The New England Patriots are the most decorated NFL franchise of the 21st century. They’ve won six Super Bowls since 2001, so once Tom Brady left in 2020, fans across the league rejoiced, thinking we wouldn’t see the Patriots back in the mix for a long, long time. Well, five short years later, here we are. The Patriots are back in the AFC Championship, and with Bo Nix’s injury, they’re likely going to the Super Bowl.

Despite having the easiest path to the Super Bowl, the Patriots have the third-longest odds to win it all of the four remaining teams. Both the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams have better odds to win it all, which basically means Vegas believes the winner of the NFC Championship will be crowned Super Bowl champions.

Patriots fans feel their team is being disrespected. They went 13-4, earned the 2-seed in the AFC and have won two playoff games against some really good defenses. Why shouldn’t they be the favorites to win it all? It’s a fair argument, but there are a couple of reasons why they’re being disrespected.

Their Schedule Was Incredibly Easy

Everyone as talk at nauseam about the Patriots’ schedule and how easy it was, but it’s a real talking point. It was incredibly easy. They had the easiest SOS in the NFL this year according to ESPN’s Football Power Index, ahead of teams like the Saints, Dolphins and Bills.

Obviously, the Patriots can’t help that. They didn’t create their schedule, they just beat the teams that were put in front of them. And when you go back in history, some of the best teams ever, including the 1972 Dolphins, the only undefeated team in NFL history, had easier paths than the Patriots this year.

The SOS argument shouldn’t be talked about as much as it has been, but fans will use any reasons to illegitimize a team’s run.

The Playoffs Have Been a Cake Walk

Another thing that hasn’t helped their case is their playoff schedule. So far, it’s been a cake walk.

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The Chargers might’ve been better off trotting out 10 skill position players and Justin Herbert rather than five offensive linemen, because they did not do their job whatsoever. The Patriots’ defensive front had a field day with that offensive line, pressuring Herbert 30 times, en route to an easy win.

The Texans didn’t pose much of a threat either. C.J. Stroud capped off arguably the worst playoff run by a quarterback in NFL history by throwing four picks in the loss. Sure, they scored 21 points against that vaunted Houston defense, but if Stroud was able to do literally anything but turn the ball over, this game could’ve turned out much differently.

Now, they have to go to Denver, but they face a Broncos team that won’t have their starting quarterback and will start a guy that hasn’t thrown a single pass all season. Denver’s defense is tough, but even if the Patriots blow them out by 20+, people will claim their entire playoff run as fraudulent.

Should Patriots Fans Feel Disrespected?

Are Patriots fans right in feeling disrespected for what their team has accomplished this season? No, I don’t think so.

Look, I hate using the “who have you played?” argument, but honestly, who have they played? They split the series against Buffalo and they’ve been able to beat the Chargers and Texans, but neither of those teams had any sort of offense to speak of. And now they get to go play another team whose offense is going to be heavily hindered by a backup quarterback. If they make it to the Super Bowl, they will be facing an offense in Seattle or LA that is miles ahead of anyone else they’ve faced all year.

I don’t want to hate on the Patriots, because the turnaround they’ve had in one season is incredible. Nobody should be able to go from 4-13 to 13-4 in one offseason, not matter their schedule. But I think it’s time for Pats fans to just zip their lips and enjoy this playoff run.

No matter what happens from here on out, they’ve won. If you put a button in front of a Patriots fan at the beginning of the year and told them if they hit it, this season would end in an AFC Championship loss, they would’ve smashed that button immediately. Even making the playoffs and losing in the Wild Card would’ve been considered a success.

As my boss, who is a Patriots fan, always says, everything from here on out is gravy. None of this was supposed to happen in 2025, so just sit back and enjoy the ride. If it ends this weekend, it was one hell of a season, and you’ll be back soon. If it happens to go on until February 8th, even better.

Just stop talking about being disrespected. Nobody wants to hear the most spoiled fanbase of the 21st century whining because people keep talking about their cupcake schedule and playoff run.