Ranking Patriots' 2025 Opponents From Worst To Best

While the full schedule for the New England Patriots is yet to be announced at the time of writing, the opponents they will face are. According to Sharp Football Analysis, the Patriots will face the second-easiest schedule in 2025, going off 2024 performance. Let's look at all of their opponents and decide which ones will give them the most fits and what teams New England should be able to handle.

14 (Easiest). New Orleans Saints

The Saints are likely going to be starting Tyler Shough at quarterback with Kellen Moore as their new head coach. On top of that, they have almost no offensive weapons that truly scare defenses, and their own defense features far too many players past the age of 32 to be considered lethal. Even on the road, this should be a win for the Patriots.

13. New York Giants

Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston, Tommy DeVito or Jaxson Dart? One of those four will be playing quarterback against the Patriots with the offensive strategy of "Throw the ball to Malik Nabers 23 times." Their pass rush should be very good, but that offense lacks any sort of consistent scoring ability and threats outside of No. 1.

12. Cleveland Browns

If it's Kenny Pickett the Patriots are playing against, then put the Browns at 14. Considering it will likely be Joe Flacco or one of their two rookies, they can creep up a bit. Even so, no one on the roster not named Myles Garrett scares anyone.

11. Carolina Panthers

Bryce Young was eighth in the NFL in EPA per play from Weeks 15-18 (min. 100 attempts). And while he seems to have found his stride as a starter, the Panthers' defense has a lot of holes that the Patriots should be able to expose.

10. Tennessee Titans

Will the Titans take that leap forward with Cam Ward under center and a new collection of receivers around Calvin Ridley? The offense will likely be better, but that bar isn't very high. Their secondary and pass rush is what could really hold them back.

9. New York Jets

Aaron Glenn with that defense should be very fun, but the verdict is out on Justin Fields and what the offense will look like. He's incredibly athletic and dynamic, but can the Jets turn that into production on that side of the ball?

8. Miami Dolphins

The most overrated team in the NFL over the last three years and it isn't very close. They beat bad teams, can't beat good teams, and it looks like this is a make-or-break year for Tua Tagovailoa.

7. Atlanta Falcons

Michael Penix showed a ton of potential in the handful of starts he made in 2024. Should he end up being the right guy for the job, the Falcons can compete for an NFC South crown in 2025.

6. Pittsburgh Steelers

It looks like Aaron Rodgers will be heading to Pittsburgh at some point. Even if he doesn't, the Steelers always find a way to get to nine wins. That said, the Patriots have won the last eight of the last nine matchups between the two teams.

5. Las Vegas Raiders

The Raiders have made a lot of grown up decisions this offseason. Hiring Pete Carroll, trading for Geno Smith, locking up Maxx Crosby for the foreseeable future - all of these are good moves. I don't know if it makes them a playoff team, but it makes them competitive.

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Baker Mayfield is coming off a 40 touchdown season for the Bucs, and Tampa has won the NFC South every year since 2021. They also added Emeke Egbuka to a receiving corps that already featured Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.

3. Cincinnati Bengals

I know the defense is suspect, but who is lining up to play the Bengals and that offense? No one. It feels like their defense should also be better by default in 2025 because it would be hard for it to be worse.

2. Baltimore Ravens

They are one of the top teams in the AFC and have been for a long while. As long as Lamar Jackson is under center, playing Baltimore isn't going to be a walk in the park.

1. Buffalo Bills

They have arguably the best quarterback in the NFL today in Josh Allen, who is coming off an MVP season. They'll be in the Super Bowl bubble once again and will make it difficult for the Patriots to earn a win in either of their two matchups.

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