Let's have some fun and compare the QBs, the coaches and so much more of the 2001 Patriots vs. the 2025 edition, which are more similar than you might think.
Led by a second-year quarterback and a remodeled defense, the New England Patriots went from worst to first in the AFC East.
Now they’re up against an NFC West power, a Super Bowl favorite that’s equipped with a league-leading unit that oozes with greatness.
The Patriots have been here before. Back in the 2001 season, when their two-decade dynasty started, with Tom Brady at QB and Bill Belichick as head coach in Super Bowl XXXVI against the St. Louis Rams.
So just how similar is this year’s Patriots team to the one that helped redefine the franchise? More than you might think. Let’s have some fun.
Quarterback: Tom Brady vs. Drake Maye
Although Brady and Drake Maye both piloted the Patriots to the Super Bowl in Year 2, their journeys to that point were wildly different. New England selected a dual-threat Maye with the No. 3 overall pick in 2024, whereas a conventionally unathletic Brady famously fell to pick No. 199 in the sixth round of the 2000 draft. Brady completed one pass as a rookie while backing up Drew Bledsoe. Maye, on the other hand, was thrust into the Patriots’ QB1 role about a month into his inaugural season in the league.
It wasn’t until Week 2 of the 2001 season that Brady got his shot. He took over late in the fourth quarter after Bledsoe got rocked by New York Jets linebacker Mo Lewis. Brady made the Pro Bowl that season, throwing for at least three touchdowns without a pick in three different outings and engineering game-winning drives in three others. His 2001 numbers paled in comparison to the ones Maye stacked during the 2025 campaign, though. Benefiting from a franchise reset, Maye established himself as an NFL MVP candidate, tossing 31 touchdowns and completing a league-high 72% of his attempts.
QB verdict: Very different
Brady’s ascent from sixth-round backup to Super Bowl champion during the 2001 season remains one of the best, and most unlikely, stories in sports history. Maye’s second-year success is significant; however, he was a one-time Alabama commit and a top-10 Heisman Trophy vote-getter at UNC before going top three in the draft as a high-upside prospect. No QB’s stardom is guaranteed in the NFL, but Maye’s was far more predictable than Brady’s.
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Coach: Bill Belichick vs. Mike Vrabel
The 2001 season marked the second year of Bill Belichick’s head-coaching tenure in New England, and his sixth season leading an NFL team, having also coached the Cleveland Browns. Belichick’s Patriots went 5-11 in 2000. They dropped to 0-2 in 2001 after falling to a Jets franchise he was supposed to coach but instead resigned from around 20 months earlier. Ultimately, Brady saved the day at quarterback, and Belichick’s defense gelled.
Mike Vrabel helped the latter come to fruition. A former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker, he was one of several new faces in New England that year. Now he’s coaching the franchise with whom he won three Super Bowls during the first half of the Patriots’ reign. But while Belichick reportedly worried about his job security at the beginning of the 2001 season, Vrabel entered the 2025 campaign with immense head-coaching credibility. He had already coached the Tennessee Titans to four winning seasons and an AFC championship appearance. A stark contrast from an upbeat Pete Carroll, Belichick was demanding on the field and brooding in front of the media as he installed the “Patriot Way.” This season, Vrabel has struck a balance: He’s authoritative yet personable as a defensive-minded CEO head coach.
Coach verdict: Different
Vrabel authored a remarkable turnaround in 2025 that rivals Belichick’s in 2001, except with a more emotive disposition and in his first year on the job. Even though Belichick and Vrabel are both detail-oriented coaches who revamped New England’s defense, their varying head-coaching résumés prior to these Super Bowl seasons and leadership nuances justify the distinction.
Team building: 2001 Patriots vs. 2025 Patriots
The Patriots’ preseason over/under win total was 6.5 in 2001. At the time, they were three years removed from their last postseason appearance and five years removed from reaching their last Super Bowl.
In 2025, New England’s over/under was 8.5. It had been four years since the Patriots had last made the playoffs and seven years since their most recent Super Bowl appearance. Both teams were coming off back-to-back last-place finishes in the AFC East.
In each instance, New England’s jump in performance was preceded by seismic roster turnover. Ahead of the 2001 campaign, the Patriots set a franchise record for offseason moves. Coming into the 2025 season, they spent heavily in free agency and returned just 48.4% of players from the previous season, the lowest retention rate of any NFL team this time around, according to Over the Cap.
Team building verdict: Very similar
Major resets were necessary for a pair of Patriots squads looking to ditch the stench of losing. Just like the 2001 Patriots, the 2025 Patriots had a second-year quarterback (Brady/Maye), a rookie left tackle (Matt Light/Will Campbell), a veteran wideout leading the team in receiving (Troy Brown/Stefon Diggs), a hard-nosed linebacker who started his career with the Steelers (Vrabel/Robert Spillane) and a Pro Bowl cornerback (Ty Law/Christian Gonzalez).
They leaped from 17th to sixth in scoring defense from 2000 to 2001, and then from 22nd to fourth in that same category from 2024 to 2025. Those units were paramount in the teams’ postseason surges, never allowing more than 17 points.
Oh, and New England navigated a blizzard both times. But this year’s AFC championship didn’t have the controversy the “Tuck Rule” fueled during the divisional round 24 years ago.
Super Bowl opponent: 2001 Rams vs. 2025 Seahawks
The 2001 Patriots found themselves matched up with “The Greatest Show on Turf” St. Louis Rams, one of the most potent offenses in NFL history. Quarterbacked by two-time NFL MVP Kurt Warner, the high-flying Rams ranked first in points per game (31.4), yards per play (6.6) and third-down conversion rate (50%). Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce starred at receiver. Marshall Faulk ran routes like them, but he doubled as an explosive running back.
The 2025 Patriots are dealing with a comparable threat on the other side of the ball. The Seattle Seahawks’ defense gave up the fewest points per game (17.2), second-fewest yards per play (4.6) and the lowest third-down conversion rate (32.1%) of any NFL team this season. “The Dark Side” is giving last decade’s “Legion of Boom” a run for its money as one of the more terrifying defenses in recent memory. Leonard Williams, DeMarcus Lawrence and Byron Murphy II headline a suffocating defensive front that affords Seattle the option to stay in two-high safety looks.
Verdict: Fairly similar
The 2001 Rams actually ranked seventh in scoring defense, and the 2025 Seahawks are third in scoring offense with the NFL’s leading receiver. These Super Bowl teams aren’t one-trick ponies, but they’re best known for their dominance on offense (Rams) and defense (Seahawks).
Expectations: 2001 Patriots vs. 2025 Patriots
The Patriots were 14-point underdogs against the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI back in February 2002. They’re currently just 4.5-point underdogs versus the Seahawks in Super Bowl LX. After all, before the season started, the Seahawks were also a long shot to win the big game. That said, critics have discounted this year’s Patriots and their weak regular-season schedule for months.
Verdict: Similar
Brady didn’t put up earth-shattering playoff stats as a burgeoning quarterback in his second season. Maye hasn’t, either. They both dealt with the elements, and even injury. Remember, Brady left the 2001 season AFC title game in Pittsburgh with an ankle issue. The Super Bowl wouldn’t be in the cards for this year’s Patriots without their defense. The same was true for them back then. Will a feel-good New England team, and especially its young QB, have enough against an NFC West titan? Doubt is plentiful, as was the case before. Maybe the Patriots will like it that way.
Category: General Sports
