Before the 2025 season began, there was considerable chatter about the Patriots having one of the easiest schedules in the league. Because of that, some analysts and fans predicted they could be a sneaky playoff contender by the end of the year, even if that seemed like quite a stretch for a team coming off back-to-back 4-13 seasons.
While most of that optimism has already wavered after two games, their schedule still appears to be more favorable for adding more wins than they have in recent years. That might not happen in Week 3, as they face an Aaron Rodgers-led Steelers team, but they face a very beatable Panthers team in two weeks.