by Jazz Ray
Sunday, Feb 01, 2026The New England Patriots are in the Super Bowl, again, but a good slice of the mediasphere would have them change their name – temporarily at least – to the New England Yeah-Buts.
The problem is that the Patriots are where they are because of a schedule that was among the weakest in NFL history – courtesy of their 4-13 record in 2024 and league rules which pit the weakest against each other.
There is no doubt that the Pats got fat playing a litany of bad teams in 2024 that never got better – Tennessee, Jets, Saints, Browns, and the like. One Boston writer referred to NE’s feather-soft schedule as the March of the Tomato Cans. Eleven of NE’s 20 games so far have been against teams that fired their coaches.
All of the above, plus a hefty dose of skepticism surrounding out-of-nowhere QB Drake Maye, has made the Seahawks a solid 4.5-point favorite heading into Sunday. A recent 9-pundit panel on ESPN found absolutely zero takers on the Yeah-Buts Patriots to win straight up. Even against the spread, punters still like Seattle by a 3-2 margin, though much of the money has yet to be committed.
Is there THAT much of a divide between the Patriots and the NFC-champion Seattle Seahawks? Will New England’s carriage turn into a pumpkin on the world stage this coming Sunday?
No one knows, of course, but a look at how they fared against common opponents before bettors get in line to buy that ticket.
Seattle and New England each played Pittsburgh, Carolina, New Orleans, Tampa Bay, and Houston this season.
***The Seahawks defeated the Steelers by two touchdowns, while the Patriots lost to Pittsburgh by a touchdown when they fumbled the ball at the goal line late in the game. Advantage Seattle.
*** The Seahawks crushed New Orleans in a game that was never a game, while the Pats had one of their worst games in earning a six-point win. Advantage Seattle, there, too.
***Against Tampa Bay, Seattle’s defense had a rare letdown and the Seahawks took one on the chin, 38-35. New England, meanwhile, went into Tampa and defeated the Buccaneers (who were playing well at the time). Advantage, New England.
***New England’s Week 4 four-touchdown whooping over Carolina came when the Panthers were actually playing decent football. By the time Carolina took a routine L to the Seahawks in Week 17, they were pretty much cooked. Advantage, New England.
***Atlanta came within a point of beating New England in early November, and the Seahawks were rolling and dominating defensively when they stuck it to the Falcons five weeks later. Advantage, Seattle.
***Houston had not yet embarked on its season-ending 9-game winning streak when it lost a Week 7 Monday Nighter by one score in Seattle, 27-19. A few months later, the Patriots took apart Houston in the playoffs by a similar (28-16) score.
No advantage.
The Patriots have a slew of new players this season. Twelve of the 22 starters weren’t around last year when the franchise was still trying exorcise the ghosts of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. Many of them were not even born or were in diapers in 2002 when New England's first iteration of Yeah-Buts stunned everyone on both ends of Rt. 90 and defeated the thought-to-be unbeatable Rams in the Super Bowl that started the dynasty.
Can it happen again? Sure. Will it? Who knows?
This much, though, is certain. New England has not lost a game outside of Gillette Stadium this year, and they head into the Super Bowl with a possible MVP at quarterback and the odds-on favorite to win the Coach of the Year Award. Not bad places to start.
The problem is that the Patriots are where they are because of a schedule that was among the weakest in NFL history – courtesy of their 4-13 record in 2024 and league rules which pit the weakest against each other.
There is no doubt that the Pats got fat playing a litany of bad teams in 2024 that never got better – Tennessee, Jets, Saints, Browns, and the like. One Boston writer referred to NE’s feather-soft schedule as the March of the Tomato Cans. Eleven of NE’s 20 games so far have been against teams that fired their coaches.
All of the above, plus a hefty dose of skepticism surrounding out-of-nowhere QB Drake Maye, has made the Seahawks a solid 4.5-point favorite heading into Sunday. A recent 9-pundit panel on ESPN found absolutely zero takers on the Yeah-Buts Patriots to win straight up. Even against the spread, punters still like Seattle by a 3-2 margin, though much of the money has yet to be committed.
Is there THAT much of a divide between the Patriots and the NFC-champion Seattle Seahawks? Will New England’s carriage turn into a pumpkin on the world stage this coming Sunday?
No one knows, of course, but a look at how they fared against common opponents before bettors get in line to buy that ticket.
Seattle and New England each played Pittsburgh, Carolina, New Orleans, Tampa Bay, and Houston this season.
***The Seahawks defeated the Steelers by two touchdowns, while the Patriots lost to Pittsburgh by a touchdown when they fumbled the ball at the goal line late in the game. Advantage Seattle.
*** The Seahawks crushed New Orleans in a game that was never a game, while the Pats had one of their worst games in earning a six-point win. Advantage Seattle, there, too.
***Against Tampa Bay, Seattle’s defense had a rare letdown and the Seahawks took one on the chin, 38-35. New England, meanwhile, went into Tampa and defeated the Buccaneers (who were playing well at the time). Advantage, New England.
***New England’s Week 4 four-touchdown whooping over Carolina came when the Panthers were actually playing decent football. By the time Carolina took a routine L to the Seahawks in Week 17, they were pretty much cooked. Advantage, New England.
***Atlanta came within a point of beating New England in early November, and the Seahawks were rolling and dominating defensively when they stuck it to the Falcons five weeks later. Advantage, Seattle.
***Houston had not yet embarked on its season-ending 9-game winning streak when it lost a Week 7 Monday Nighter by one score in Seattle, 27-19. A few months later, the Patriots took apart Houston in the playoffs by a similar (28-16) score.
No advantage.
The Patriots have a slew of new players this season. Twelve of the 22 starters weren’t around last year when the franchise was still trying exorcise the ghosts of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. Many of them were not even born or were in diapers in 2002 when New England's first iteration of Yeah-Buts stunned everyone on both ends of Rt. 90 and defeated the thought-to-be unbeatable Rams in the Super Bowl that started the dynasty.
Can it happen again? Sure. Will it? Who knows?
This much, though, is certain. New England has not lost a game outside of Gillette Stadium this year, and they head into the Super Bowl with a possible MVP at quarterback and the odds-on favorite to win the Coach of the Year Award. Not bad places to start.
