by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 10/13/2026 Elite Teams Photo Credits to Olivia Vanni via Getty Images 1. San Francisco 49ers 5-0 /\ 1 Last Week: 32-29 Win at SEA The 49ers are not only the best team in the NFL right now but they're doing so with one of the most injured teams as well. As a 3-point underdog this week in Seattle, against reigning champions in the noisiest stadium in the league in a divisional rivalry, the 49ers, Kyle Shanahan and Brock Purdy just win and can bea

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 10/9/2026 Photo Credits to Timothy T. Ludwig via Getty Images Pats v Bills Recap Last week I was very critical of the Patriots and more specifically Drake Maye and they really showed everyone that they are still capable of living up to their Super Bowl run last season. Maye was much better even if he still wasn't elite but the Patriots' defense definitely played their best game. Coming into the game, the Bills had the 4th most rushing yards per

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 10/3/2026 Photo Credits to Gene J. Puskar via Associated Press Overview The Patriots will travel to Buffalo for their first AFC East matchup of the season this week. Standing at 1-2, the Patriots will be a touchdown underdog to the 3-0 Bills who will be playing in their 3rd consecutive home game at Highmark Stadium. This game has the Bills -6.5 across most major markets with a 49.5 over/under mark. With the way both teams have been performing so

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 9/18/2026 Photo Credits to Robert F. Bukaty via Associated Press For their 2026 home opener, the Patriots will host the Steelers Sunday afternoon. Losing their first game of the season in true heartbreaking fashion, the Pats lost to the Seahawks in Seattle by a score of 13-10 and the Steelers come into this game 1-0 after beating the Falcons at home, 20-13. Pats-Seahawks Takeaways The Patriots season opener was a morale defeat as much as it was

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 9/15/2026 Photo Credits to Alamy Stock Photo 1. Buffalo Bills /\ 1 Last Week: 36-31 Win at HOU The Bills defense didn't look great in allowing 274 passing yards to CJ Stroud but the offense was spectacular. Josh Allen is already in MVP talks especially with DJ Moore as his new top receiver and when it came down to the 4th Quarter, this team just knows how to win big games. 2. Baltimore Ravens /\ 3 Last Week: 41-23 Win at IND A lot of people w

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 6/2/2026 Photo Credits to Mark Konezny via Imagn Images It's FINALLY happened Patriots fans, A.J. Brown is now the new Patriots, no. 1 receiver. After the June 1st distinction of the new season, the Eagles have traded their 28-year old receiver for a 2027, 5th-round pick and 2028, 1st-round pick. After 4 seasons in Philadelphia including a win at Super Bowl LIX, Brown and his team had mutually decided to part ways after Brown became cryptic on s

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 5/28/2026 Photo Credits to Bill Streicher via Imagn Images Who is A.J. Brown? A.J. Brown is a supremely talented Wide Receiver who has proven he can be a #1 option on a Super Bowl winning team. 6 seasons over 1,000 yards in 7 years and at his peak 3 years ago, was around 100 catches, 1,500 yards and 10 TDs. He started his career on the Tennessee Titans from 2019 to 2021. In his tenure as a Titan his per season averages were 14 games, 62 catches,

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 4/27/2026 Photo by WJ/ Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Caleb Lomu Tackle Utah Pick: #28 Lomu is an athletic Tackle with good size and room to grow even more muscle on his frame. As Utah's Left Tackle for the past two seasons, Lomu was a better pass blocker than run blocker and was also named to the 2024 Academic All-Big 12 team as well. As the Patriots depth chart stands, Campbell and Moses are better off at Tackle in 2026. Lomu is athletic and

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 2/11/2026 So with full disclosure I am not a Patriots fan and while this article's topic may seem absurd to some of you, It's worth exploring after his abysmal performance in not only Super Bowl LX but the entire 2026 Playoffs. Photo by Adam Hunger/ Associated Press Content Services for the NFL When asking if Maye is Overrated, one needs to first conclude how he is "rated" at the moment by most pundits and media alike. In short, Maye is closely

