Four Patriots-Related Thoughts From NFL’s Week 13 Slate
The Foxboro Faithful experienced the first of two straight Sundays without New England Patriots football.
The Patriots will host the New York Giants on “Monday Night Football,” after all, before entering their Week 14 bye.
But there were a few Patriots-related thoughts to creep in during Sunday’s slate:
Drake Maye’s MVP campaign receives a boost
Just when it felt like Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford was pulling away in the 2025 NFL MVP race, the Los Angeles signal-caller turned the ball over three times in a stunning loss to the Panthers. Stafford, who entered Week 13 having thrown two interceptions all season, threw a pair of picks on his first three possessions before a game-costing fumble in crunch time. The veteran QB is now closer to even money after he moved from -220 to -110 with Drake Maye (+150) not far behind.
A two-team race for AFC’s No. 1 seed
It seems like it’ll come down to the Patriots and Broncos in the race for the AFC’s No. 1 seed — and thus a first-round bye in the playoffs. New England and Denver benefited from a favorable result when the Texans beat the Colts on Sunday. According to ESPN’s Football Power Index entering Week 13, the Patriots (38 percent) and Broncos (35 percent) had the best chances to earn the top spot with the Colts (19 percent) ranking third. Indy’s percentages dropped following the loss against Houston, though.
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Flurry of 2025 opponents earn victories
Have the Patriots benefited from an opportunistic schedule? They sure have. With that said, the combined win percentage of their opponents climbed a bit in Week 13. The Panthers stunned the Rams, the Buccaneers held on against the Cardinals, the Dolphins pulled it out against the Saints and the Jets walked it off against the Falcons. And that’s after the Bengals beat the Ravens on Friday. Maybe those opponents aren’t that bad after all? Or maybe beating the teams on your schedule isn’t always that easy?
It’s a week-to-week league
Need more proof of the week-to-week nature in the league? Los Angeles was that example. The Rams were a 10-point road favorite against the Panthers. Stafford and company were the hottest team in the NFL and atop the NFC. Meanwhile, the .500 Panthers suffered a loss to the Saints in Week 10 and got blown out by the Patriots 42-13. No chance LA would blow it against Bryce Young and company, right? Wrong. You know how many times the Patriots have lost this season as a touchdown-plus favorite? Zero.