Drake Maye, Patriots Get Rough Prediction After NFL Schedule Reveal
The New England Patriots were on the verge of claiming the franchise’s seventh Super Bowl. This development surprised many people, given that it was no longer with Bill Belichick as coach and Tom Brady as quarterback.
Instead, it was MVP contender Drake Maye leading the way as QB1, with NFL Coach of the Year Mike Vrabel guiding the squad through the season and postseason. They finished 14-3, claiming the AFC East and the No. 2 seed, with only the Denver Broncos finishing better.
Unfortunately, a loss to Sam Darnold and the Seattle Seahawks awaited them, and the Lombardi Trophy would go elsewhere. However, optimism remained about future seasons under Vrabel with Maye quarterbacking.
That was until the recent news of an affair involving The Athletic reporter Diania Russini and coach Vrabel. While Russini resigned, Vrabel indicated he would seek counseling but did not step down as Patriots coach.
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Thursday night brought the official reveal of the New England Patriots’ 2026 schedule, giving fans a look at when and where they’ll play each team. And it also brought early predictions regarding how they’ll fare this season, with ESPN’s Ryan Clark suggesting it won’t be good.
“I believe they not only take a step back, but in my opinion, the New England Patriots miss the playoffs,” Clark said on ESPN’s “Get Up.”
One of the Patriots’ early games will be a rematch with the Seahawks, which will also be Seattle’s official banner-raising as Super Bowl champions. Clark called it challenging to play in those games, due to the “energy in the building,” which feels like “another Super Bowl.”
He also said the Pats go from playing a fourth-place schedule in the 2025 season to a first-place schedule this season. That’ll include games against NFC North teams, such as the Chicago Bears, and AFC West teams, including the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos.
“This is a totally different schedule, with different expectations. Nobody thought of Drake Maye as an MVP candidate or Mike Vrabel as a Coach of the Year candidate, or this team being a team that could get to the Super Bowl. It’s different now. You aren’t sneaking up on anyone,” Clark said.
He gave them at least four winnable games on the schedule, because they play the New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins twice each during the season. However, other games on the schedule could be a lot tougher to win.
Other winnable games depend heavily on what the opponents look like. Those could include the Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Las Vegas Raiders, all of whom have either quarterback uncertainty or younger QBs playing.
However, the roughest matchups seem to include Caleb Williams and the Bears, Mahomes and the Chiefs, Darnold and the Seahawks, Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers, and twice against Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. A rematch game against the Denver Broncos will presumably feature Bo Nix back as quarterback, who didn’t play in their AFC Championship clash.
ESPN’s Clark didn’t bring up the Vrabel scandal, but it can certainly affect things for this team. Even though Vrabel sought counseling, and players have said their focus is on football, the off-field drama is still mentioned and even joked about by other teams.
As a tease of their game against the Patriots, the Los Angeles Chargers’ schedule release video included an unopened “New York Post” message, hinting that the outlet had reached out to the Pats’ coach for comment.
It also wouldn’t be surprising for reporters to continue asking players or Vrabel about that situation, or for opponents to use it as trash talk on the field.
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This story was originally published May 15, 2026 at 3:47 PM.