The New England Patriots are one of the hottest teams in the NFL right now. They’re 12-3 and currently the 2-seed in the AFC. First-year Head Coach Mike Vrabel has completely flipped the script, turning a four-win team into a Super Bowl contender in one calendar year.

The NFL is as wide open as it’s ever been this year. Pretty much every team that makes the playoffs has a somewhat realistic chance of making and winning the Super Bowl. Coming into the year, Patriots fans never thought they’d be a Super Bowl contender. This was supposed to be year one of a rebuild, but instead, it’s year one of their Super Bowl window.

Here’s why the New England Patriots can’t just make it to the Super Bowl, but could win it.

They NAILED their 2025 draft

When you’re rebuilding, hitting on draft picks is the quickest and best way to improve your roster. The Patriots did just that in 2025. First, they selected Will Campbell, who was looking like arguably the best rookie offensive lineman in the league before he suffered a season-ending injury. He still made a massive impact early on, and will be the Pats’ star tackle for years to come.

Their biggest hit was in round two, when they selected TreVeyon Henderson. He didn’t pop early as Campbell did, but he has taken over as the lead running back in New England and has been electric, rushing for 776 yards on 148 carries (5.2 average) while scoring seven touchdowns and catching 35 passes.

In the third round, the Patriots selected Jared Wilson, who has been their starting left guard for the entire season. He went through some growing pains, but his pass-blocking numbers have improved greatly over the last month.

Craig Woodson, the Pats’ fourth-round pick, has started pretty much every game this season, too. He’s third on the team in tackles, has four tackles for loss, and has broken up three passes. He’s also allowed just 222 yards and zero touchdowns as a rookie in 527 coverage snaps.

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These are the types of drafts you need when you’re rebuilding. It helped having their franchise quarterback in place because they could really just focus on filling holes. This draft class is panning out in a big way, and it’s contributed to their success this year.

Drake Maye is a DAWG

Speaking of their franchise quarterback, Drake Maye is an absolute animal. The former first-round pick played well at the end of last year, but has taken it to another level in 2025. He’s one of the favorites for the MVP award, and rightfully so, because he’s improved this offense tenfold this year.

Maye is completing 70.9 percent of his passes for 3,947 yards, 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Add on his 387 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns, and he’s contributed nearly 4,500 yards of offense and nearly 30 touchdowns. To make his stat line even more ridiculous, Maye’s 3,947 yards rank fourth in the NFL, but his 453 attempts rank 11th. He’s averaging 8.7 yards per attempt, which is tied with Sam Darnold for the most in the league.

This kid has elevated this offense to a level Patriots fans never thought they could reach this year. And they’re doing it without as many playmakers as Cincinnati, Dallas or any of the other top offenses.

This defense is legit

The Patriots’ defense has also risen to the occasion. They’re not as elite as, say, Houston, but they’re giving up just 20.0 points per game, which ranks seventh in the NFL.

It all starts up front. They may rank 23rd in the NFL with 2.0 sacks per game, but they’re getting pressure on the quarterback at a pretty high rate. Harold Landry has continued to have success, but guys like K’Lavon Chaisson and Milton Williams have really come out of the blue and surprised a lot of people.

On the backend, the Patriots have one of the best young corners in the game in Christian Gonzalez. The former first-round pick has solidified himself as an elite cornerback in the NFL, and in 2025, he’s allowed less than half his targets to be caught for 343 yards and one touchdown while picking off one pass and breaking up seven more. Carlton Davis, Marcus Jones, and others have also been very impactful at the cornerback position.

On top of being one of the best coverage teams in the league, the Patriots have been very good against the run as well. They give up just 100.1 yards per game, which ranks sixth in the league. Robert Spillane and Jack Gibbens lead the team with 18 and 12 run stops, respectively, but their safeties, Jaylinn Hawkins and Craig Woodson, have been very good against the run as well.

Will their lack of experience and their easy schedule come to bite them in the butt in the postseason? They very well could, but this is a team that has all the pieces it needs to win a Super Bowl in 2025, especially with how wide open the league is this year.