It looked bleak heading into Sunday, but the sun is shining bright today. New England couldn’t have picked a better time to come alive, and couldn’t have picked a better team – in their spanking new stadium, no less – to use as their launch pad. While the Bills are busy mouthing off and coming to grips with their first loss of the season, the Patriots are taking a well-deserved day off. Tomorrow, the team officially turns the page to the Las Vegas Raiders coming to Gillette.
The Patriots are still
a depleted bunch, and can’t allow themselves to coast. The 2026 Raiders are much improved. Their defense brings pressure and gets after the quarterback. Once again, turnovers will be key. The ranking experts have seen and noted the improvement to the Patriots as well. Right now everything is awesome and on the upside. Let any team underestimate them at their own peril. Not me. I predict the Patriots keep it going, keep fighting and come away with a Week 5 win.
GO PATS!!
AFC East:
Buffalo Bills (3-1) at Los Angeles Rams (2-2)
New England Patriots (2-2) vs. Las Vegas Raiders (3-1)
New York Jets (1-3) Cleveland Browns (3-1)
Miami Dolphins (0-4) vs. Cincinnati Bengals (2-2)
AFC Matchups:
Kansas City Chiefs (4-0) – Bye Week
Jacksonville Jaguars (3-1) vs. Philadelphia Eagles (2-2)
Baltimore Ravens (3-1) at Atlanta Falcons (2-2)
Indianapolis Colts (2-2) at Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2)
Denver Broncos (2-2) at Los Angeles Chargers (0-4)
Tennessee Titans (0-4) vs. Houston Texans (0-4)
7th – Nate Davis (USA Today): Will their biggest offensive outburst of the season steady QB Drake Maye and this team at large? The Pats’ 29 offensive points Sunday matched their aggregate total entering Week 4. [+8]
9th – Vinnie Iyer (Sporting News): The Patriots helped Drake Maye get his 2025 groove back by empowering him for some confident freewheeling with his arm and legs against a vulnerable Bills defense. He’ll try to keep up that momentum against an improved Raiders’ defense. [+5]
12th – Conor Orr (SI): I wrote a little bit about the NFL’s strange officiating crisis on Monday and reflected a bit on how incredible Mike Vrabel getting flagged for telling an official he made a “terrible f— call” is. And then coming out the next day and calling the official “a little sensitive,” the next day. Chef’s kiss. No notes. [+8]
13th – Frank Schwab (Yahoo! Sports): One big win changed the scope of the Patriots’ season. They’re right back in the AFC East race after beating the Bills. Drake Maye went from being berated for his poor play to a 269-yard, three-touchdown day. Receiver Romeo Doubs, who was looking like a free-agency bust after three games, made his impact with two touchdowns. A defense that hadn’t been great did a good job limiting Josh Allen, and coming up with an interception with 1:05 to go and the Bills trailing by just three points. One win, even one as crucial as Sunday’s road victory, doesn’t eliminate all concerns. But it’s better than being three games behind Buffalo already this season. [+9]
13th – Mike Johrendt (ClutchPoints): Three touchdown passes from Drake Maye, two of which went to Romeo Doubs, helped the New England Patriots earn their first road win of the 2026 NFL season. Doubs, doing his best job to fill in for the injured A.J. Brown, caught six passes for 58 yards in the win, while leading the team in targets with nine. A late scoring connection from Maye to Efton Chism proved to be the difference, as the Patriots now sit at 2-2 on the year, helping stop the conversations about the sky falling. [+1]
13th – Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk): Drake Maye was under more pressure than anyone in Week 4, and he delivered. [+7]
14th – NFL Nation (ESPN): Four words to describe the first four weeks: “Maye-day! Maye-day!” QB Drake Maye’s shaky decision-making in the first three games of the season contributed to a 1-2 start, sparking myriad questions leading into Sunday’s matchup in Buffalo. Maye answered them with his best performance of the season. Coach Mike Vrabel declared after the upset — led by Maye’s fourth-quarter performance — that the Patriots were “back in the race.” Maye said it was “relieving a little bit.” He still leads the NFL with nine turnovers. — Mike Reiss [+2]
15th – Ralph Vacchiano (FOX Sports): I was impressed with what they did in Buffalo on Sunday, especially with how QB Drake Maye rebounded from a putrid start to the season. He wasn’t perfect, and he’s still a bit of a turnover machine (nine on the season after two more on Sunday), but he played pretty well overall. It remains clear that the Pats need Maye to carry them if they’re going to contend again. On Sunday, for the first time this season, he showed that maybe he can. Stat To Know: The Patriots are tied for the most turnovers in the NFL this season with 10. [+2]
15th – Pete Prisco (CBS Sports): Give this group a ton of credit for bouncing back from a terrible loss against the Jaguars to beat the Bills on the road. Drake Maye pushed aside all the criticism to play well. [+2]
18th – Nick Shook (NFL): What a bounce-back effort from the Patriots, a team that Mike Vrabel was rightfully concerned about after its disaster in Jacksonville one week prior. Drake Maye started to get back on track Sunday, delivering a few clutch plays after struggling mightily to start the season. A road win over Buffalo is big in the AFC East race and represents a return to competence for the Patriots. Now they need to prove it wasn’t a fluke. [+13]
AVG RANK: 12.9 [+5.9]
