Through eight weeks of football, the 2025 Patriots have a 6-2 record, good for tops in the AFC East and the No. 2 seed in the conference.
They’re already two wins up on last year’s debacle of a team, and are three wins away from besting the franchise’s combined total for the last two seasons.
With nine games remaining and one of the easiest schedules of the last 40 years ahead of them, it’s safe to say New England is going to win double-digit games for the first time since 2021. And for the first time since 2019, it feels like the franchise has a real shot at competing for something special this postseason.
Coming off a more-than-convincing 32-13 win at home against the Browns on Sunday, expectations among both fans and media are starting to shift. Conversations are changing from ‘I think this team can win nine games’ to ‘if this team doesn’t make it to the AFC Championship Game, this season is a bust.’
Sky-high expectations are back in Foxborough, yet Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel made it clear on Monday during his weekly appearance on The Greg Hill Show that nothing has changed for him with his messaging to the team.
“You have what I believe to be the MVP at quarterback, you're the Coach of the Year - how do you keep a level head and let [the team] know that every year you're not going to be able to get here?” asked WEEI’s Chris Curtis. “You've been relatively healthy, you get to this point of the year, what has your messaging been? And has that shifted at all with the recent success?”
“No, I don't think it's changed,” said Vrabel. “I think it's just stayed consistent, that this league - if you sleep on this league, you're going to have bad results. And no matter who you play, what team it is, there's going to be things that you have to do each and every week. And so every week is its own challenge.
“We have been relatively healthy, which has been great. But I think that if we were not healthy, I think guys would have been ready to go in there. They prepare as starters each and every week. We're getting a lot of contributions from a lot of different people, and that's the thing that you have to continue to do, is that when you get an opportunity, that you take advantage of your opportunity. Continue to practice our identity through meetings and walk-through practices, but there's a long way to go, and my job is to make sure that we're focused on that each and every week, and not get too far ahead of ourselves.”
Vrabel’s team is set up nicely to continue growing the external expectations in Week 9, as the Falcons (3-4) come to town having just been blown out by the Dolphins (2-6) 34-10.
As of publishing, the Patriots are a 4.5-point favorite over Atlanta, sitting at -235 on the moneyline. The total is set at 45.5.
If Falcons starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is unable to go again on Sunday, look for that number to climb for New England even further.
Tune in each and every Monday throughout the football season to Patriots Monday on WEEI. Head coach Mike Vrabel joins The Greg Hill Show at 6:30 a.m. ET, and quarterback Drake Maye joins WEEI Afternoons.