The Patriots need to reestablish home-field advantage at Gillette Stadium
There was a time not too long ago when opponents would absolutely dread coming to Gillette Stadium to play the New England Patriots. Now, a trip to Foxboro is treated as a get-right week for visiting teams.
During the glory days of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick leading the Patriots to Super Bowl victories (or at the very least, a trip to the AFC title game), it didn't matter if it was a nice September day or a snowy winter affair in Foxboro. Chances were good the Patriots were going to beat whichever team came to town, and would likely do so in convincing fashion.
Brady was an absurd 121-24 at home, including the playoffs, during his career with the Patriots. In two of those loses, Brady didn't even play in the second half because he was gearing up for the postseason.
But once the team lost the greatest quarterback of all time, one of the best home-field advantages in the NFL disappeared too.
Patriots home woes since 2020
The Patriots have dropped a total of 25 games at Gillette Stadium since the start of the 2020 season, to only 17 wins. New England hasn't had a winning record at home since Cam Newton led the team to a 5-3 record at Gillette the year after Brady left for Tampa Bay. The best they've done is 4-4 at home in 2022.
The Patriots at least went 13-12 at Gillette from 2020-22. The last two seasons have been abysmal, with New England going just 3-13 at Gillette Stadium. (Plus a "home" loss to the Colts in Germany.) One of those victories was in Week 18 last season, when the resting Buffalo Bills essentially gave the Patriots a win.
The Pats are just 11-22 at home since having a winning record at Gillette in 2020.
While there have been some close loses, most home games haven't been much fun for Patriots fans. Last season, there was a 40-7 beatdown by the Chargers in Week 17 and a 25-24 loss to the Colts where Anthony Richardson hit Alex Pierce for a go-ahead touchdown with 12 seconds left. There was a 15-10 loss to the Miami Dolphins in Week 5 where the Pats scored just three points in the second half.
In 2023, the Patriots were shut out at home twice: A 34-0 embarrassment at the hands of the Saints and a dreadful 6-0 loss to the Chargers on a cold and rainy December afternoon. Belichick's run as Patriots head coach came to an unceremonious end with a lifeless 17-3 loss to the Jets in Week 18, which ended a 15-game losing streak for New York against New England.
The Patriots averaged just 19 points per game at home last season. That was an improvement from 2023, when the team averaged a meager 12.9 points per game on their home field.
Drake Maye has started two Patriots wins at Gillette, but he didn't finish either. He was knocked out of the team's Week 8 win over the Jets early with a concussion, and then played just one series of the team's season-ending win over the Bills in Week 18. Overall, the quarterback is 2-6 on his home field.
The new franchise quarterback is hoping to start his own run of dominance in Foxboro, beginning this Sunday when the Pittsburgh Steelers come to town.
Patriots on re-establishing home-field advantage
Head coach Mike Vrabel wants to re-establish Gillette as a terrible place to play for visiting teams. After losing Week 1 to the Las Vegas Raiders on their home turf, Patriots players are eager to get that going this weekend against Pittsburgh.
"We've got to start to get one at home," Maye said Wednesday. "That's something that coach Vrabel's been wanting to do, is play well at home and make it a tough place to play."
Newcomers would also like to see their first win in front of the Foxboro faithful.
"I've been hearing it hasn't been too good here for home games," defensive tackle Milton Williams said Thursday. "This is our house and we are going to have to start protecting it, starting on Sunday."
"It's huge. You've gotta catch those wins, especially early on in the year," said linebacker K'Lavon Chaisson. "We have back-to-back home games in front of this crowd, have a chance to get everybody behind us and give them exactly what they deserve."
After hosting the Steelers on Sunday, the Patriots will welcome the Carolina Panthers to Gillette Stadium in Week 4.