The New England Patriots reached a milestone that once felt routine during their dynasty years but has been elusive in recent seasons, becoming the first team in the NFL to reach 11 wins in 2025 after a dominant 33-15 victory over the New York Giants on Monday Night Football.
The win marked New England‘s 10th straight of the season and secured its first 11-win campaign since 2019, the final year of the Tom Brady and Bill Belichick era. New England wasted little time taking control of the game, racing to a 17-0 lead in the opening quarter and never allowing the Giants to seriously threaten the outcome.
The Patriots delivered impact plays across all three phases, with quarterback Drake Maye leading the offense, Marcus Jones igniting the night with another electric punt return touchdown, and the defense capitalizing on repeated Giants mistakes.
Drake Maye continues to impress
Drake Maye continued his impressive second season with one of his most efficient performances, completing 77.4 percent of his passes while throwing for 282 yards and two touchdowns. His early connection with Hunter Henry helped set the tone on the opening drive, even though that possession stalled inside the five-yard line and resulted in a field goal rather than a touchdown.
New England‘s conservatism near the goal line was short-lived, however, as the game quickly tilted in its favor. The first momentum-swinging moment came on special teams, where Jones fielded a punt at his own six-yard line and sprinted 94 yards for a touchdown.
The return marked his second punt return score of the season, making him just the fourth player in franchise history to record two in a single year. That play pushed the Patriots‘ lead to 10-0 and injected immediate energy into a crowd that sensed another runaway performance was underway.
New England is a serious contender
By night’s end, New England had improved to 11-2 and earned its place atop both the AFC East and the AFC standings heading into its bye week. The significance of reaching 11 wins again resonates deeply in New England, marking the franchise’s first such season since 2019, when Tom Brady was still under center and Bill Belichick remained on the sideline.
Since then, the Patriots have endured a period of transition and rebuilding, making this year’s surge all the more remarkable given how far removed it felt entering the season. After opening the year 1-2, few could have predicted a double-digit winning streak that would carry the Patriots into the bye as the conference’s top team.
Under first-year head coach Mike Vrabel, New England has quietly reestablished itself as a legitimate contender, blending timely playmaking, disciplined defense, and steady quarterback play into a formula that has overwhelmed opponents for more than two months. With four regular-season games remaining, all against AFC opponents and three within the division, the toughest challenges still lie ahead.
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