Although the Patriots are going into the 2025 season with a lot more reasons for optimism than they have had in at least five years, they will still hope for any slight misstep from their opponents, especially in the division, to give them a leg up week to week. Given that some analysts believe they could make the playoffs as a wildcard team, that will be even more crucial to ensure that it can be accomplished.
Looking at the AFC East, it's easy to predict what each team could run into to make their upcoming season a bit more difficult, even the reigning divisional champions in the Bills.
Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report believes their fate will come down to their defense, especially since they appear to be relying heavily on Joey Bosa to lead their pass rush, which seems like a disaster. But the Jets' fate might be even better for the Patriots' chances than their offensive line dominating Buffalo's defenders.
Knox questions the immediate future of two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Sauce Gardner, as he's coming off a mostly underwhelming 2024 campaign with a lot of pressure on his back to deliver another high-caliber season. If he can become a non-factor for the Patriots in their matchups, then there's reason to believe Drake Maye will have some really impressive games this fall against an already questionable team.
Sauce Gardner will need to disprove analyst's concerns about his upcoming season
In a detailed article about each team's biggest bust for the 2025 season, Knox cites Gardner as the Jets' player to be most concerned about. While that might seem outlandish given his career up to this point, a 2024 season falling short of another Pro Bowl is what leads to his worries, which could ultimately benefit the Patriots in their two matchups.
"The problem is that Gardner may struggle to meet the hype in 2025. The two-time first-team All-Pro is undoubtedly talented but more good than great last season—Pro Football Focus ranked him 46th overall among cornerbacks.
Another good-not-great season will have Gardner viewed as a bust, if, as many might expect, he becomes the league's highest-paid cornerback at some point in 2025."
If Gardner contionues playing as he did last season, it wouldn't be unfair to suggest he's not the star many thought he was. He seemed to have proved he was among the best in the league at the position in his first two seasons, but that wasn't the case last year. Putting together another forgettable season this fall, like Knox says, would show the Jets have Jetted again, handing the Patriots another big win.
He is widely considered one of the best cornerbacks in the division, as well, besides Christian Gonzalez, so if he becomes a non-issue in the Patriots matchups, Maye should have a field day with his receivers.
It'll be interesting to see if Knox's prediction comes true, especially since his choice for the Patriots' bust, Harold Landry III, doesn't seem that plausible. There's plenty of reason to believe the same can be said about Gardner, but we'll have to just wait and see.
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