Patriots owner Robert Kraft knows the NFL season really begins after Thanksgiving.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft knows the NFL season really begins after Thanksgiving.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
Patriots owner Robert Kraft is undoubtedly excited for his 10-2 football team. After back-to-back 4-13 seasons and two coaching changes, the Patriots sit atop the AFC and are in contention for the conference’s top seed and first-round bye.
“I can’t tell you how much I’m enjoying this season,” Kraft said on Tuesday at an annual Thanksgiving event hosted by The Kraft Foundation and Goodwill. “It can’t get better than this. The expectations were so low. We had to make some hard decisions. Look, our family looks like we are custodians of a public asset. We are trying to manage it on that basis in putting fans first. Sometimes we make mistakes, but we want to win and know how important this team is to the whole community. That’s what drives us.”
The Patriots will practice Wednesday before having Thanksgiving off. They will then practice Friday and Saturday ahead of their “Monday Night Football” matchup against the Giants.
Although Kraft is optimistic after the team’s strong start, he knows the real tests are yet to come.
“We have the best record,” Kraft said. “I hope we have the best team. You know what we always say, ‘The real season starts after Thanksgiving.’”
The Patriots have a bye in Week 14 of the NFL season, then face the Bills, Ravens, Jets, and Dolphins to close out the regular season.
Nicole Yang can be reached at nicole.yang@globe.com. Follow her on X @nicolecyang.