Karen Guregian: Are the Patriots a desirable opponent for other AFC playoff teams?

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Karen Guregian: Are the Patriots a desirable opponent for other AFC playoff teams?

Karen Guregian · MassLive

Wed, Dec 24, 2025 ·

4 min read

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FOXBOROUGH - With the Patriots locking up a playoff spot with Sunday’s win over the Baltimore Ravens , there’s been a lot of discussion about which teams are the more favorable opponents would be for them, and conversely, the teams to avoid.

How about flipping the script? No doubt people are playing the same game with playoff teams outside of New England .

So where do the Patriots stand with perspective playoff opponents?

Should they be a team others fear playing, or would they fall into the desirable category as one of the more welcome opponents to face?

Of course, you’d need a healthy dose of truth serum for any team to admit one side or the other.

But let’s get real. Here’s how playoff teams in the AFC should feel about the prospects of facing the Patriots: No thank you.

They shouldn’t want to get stuck facing the Patriots in the wild card round, or any round.

Why?

They excel in many of the most important categories when it comes to winning playoff games. They’re built for the post-season.

Let’s start with head coach.

Right now, Mike Vrabel is considered among the best in the league and is one of the favorites for Coach of the Year honors.

He’s quickly turned a four-win team into a contender. The Patriots are 12-3 - tied for tops in the AFC with the Denver Broncos - with a chance to be the AFC’s top seed.

Vrabel is a difference-maker on the field, and off. The players have complete buy-in with the culture he’s built, and the identity they’ve forged.

As a player, Vrabel is a three-time Super Bowl winner, so he understands what it takes to win during the postseason. He’s not going to shrink in the moment when it comes to making critical in-game decisions. And then, there’s a quarterback to worry about.

And that might be the most significant detail.

Drake Maye has advanced so much, teams should be fearful of facing him. Perhaps his lack of playoff experience will be viewed as a plus for opponents, but there are plenty of examples of quarterbacks who shine their first time out with Tom Brady leading the parade.

Maye just keeps getting better every game. Just when you think you’ve come up with the formula to finally beat him, he defeats it.

He’ll make mistakes, won’t play well for a spell, and is completely undaunted.

He’ll spot teams points after surrendering a pick, or a sack fumble, and still come back and crush them in the fourth quarter.

See the Ravens for details.

No one wants to play against a quarterback who is that good, especially in a one-and-done scenario.

Now consider the Vrabel/Maye dynamic. Teams that have a coveted coach along with an MVP candidate at quarterback tend to do well in the post-season.

And this Patriots coach/quarterback dynamic doesn’t take a back seat to many, if any of the duos from the playoff-bound AFC teams.

Whether it’s Denver’s Sean Payton/Bo Nix, LA’s Jim Harbaugh/Justin Herbert , Buffalo’s Sean McDermott/Josh Allen, Pittsburgh ’s Mike Tomlin/Aaron Rodgers or Jacksonville ’s Liam Coen/Trevor Lawrence, Vrabel/Maye is a tough act to beat.

Now add a top offensive coordinator to the equation. That’s an impressive trifecta to have to deal with.

Josh McDaniels has done a masterful job coaching, leading and mentoring Maye.

With McDaniels calling the shots, and Maye prospering, the offense has produced 25 or more points in 10 of the 15 games played thus far.

Of course, teams might be lining up for a chance to face the Patriots defense.

It’s no secret. They can’t stop the run.

But here’s the kicker. Even though they look terrible at times, particularly in the red zone, they don’t surrender a ton of points.

Their 20 points per game average isn’t too shabby.

Beyond that, they’ll be getting Milton Williams back which is significant. The fall of the run defense coincided with Williams going on IR. He’s eligible to come off this week and has been activated to return.

Robert Spillane ’s status is unknown, but it would appear the linebacker, another crucial run-stopper, will be coming back at some point, too. He appeared in the locker room Tuesday without a walking boot for his foot/ankle injury which seemed to be a good sign.

So the defense, while not great, isn’t a deal-breaker.

Then there’s the talent issue. The Patriots roster pales on the talent-meter compared with most playoff teams. That might be among the reasons teams would consider them an attractive first-round opponent.

The counter to that?

The intangibles.

The Patriots believe they’re in the midst of a special season with a quarterback they believe gives them a chance in every game.

“Having him on our side, we know we have a chance,” tight end Hunter Henry said following Sunday night’s win over the Ravens. “He’s a high-level player. A big-time player. We have the utmost confidence in him.”

That kind of belief is a powerful tool.

Beyond that, they also overcome the talent issue by being connected. The egos have been checked at the door. Everyone works together for the same goal.

“I think Coach Vrabel preaches on us being a team and doing things together. He always says if you want to go fast, go by yourself. If you want to go far, go together,” center Garrett Bradbury said. “If we play with the identity Coach wants us to play, we’re not so much worried about who we’re playing, we’re just focused on playing our style of ball.”

Of course, matchups come into play. But the Patriots have shown to be a tough, resilient lot who can overcome obstacles, and unfavorable matchups.

They’ve hit the injury bug of late, and have been impacted by it. And yet, they’ve still produced wins.

“I don’t care who we were playing, I feel like we grind hard and we’ll get the win,” Stefon Diggs said. “We’ve got a great head coach and we’re all meshing at the right time.”

Not what a potential playoff opponent is looking for.

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