Expectations for Patriots gets a reset after upset win over Bills

Drake Maye and the Patriots upset the AFC East-leading Buffalo Bills on their home turf Sunday night, which has the NFL readjusting expectations for New England. If Sunday night's gutsy 23-20 win at Highmark Stadium showed anything, it's that the 2025 Patriots are ready to compete with anyone.

Just five games into Mike Vrabel's tenure as head coach, the Patriots already look worlds better than the four-win teams we saw over the last two seasons. The Patriots improved to 3-2 on the year with Sunday night's upset, and have now won back-to-back games for the first time in three years.

The culture Vrabel wanted to instill in New England is setting in. The vibes around the team are incredible. These Patriots aren't perfect, but they're going to scratch and claw for everything. When adversity shows its ugly head, they're going to push right back and not go down without a fight.

On Sunday night, the Patriots took some punches from the Bills, but didn't waiver on offense or defense. Maye had his best game as a pro in the Sunday Night Football spotlight, as he was a surgical 22-of-30 for 276 yards and led his team on two touchdown drives in the second half. With the game on the line in the final minutes, Maye made a number of big passes to set up the game-winning field goal off the foot of rookie Andy Borregales. 

Maye had help, as Stefon Diggs showed off his No.1 receiver form with 10 receptions for 146 yards against his former team. The chemistry between Maye and Diggs has grown every week so far this season, and if the duo continues to play at such a high level, the ceiling for the offense will continue to climb.

The New England defense more than held its own on Sunday night, as it kept a team that had averaged 33 points per game over the first four weeks to just 20 points. Christian Gonzalez is back in the secondary and playing like New England's best overall player, though Maye and Diggs -- plus defensive tackle Milton Williams -- could all lay a claim to that title.

The Patriots look like they're done taking baby steps under Vrabel and are ready to make a massive leap. Sunday's win over the Bills in enemy territory could be a sign the Patriots are ahead of schedule, and that it might be time to reassess our expectations for the team in 2025. 

Expectations evolving in New England

While there was optimism around the Patriots heading into the season, with some predicting a double-digit win total and a return to the playoffs, Vrabel pushed back at those high expectations before Week 1. Most had the reasonable expectation that the team would be competitive, but fall short of the postseason come January. 

But those expectations need a bit of a reset after five weeks. Not just because of what we've seen from New England over the last month-plus, but because of the team's path ahead.

The Patriots have a golden opportunity to use Sunday's win in Buffalo as a springboard to a long winning streak. Of New England's next six games, five of them are against teams that are currently below .500. Well below .500, too.

Up next for the Patriots are the 1-4 Saints in New Orleans. In Week 7, Vrabel will head back to Tennessee for a matchup with the 1-4 Titans. The Pats will then play two straight at Gillette Stadium against the 1-4 Cleveland Browns and the 2-2 Atlanta Falcons.

New England will then have a tough matchup against Baker Mayfield and the 4-1 Buccaneers in Tampa Bay, but then get to host the 0-5 New York Jets on Thursday Night Football. Vrabel will have a lot of opportunities to give out some post-game hugs over the next month-and-a-half.

While it's important not to get too far ahead of ourselves, there's a good chance the Patriots could be a few games above .500 and in the middle of the playoff picture when Thanksgiving hits. Games that were once seen as a potential toss-up should now be seen as games the Patriots should win. 

It doesn't mean the Patriots will win those games, but the expectation for victories is starting to take over in New England.

If Maye keeps balling out like he did in Buffalo, if Diggs continues to look like a legit No. 1, and if the defense continues to make life difficult on opposing offenses a return to the playoffs could soon become the expectation in New England as well.

• National Football League
• New England Patriots