The New England Patriots have had one of the best single-season turnarounds in NFL history, going from 4-13 to 13-4 and a Super Bowl appearance. They got here with stellar quarterback play, strong defense, and excellent coaching. Let's give each positional group, the coaching staff, and the team a letter grade.
Quarterback - A
Granted, he has not played very well in the postseason, but Drake Maye is one of the biggest reasons why the Patriots are playing in Super Bowl LX. The leap he has taken from year one to year two has been astounding. Maye led the NFL in completion percentage (72.0) and passer rating (113.5) during the regular season. He has made mistakes in the playoffs, but he has also had plenty of clutch moments, like running for the first down against the Denver Broncos and the touchdown pass he threw to Kayshon Boutte against the Houston Texans. He gets an "A" because when Drake Maye has played well this season, he has looked like an MVP frontrunner.
Running Back - C
If it weren't for Drake Maye, New England's rushing totals would be much lower. As a team, they have averaged 130.7 rushing yards per game during the 2026 postseason. But if we factor out Maye's yards, the Pats are only averaging 83.7 rushing yards per game, which would be the fourth-lowest mark in the playoffs. The good news is that starting running back Rhamondre Stevenson brings this grade up from a "D" or "F" to a "C" because he has been effective in the passing game. He’s New England's second-leading receiver in yards (86) and ranks third on the team in receptions during the playoffs (seven).
Wide Receiver - C
There's clearly talent in this receiver room. Stefon Diggs is a good number-one option. He's not on the level of a Puka Nacua or a Jaxon Smith-Njigba, but he's still a 1,000-yard receiver, and he put up those numbers coming off a torn ACL. Beyond him, the Pats have some solid pass-catching options. Kayshon Boutte could be an excellent WR3, but he has been decent as New England's WR2 with a team-high 147 receiving yards in the postseason. DeMario Douglas, Mack Hollins, and Kyle Williams aren't going to win you any games by themselves, but they have to be accounted for in the passing game. You can’t just let those guys run around unguarded; otherwise, they’ll kill ya through the air. Overall, New England has an average wide receiver group.
Tight End - B
Unless you're the Los Angeles Rams, most teams will feature two tight ends in their offense. Starting tight end Hunter Henry has become a great safety net. From Drake Maye's rookie season to this year, Henry has increased his yardage output (674 to 849), touchdowns (two to eight), and yards per reception (10.21 to 12.86). Austin Hooper only has one catch in the postseason, but that 14-yard reception did help lead to the phenomenal Kayshon Boutte touchdown reception against the Texans. Between Hooper and Henry, they average almost 58 receiving yards per game, which is good production from two non-Pro Bowl tight ends.
Offensive Line - D
The offensive line has done a better job with run blocking ever since the playoffs started, which would explain why New England has seen its rushing yards per game increase slightly. However, the pass blocking from this unit has been pretty bad for most of the season. Considering how important Drake Maye is to the offense's success, we have to give the offensive line the worst grade on this list. During the regular season, the Pats were tied for the ninth-most sacks allowed (48). Plus, this group has allowed the most sacks of any team in the playoffs (15), with nine more than the next closest team! They get the benefit of the doubt because New England has faced three of the 11 best pass-rushing teams in the NFL during the 2026 postseason, but this group has been a huge letdown.
Defensive Line - B
Though pass-rushing linebackers can sometimes be considered members of the defensive line, we are going to identify d-linemen as any member of the Patriots who is either listed as a defensive tackle or defensive end on their official roster. The group of Milton Williams, Christian Barmore, Cory Durden, and Khyiris Tonga has really stepped up its game in the postseason. Those guys have accounted for a third of New England's playoff sacks (four) and more than a third of the team's tackles for loss (six out of 16). They have also helped New England emerge as the best run-defending team in the postseason, with just 71.3 rushing yards allowed per game. They don't have any superstars like Myles Garrett or Micah Parsons, but this group has been awesome.
Linebackers - A
The pass-rushing and off-ball linebackers have arguably been even better than the defensive linemen. This group of players has been responsible for half of the Patriots' 12 playoff sacks. Plus, five of New England's top-nine tacklers are linebackers. Christian Elliss has been an unsung hero for this group. Though he missed two games, he was the Pats' second-best tackler (94). In the postseason, he has 16 tackles (second on the team), a sack, two tackles for loss, two passes defended, a fumble recovery, and a forced fumble. Meanwhile, Robert Spillane has been a vocal leader on this defense and led the team in tackles during the regular season despite only playing in 13 games. Even Jack Gibbens has played well, with 15 total tackles in the postseason, tied for the third-most on the team.
Cornerbacks - A
Christian Gonzalez is playing like one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL. He has been able to do it all with 15 total tackles, a sack, an interception, four pass deflections, and a forced fumble since the playoffs began. On the other side of the field, Carlton Davis has a team-high two interceptions and four pass deflections in the postseason. When these two have been targeted in the playoffs, they have allowed a passer rating of 28.05. If you threw the football into the ground every play, you would finish the game with a 39.58 passer rating. Opposing teams would be better served just avoiding these guys in general, which is the sign of an elite cornerback duo. We also can't forget about Marcus Jones, who has an interception return for a touchdown, four pass deflections, and a sack. New England might have the best cornerback room in the NFL right now.
Safeties - B
Craig Woodson has been exceptional in the playoffs. He leads the team in total tackles (20) and solo tackles (13). He has also recorded a sack, a fumble recovery, an interception, and four passes defended. Woodson has been even better in coverage, allowing a 7.4 passer rating when targeted. Unfortunately, this group's grade takes a hit because of New England’s other starting safety, Jaylinn Hawkins. He hasn't been good in pass coverage when targeted. Hawkins has allowed three catches on four targets for 42 yards and a touchdown, which equates to a 147.9 passer rating. The sample size has been small, but Hawkins has been somewhat of a liability on the back-end.
Special Teams - D
Kicker Andres Borregales has yet to make a field goal beyond 39 yards and is tied for the third-lowest successful field goal percentage in the playoffs this season. Punter Bryce Baringer - who has attempted the most punts in the playoffs (19) - has only recorded six punts that have been downed inside the 20, meaning his coffin corner kick rate is 31.6%. That's even lower than his regular-season rate of 38.6%, which ranked 20th out of 33 punters. New England has even struggled with kickoff returns, averaging 24.5 yards per attempt, which is eighth out of 14 playoff teams. The punt return unit prevents this from being an “F.” New England ranks fourth in the postseason in yards per punt return (8.1). If we're being honest, though, this unit has underperformed.
Coaching Staff - A
The Patriots have one of the most well-rounded groups of coaches in the NFL. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is a six-time Super Bowl champion as an offensive playcaller and has played a huge part in Drake Maye's development from last season to this year. After defensive coordinator Terrell Williams had to step away from the team to battle and defeat cancer, linebackers coach Zak Kuhr was able to fill in and help the defense finish the regular season ranked in the top ten in yards allowed (eighth) and scoring (fourth). It all starts and ends with head coach Mike Vrabel, though, who has orchestrated a masterful one-year turnaround in New England. He now has a 4-13 team playing in the Super Bowl, which is a testament to how good a coach he is.
Team Grade - B
The Patriots have some issues, but what team doesn't? The poor play the offensive line against the pass, and special teams inconsistencies are something to watch out for, though. In the playoffs, when the margins are so close, little things like missing your blocking assignment or shanking a punt could really hurt your team’s chances to win. However, the defense is fabulous, the quarterback is good, and the coaching staff is excellent, which is why the Pats received a "B." If the special teams and offensive line were just slightly better, this could've easily been an "A."
