The Patriots came up short in the Super Bowl, and got manhandled by the Seahawks; that game has already been nitpicked to death, with the typical overreactions we’ve all come to know. It was a disappointing end to a fantastic season, one which even the most fanatical of fans couldn’t have realistically seen coming. The team has overachieved in Year 1 of the Vrabel rebuild. However, if they wish to return to the Super Bowl next year, they have some areas that need to be addressed/upgraded. We’ll be getting to those in short order here at Patsfans.com. Because they made it to the Super Bowl, they are behind in prep for the NFL Combine, which starts a week from Monday. Then the franchise tag window is on March 3, the free agency legal tampering window begins March 9, and free agency kicks off in one month on March 11. The NFL Draft takes place on April 23 -25. But first, we’re going to look back at the 2025 season as a whole, by position, as we do every week, and give a season grade for each.As we always do, let’s break it down by positionQuarterback: A-Drake Maye had a great Year 2 leap. Many questioned whether that was going to happen after a slow start on Day 1 of training camp. Despite learning a new offense, with four new starters on the offensive line, new receivers, that dreaded negativity was there…remember? But after a few weeks, the offense (and Maye) began to click. The Week 5 game in Buffalo turned a lot of heads, and from there, he put together a helluva season. Completing 354 of 492 passes, a league high 72.0 completion percentage, 4,394 yards, with 31 touchdown passes, 8 Interceptions, and league highs in yards per attempt 8.9, and passer rating 113.2. He finished second in MVP voting by one vote to Matthew Stafford, thanks to Sam Monson’s one vote for Justin Herbert. He added 103 rushing attempts for 450 yards with four touchdowns. It was an incredible year. However, he struggled for most of the playoffs, although he was the only QB all season to throw for three TD passes against the Houston Texans. He passed and ran for a combined 1,006 yards in the playoffs with six TDs and four interceptions passing, with a rushing touchdown.He’ll have to live with the criticism of his playoff struggles until the next time he starts a playoff game…the nature of the beast, especially in Boston.Josh Dobbs did what good backups do: they are there to support the starter. He wasn’t needed much this year, just to mop up at the end of wins, which he did. Tommy DeVito didn’t see the field, but is a fan favorite anyway. Running Backs: BRhamondre Stevenson entered the season and began it under a cloud of fumbling issues. But after the Steelers game, where he fumbled at the goalline, Mike Vrabel gave him a vote of confidence, and he was fine after that. Stevenson missed some time with injuries but finished with 130 carries for 603 yards for a 4.6-yard average with seven touchdowns. He added 32 catches for 345 yards and two scores. Rookie TreVeyon Henderson shone this season. Normally, the Patriots give their RBs kind of a red-shirt rookie season, but after Antonio Gibson went down in Week 5, he began to show his impressive burst. Henderson rushed for 911 yards on 180 carries, a 5.1-yard average with nine rushing TDs. He added 35 catches for 221 yards and a score receiving. Gibson had that big return for a TD in Miami in Week 2 and was missed at times during the season after he tore an ACL. It remains to be seen if he’s back. Terrell Jennings and D’Ernest Johnson had cameos offensively but not much more. But each played STs and returned kickoffs.While Stevenson had an excellent playoff run with 217 yards rushing and 126 more with a TD receiving, Henderson struggled with just 76 yards rushing and 33 receiving in four games. Wide Receivers: B-Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins were brought in during free agency, and Kyle Williams via the draft. Efton Chism was undrafted. Demario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte returned from last year. No one was even sure if Diggs would be able to start the season after tearing an ACL the previous October while with Houston. The Patriots were considered to have one of, if not the worst, skill-position teams in the league.Considering that, they had a very good year. Diggs had 85 catches for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns. Hollins was third on the team with 46 catches, 550 yards, and two scores. He was a tremendous addition in the running game as a blocker.Boutte turned into a legitimate big-play threat with 33 catches for 551 yards (16.7-yard average) and six touchdowns. Pop Douglas had 31 catches, 447 yards (14.4-yard average), and three touchdowns. Kyle Williams had a tough time catching on to the offense and had just 10 catches for 209 yards and three scores. Overall, the receivers struggled in the playoffs, although Hollins led both teams in yardage during the Super Bowl. Williams has a long way to go, and it wouldn’t be surprising if the team tries to find a top WR either in free agency or the draft. Tight Ends: B-Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper were very good this season. Henry had 60 catches for 768 yards and a team-leading seven touchdowns. But he didn’t look the same down the stretch and into the playoffs. He may have been dealing with an injury, but at 31, he’s not getting younger. Hooper had 21 catches for 263 yards and two scores. Jack Westover was used a fullback/lead blocker. Offensive Line: C+The offensive line had four new starters this season; only Mike Onwenu returned at right guard from last year’s team. Considering where they were in 2024, this season was a marked improvement. The Patriots