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 2/10/2026 Photo by Julio Cortez/ Associated Press Super Bowl Summar y The Patriots' remarkable 2025 season came to a close on Sunday with a 29-13 Loss in Super Bowl LX to the Seahawks. After months of being one of if not the best team in the AFC, the final game ended up being a blowout with the Seahawks' defense dominating the Patriots from start to finish. The game was close through the first 3 quarters with the Patriots' defense being almost e

by Matt Hylen Sportz Nation - 2/7/2026 Graphic by theringer.com It's finally here! Super Bowl LX is officially hours away in what could be one of the most defensive but intense games we have seen in a while. On one hand, you have the 1-seeded Seattle Seahawks who have been rolling on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Sam Darnold is coming off arguably the best game of his career last time out, with his defense playing to the elite level they have been all season long. On th

by Zak Drapeau, Matt Hylen, Joseph McLaughlin, Joel Piton and Elias Meredith Sportz Nation - 2/7/2026 Zak Drapeau Winner: Seahawks Score: 21-17 This game is going to come down to turnovers and 4th down conversions. Whichever team can hold on to the ball and keep drives alive is going to win. The growing trend of going for it on 4th downs could be crucial because in a defensive game like this, not taking field goals could be the difference when it comes down to the wire. Matt

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 2/7/2026 Photo by Greg M. Cooper/ Associated Press Ranking QBs ( Right Now ) 1. Josh Allen 2. Matthew Stafford 3. Joe Burrow 4. Lamar Jackson 5. Jared Goff 6. Patrick Mahomes 7. Drake Maye 8. Jalen Hurts 9. Baker Mayfield 10. Dak Prescott If I had to pick a Quarterback today, to play in a single game and win it for me I'm taking Josh Allen. The other guys on this list are elite, dependable and have proven that they can do it over a long period o

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 2/4/3036 Photo by Doug Pensinger/ Getty Images 10. 2015 Denver Broncos 12-4 (#1 in AFC) 19th Offense 4th Defense The craziest part of this list is that this team may have the best defense of the bunch. Even still, the 2015 Broncos take the wooden spoon and DEFINITELY have the worst offense. This Broncos' team was part-Peyton Manning and part-Brock Osweiler and somehow, Osweiler was much better. Manning was 39 and in the final year of his career,

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 1/30/2026 Here in New England, we are delighted but not shocked that the Patriots are back in the Super Bowl. We might have a young team led by a new Head Coach and a Quarterback only in his second year, but WE have what THEY don't... Championship DNA. We just win in New England. While everyone else is talking about how we shouldn't be here and every reason we don't deserve this Championship appearance, cough Cam Newton cough cough We've set ou

Joseph McLaughlin 1/29/26 - Sportz Nation Photo Credit: David Butler II/Imagn Images. Former Patriots Head Coach, Bill Belichick, received a phone call from the Professional Football Hall of Fame on Friday afternoon that left him disappointed. He was told he would not be inducted into Canton during his first year of eligibility. Belichick did not receive the 40 of 50 votes required to be inducted during his first year on the ballot. Several sources who talked to Belichick ov

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 1/29/2026 Team Leaders Passing Sam Darnold 67.7% completion 4,048 pass yards 25 pass TDs 14 INTs Rushing Kenneth Walker 221 carries 1,027 rush yards 4.6 yards per carry 10, 20+ yard rushes 5 rush TDs Receiving Jaxon Smith Njigba 119 receptions 163 targets 1,793 rec yards 4.4 yards after catch average 10 rec TDs Tackling Ernest Jones IV 126 combined tackles 4 tackles for loss 5 interceptions 7 pass deflections 1 Touchdown S

by Zak Drapeau 1/26/26 - Sportz Nation Finally the Patriots are back in the Super Bowl and will take on the Seattle Seahawks for the 2025 Championship. Photo by John Locher/ Associated Press Just last night, the Patriots finished a clean sweep of the best defenses in the AFC by defeating the Broncos 10-7 in Denver. With that one out of the way, the Patriots playoff resume now includes the #7 ranked defense of the Chargers, the #3 in Houston and #2 in Denver. With the final ga

Photo Graphic by Clutch Points And then there were two... The AFC Championship game is set, with the 2-seeded New England Patriots heading to Denver to take on the 1-seeded Broncos. New England, who are coming off a tough win against the Texans, will be looking for some more offense against a Broncos defense that is among the best in football. For Denver, they are, of course, without their quarterback Bo Nix this week, making backup Jarrett Stidham the starter on the biggest

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 1/21/2026 Photo by Maddie Meyer/ Getty Images In 2002, the Patriots shocked the world by making a run for the ages in the playoffs and shocked the well-favored Rams to win their franchise's first Super Bowl. 24 years later and they have shocked the world again in the midst of another run for the Super Bowl. At the beginning of the season, Ceasar's Sportsbook had the Patriots Win-Loss Over/Under at 8.5 even though they finished last season at 4-1