The [New England Patriots](https://nesn.com/new-england-patriots) enter Week 1 of the 2026-27 season with a lot of high hopes. After making the Super Bowl a year ago but falling to the Seattle Seahawks, there is a sense that New England can be one of the better teams in the NFL once again.
Of course, there's no guarantee that any team is going to win the Super Bowl, but if the Patriots play as well as they did last year in certain areas, they're going to find themselves in a very good spot to do just that.
At the same time, they need to improve in some areas, including the red zone. The Patriots weren't great in the red zone last year, and Drake Maye even admitted during training camp that it needed improvement.
However, other factors matter, including the additions of A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs.
“The less-talked-about area for improvement is in the red zone. The Patriots ranked 24th last season in the percentage of their red zone trips that resulted in points and 17th in red zone trips that resulted in touchdowns.
“The early results from training camp indicate the passing success should be much better in that area. Brown is 6 feet 1, 226 pounds, and Doubs is 6-2, 210 pounds. That size matters in the red zone,” Chad Graff [wrote](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7565037/2026/09/09/patriots-season-preview-predictions-rhamondre-stevenson/).
Both moves were easy for the Patriots, adding players who could come in and make a major impact. Brown is highly regarded as one of the best five to 10 wide receivers in the NFL, so it's no surprise to see a team like New England go after him.
As for Doubs, he has a lot to like about his game, but there's also a sense that he has a lot left in the tank to show he can be one of the better players on this Patriots offense.
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