were the first team to start two rookies (Will Campbell and Jared Wilson) on the offensive line and go to a Super Bowl. And they played next to each other. Campbell was having a very good rookie season until tearing an MCL and missing the final four weeks of the season. Jared Wilson at LG was up and down. Garrett Bradbury had a good season at center after being released by the Vikings. The right side of the offensive line, with Mike Onwenu and Morgan Moses, was solid all season. Moses, the elder statesman at 34, took on a mentoring role with the younger players. While they gave up a lot of sacks during the regular season (48), they were the #2 team in points and #3 in yards. The playoffs were a continuous struggle, especially for the rookies. Campbell didn’t look the same after returning from an injury, Wilson struggled, and collectively, the unit was overwhelmed by Seattle in the Super Bowl. The team allowed a whopping 21 sacks in four playoff games.Defensive Line: A-The defensive line, when it was healthy, was incredible this year. Christian Barmore, Milton Williams, and Khyiris Tonga had an incredible year of penetrating and being disruptive against opponents. Harold Landry and K’Lavon Chaisson did a good job of getting after the QB with 8.5 and 7.5 sacks, respectively. Landry was bothered by a knee injury for much of the second half of the season, and it hurt his productivity and availability. He barely played in the playoffs and only had 11 snaps in the Super Bowl. But Anfernee Jennings stepped up and was very good at setting the edge. The Patriots also got great role-play from their backups, Cory Durden, Elijah Ponder, and Leonard Taylor, on the defensive line. They could have used some more sacks, but overall, it was an outstanding season for the DL.In the playoffs, Milton Williams and Chaisson each had three sacks while Anfernee Jennings had two, as the team had 13 sacks in four games.Linebackers: B+Robert Spillane and Jack Gibbens were brought in this year, and Christian Elliss and Jahlani Tavai were brought back. Spillane was outstanding as the signal caller and the run stopper on defense. In 13 games, he had 97 tackles, including 4 TFLs, a forced fumble, a sack, 5 passes defensed, and two interceptions.Gibbens had 81 tackles, including 8 TFLs, 3 QB hits, a sack, a forced fumble, and four passes defensed. Elliss had the best year of his career with 94 tackles, 3 QB hits, 3 passes defensed, and a forced fumble. Jahlani Tavai filled in at several different times and locations.They lost Spillane for several games and had several players on the DL, which hurt the run defense. But when they all returned healthy, the run defense down the stretch and into the playoffs was solid. They uncharacteristically missed several tackles in the Super Bowl, but overall, the season was excellent. Secondary: ACornerback Christian Gonzalez missed the first three games, but once he returned, the cornerback position with him, Carlton Davis, and Marcus Jones in the slot was outstanding. They have one of the better position groups in the league. At safety, the Patriots let both Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers go this season, which raised some eyebrows. Instead, they opted for rookie Craig Woodson and Jaylinn Hawkins. And it worked out better than anyone could have anticipated.Woodson played more snaps than anyone defensively this season, and as the season wore on, he became a playmaker more and more. Dell Pettus played sparingly but chipped in on STs. Special Teams: BThe Patriots’ STs had a solid year. With a new long snapper (Julian Ashby) taking over for longtime LS Joe Cardona, and rookie kicker Andy Borregales, the STs were looking different. Borregales had a very solid rookie season, making 27 of 32 field goal attempts with a long of 59 yards. Bryce Barringer averaged 47.4 yards per punt with 21 of those inside the 20-yard line. Marcus Jones averaged 17.3 yards per punt return with two return touchdowns. The coverage units led by Brendan Schooler were very good. The only area they struggled all season was in kick returns, especially after Gibson went down with a torn ACL.Coaches: AMike Vrabel and the coaching staff deserve so much credit for the incredibly fast turnaround the team has enjoyed. Vrabel built the team in line with his philosophy, and the team bought in from day one.Josh McDaniels came back to the team for the third time and did an amazing job with Drake Maye. And it seems like they are just now scratching the surface on the potential that they can reach together.Zak Kuhr did a bang-up job filling in all season for Terrell Williams, who was suffering from cancer, as the defensive coordinator. The offensive line was coached by one of the best, Doug Marrone, one of three other members of Vrabel’s staff with head-coaching experience.Now, collectively, the team has to learn from its Super Bowl loss and go about making the team better this spring.Follow me on Twitter @SteveB7SFG or email me at [email protected].Listen to our Patriots 4th and 2 podcasts as Derek Havens, Mike D’Abate, and I from PatsFans.com discuss the latest Patriots news and game analysis.
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About Steve BalestrieriA former US Army Special Forces NCO and Officer, Steve has been following the Patriots since their days at Fenway Park. Steve has worked in the film industry and wrote as an Military Editor at SpecialOperations.com, 1945.com as a reporter for the Millbury Daily Voice, Millbury-Sutton Chronicle, and the Grafton News. He's also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA)View all posts by Steve Balestrieri
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