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In a season promising change, the 2025 Patriots looked all too familiar in season opener

COMMENTARY

FOXBOROUGH — The arrival of Mike Vrabel in January and an offseason spending spree were not going to be enough to punch the Patriots’ ticket back to the postseason for the first time since 2021.

Years of woeful drafting and whiffs in free agency had left New England’s roster barren — and short on the depth needed to keep this team afloat when the injury bug inevitably stings.

But, as thousands of Patriots fans draped in ponchos braved the soggy conditions in Foxborough on Sunday, it felt as though hope has been re-kindled.