Notre Dame Is Starting to Look Like the Heyday Patriots

If you've watched football at both the college and NFL level for the past few decades, does this Notre Dame team remind you of a certain NFL one from not that long ago?

Specifically, a dominating one, that didn't always look like it was dominating?

This version of Notre Dame that sits at 3-0 after beating Michigan State 27-10, and is built just like the New England Patriots squad that ran the NFL for the better part of two decades.

Surgical Quarterback Leads the Way

There are flashier and more athletic quarterbacks in college football than CJ Carr. That's not to say Carr can't make throws downfield or do athletic enough of things to extend plays, but those aren't what make him special.

Carr puts his team in position to succeed better than any other quarterback in college football. He works the play clock and gets a usually advantageous play set up for Notre Dame on the regular.

YOU CAN'T KEEP CJ CARR DOWN. 😤

📺 Notre Dame Football: Michigan State @ Notre Dame on NBC + Peacock pic.twitter.com/YZiO0jwqoV
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) September 20, 2026

He's not always going to chuck the ball 30 yards down the field but he's going to set the offense up to take the yards it's being given - sometimes it's four, sometimes it's 12, and sometimes it's a shot to get 40.

He operates this offense like Tom Brady used to operate New England's. That's not to say he'll go on to a record-setting NFL career, but it is to say he'll have Notre Dame's offense moving the ball regularly, and sometimes chewing up clock along the way.

Similar Running Backs

Much has been made about Notre Dame's running game woes through three games, although the second half against Michigan State was the peak of how the Irish backs have looked so far this year.

Nolan James, Jr. took a major step on Saturday night. Both he and Aneyas Williams aren't the most explosive in the run game, but they're reliable, and are dangerous as pass catchers - just like guys like James White, Shane Vareen, and the sort were for the Patriots in their heyday.

Wide Receiver Types

Tom Brady had a few short years with Randy Moss, but when he won Super Bowls, who were his best receivers in New England?

Guys like Danny Amendola, Julian Edelman, and Wes Welker. Shifty, huge yards after catch guys.

That's exactly the kind of guys Carr has as his favorite targets in Jordan Faison and Micah Gilbert this year, while both can make a play downfield as well.

Suffocating Defense

Just like the Patriots back in the day, this Notre Dame defense isn't one that's going to allow long touchdowns. If you're going to score touchdowns against Notre Dame, you're going to have to move the ball down the field in a decent number of plays.

You're not going to score a whole lot of points against this Notre Dame team. I don't care if you're Arch Manning and Texas, Trinidad Chambliss and Ole Miss, or someone else. You're going to have to put long drives together, as big plays are rarely allowed.

It's not always the most exciting because it doesn't impact traditional fantasy football numbers, but make no mistake about it, the key to all of this working is having a fantastic defense - just like how the Patriots had things, even with Tom Brady, for all those years.

Nick Shepkowski's Quick Thoughts

Too often, football fans confuse flash for substance.

We usually see it with teams that are built to score and score fast, hoping to outscore teams over 60 minutes.

Notre Dame is built to suffocate teams. As a boa constrictor does to its prey, Notre Dame wraps itself around you and starts squeezing. It doesn't feel like much at first, but by the time the second half comes around, that pressure is starting to take its toll as the body blows on both sides add up.

The next thing you know, it's a two- or three-score game late in the third quarter, and the scales are entirely tipped against you.

That's the way it was watching the Patriots beat teams for years, and now, we're seeing Notre Dame use that exact method on a weekly basis.

Next up is Purdue, who will almost certainly face the same fate as Wisconsin, Rice and Michigan State.

I'm not saying this guarantees Notre Dame a national championship of any kind, but I will say that even if its not doing as in as sexy a manner as others in this sport, it's just as much a national championship contender as anyone.

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