The Patriots are one of four teams with a 1-5 record.
Six weeks into the NFL season, the New England Patriots are very much living up to expectation. The belief was that the team would be one of the worst in the NFL in 1 ABB — Year 1 after Bill Belichick — and it very much is so far.
Sunday’s 41-21 loss to the Houston Texans was the fifth defeat in six games. And while there is plenty to feel optimistic about given the play of first-round rookie quarterback Drake Maye in his starting debut, New England suddenly turning the ship around and heading toward playoff contention seems highly unlikely.
Instead, the destination appears to be a high draft pick once again. In fact, the Patriots are currently aiming for the No. 1 selection in 2025.
With a third of the NFL season in the books, the Patriots are one of six one-week teams and one of four sharing identical 1-5 records. The difference between them and the Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers lies in their cumulative strength of schedule: the Patriots’ past and future opponents in 2024 combine for a win percentage of .454 — third lowest in the NFL behind division rivals Buffalo (.438) and Miami (.400)
In order to stay ahead of their competition in the dubious race for the top pick in 2025, the Patriots will be playing a critical game this week. They will face the Jaguars in London in a contest that could go a long way toward deciding the top of the draft board for next spring.
Obviously, there is a long way to go before anything is set in stone. With neither the Patriots nor the Jaguars looking like realistic candidates for a rebound, however, they very well could remain in the race for the No. 1 pick until the very end.
If so, the result of their Week 7 head-to-head meeting might be crucial.