will almost certainly be a dumpster fire on the verge of firing their coach (or having done so already). The Patriots finally end their losing streak, and they might be able to put a beating on the Giants on national television before their bye week. | _Prediction: Win (6-7)_
**Matt:** For the second time in two weeks, the Patriots host a team from New York under the lights. It will be the first Monday Night Football game at Gillette Stadium since the Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe debacle against the Bears in 2022. It will also give us an opportunity to see Abdul Carter against Will Campbell when the Patriots have the ball and Christian Gonzalez against Malik Nabers when the Giants have it. Regardless of how those matchups go, though, the Patriots have a much better roster and should take this one to go into the bye week above .500. | _Prediction: Win (7-6)_
Week 15: Patriots vs. Bills
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**Pat:** Once again, the Patriots face off against the Bills, who should easily be the best team in the AFC East. I do think that the Patriots will be better than their 6-7 record shows at the time of this game, but I still don’t see them winning. There is definitely a chance that the Patriots keep this close at home, but the Bills should come away victorious in this one on their way to another AFC East victory. | _Prediction: Loss (6-8)_
**Matt:** Coming out of the bye, the Patriots are tasked with playing the last two MVP winners back-to-back. I do not expect that to go well. This game at home could be a great opportunity to get into the playoff mix, but I just don’t see it happening. Buffalo is the better team with the better quarterback. | _Prediction: Loss (7-7)_
Week 16: Patriots at Ravens
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**Pat:** There is a good chance that the Ravens are the best team that the Patriots will play this season. They should be a Super Bowl contender, and, while the Patriots are a team that is improving, they don’t look ready to be able to compete with a team like the Ravens right now. New England will have lost six 6 of its last seven games at this point, but I do think that they will be playing better, and that fans are going to see a team that is improving, even if the results aren’t showing up on the field. | _Prediction: Loss (6-9)_
**Matt:** This might be the toughest game the Patriots play all year. Baltimore is a Super Bowl contender led by a two-time MVP winner that will be gearing up for a playoff run at this point. Maybe Mike Vrabel can muster some of the same magic he used to knock off the Ravens in Baltimore in the playoffs in 2019, but even that may not be enough in this one. | _Prediction: Loss (7-8)_
Week 17: Patriots at Jets
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**Pat:** As I had said when we discussed the previous Jets game, I think that the Jets and Patriots are going to split the two games that they play. Since I picked the Jets to win the first game, then I will obviously be picking the Patriots to win this one. By this point in the season, I think the two teams will be headed in different directions. Both of them winning the road game will be and interesting wrinkle in the rivalry. While the Patriots can’t finish the season over .500, they have a real chance to end the season on a high note. | _Prediction: Win (7-9)_
**Matt:** These two rosters are too close right now to not split the season series. I have each team taking the home game, but like Pat has it, it could go the other way. With defensive, culture-building coaches on both sidelines, this one will be an interesting look into the directions of each franchise late in the season in the cold weather. | _Prediction: Loss (7-9)_
Week 18: Patriots vs. Dolphins
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**Pat:** Tua Tagovailoa may be undefeated against the Patriots, but does anyone really believe that the Dolphins are going to come up to New England in the cold on the last game of the season and win? This is a team that tends to fall apart late every year, and looks to be on the decline as it is. When they play in the cold, they have played terrible, and this one should be no different. The Patriots finish their season with back-to-back wins, and all signs should be pointing up heading into 2026. | _Prediction: Win (8-9)_
**Matt:** The Miami Dolphins are not coming to Foxboro in the final week of the season, in the cold, and winning against Mike Vrabel. I just can’t see it. The Patriots take this one to end the season on a high note. | _Prediction: Win (8-9)_
In both projections, the Patriots are finishing below .500 for a fourth straight season. However, as opposed to the last three years, there is actual hope now — hope in the form of better all-around football, and a record that is a clear improvement from 2023 and 2024. It will not be enough to make the playoffs in this case, but it is a major step forward for a rebuilding franchise under a first-year head coach.
_How many games do you think the Patriots will be able to win in 2025? Please head down to the comments to share your predictions and thoughts._