Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

NFL Analyst Believes the Road to the Super Bowl in the AFC Will Go through Foxborough Once Again!

The Patriots control their own destiny in the AFC!

Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The New England Patriots are currently 8-2 and one of the 3 teams with the best record in the league, along with the Colts and the Broncos. It has been a complete turnaround to their season, their best one since Tom Brady departed at the end of the 2019 season.

As such, former NFL player turned analyst, Damian Woody, believes that the road to the Super Bowl in the AFC will go through the New England Patriots this season. While many may not be happy to see the Patriots on their way back to contending for yet another Lombardi Trophy, there is no denying that Woody’s claims hold some weight.

“The road to the Super Bowl and the AFC is going through Foxboro,” Said Woody on ESPN’s November 10 edition of ‘Get Up’.

"The road to the Super Bowl in the AFC is going through Foxborough."

—@damienwoody on the Patriots 👀 pic.twitter.com/aDdHScyaaP
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) November 10, 2025

New England Patriots Extraordinary Start to the 2025–26 NFL Season

Following back-to-back seasons with a 4-13 record, the Patriots brought in their former player, Mike Vrabel, who had been searching for a job after the Titans let him go. Vrabel’s signing has worked wonders for New England. He has elevated the team as a whole, but more importantly, he seems to be getting much more out of second-year quarterback Drake Maye.

On the offensive side of the ball, along with Maye pulling the strings under center, they have key players such as Stefon Diggs, rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson, and Kayshon Boutte making big plays as well. They are a top-10 offense in multiple categories, including points per game, yards per game, and more.

The Patriots are not only one of the best defenses in the league, giving up just about 19.2 points per game, but they are also the number one rush defense, and that too by a long margin. New England’s defense is allowing the fewest yards on the ground at just over 72 a game.

The Patriots are:

▪️ 8-2
▪️ Won 7 straight
▪️ First place in the AFC East with a multiple-game lead
▪️ Own the tiebreaker over the Bills
▪️ Tied for the best record in the league

Life is good. LFG. pic.twitter.com/28zzjop0lG
— Pats Buzz (@PatsBuzz) November 9, 2025

Weeker Strength of Schedule in Upcoming Weeks

Looking at the positives as the Patriots make a push for the number one seed in the AFC, the first thing that jumps to mind is their remaining schedule. New England has one of the easiest remaining strengths of schedule in the league, a significant advantage in the race to the postseason seedings.

The upcoming games for the Patriots include the (2-7) Jets, (3-6) Bengals, (2-8) Giants, followed by a Week 14 bye week. After their bye week, the Patriots take on their only two remaining tough teams, the Bills and the Ravens, following which their season ends with two divisional games against the Jets and the Dolphins.

DRAKE MAYE IS YOUR NEW MVP FAVORITE 🏆 pic.twitter.com/PYg9htKi45
— PFF Betting (@PFF_Betting) November 9, 2025

Buffalo Bills Struggles in the AFC East

Another positive is the fact that their worthiest divisional rivals, the Buffalo Bills, have not looked as dominant as they have been over the past few seasons. The Bills are currently 6-3 on the year, but they have had a mixed season so far.

A couple of good wins over the Ravens and the Chiefs have been the highlight of the season, but even then, the defense gave up 40 points against Baltimore in their season opener. Back-to-back losses against the Patriots and the Falcons made sure the Bills didn’t run away with yet another division crown. However, their latest loss to the Dolphins this past Sunday has raised quite a few questions.

In short, the Patriots have a strong chance of clinching the number one seed in the AFC come playoff time. It certainly looks like they are the favorites to win the AFC East, and looking at the schedules of the other top teams in the conference, it is the Patriots who have the best chance.

Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Drake Maye

Mike Vrabel

New England Patriots

NFL

Devavrat Kulkarni

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I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!