The New England Patriots begin the 2026 season with far more attention after an improbable AFC championship. Smith doesn't seem to view them as top contenders for another Super Bowl appearance. New England opens the new NFL campaign with a Super Bowl LX rematch against the Seattle Seahawks on Wednesday night.
Before the game, Smith poured cold water on their 2026 outlook. "Patriots, I am not convinced!" Smith wrote as the caption to a video from his show posted on X. As many critics noted throughout their run, the Patriots benefited from a favorable strength of schedule.
They won one of three regular-season games against opponents with a winning record before defeating injury-depleted teams in the playoffs. "The New England Patriots, on record last year, had the easiest schedule that had existed for an NFL team since 1999," Smith said. "And not only did that happen, you go into the playoffs against a Chargers squad down two elite All-Pro offensive linemen.
You go up against the Houston Texans in a divisional playoff game. There's no Joe Mixon, and C.J. Stroud was clearly struggling.
So you lucked out with that." With Bo Nix sidelined, the Patriots squeaked out a 10-7 win over Jarrett Stidham and the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game before a lopsided Super Bowl loss. The Seahawks held them scoreless for three quarters in a 29-13 triumph. The Patriots reloaded this offseason, acquiring A.J.
Brown to give Drake Maye a bona fide receiving target. Smith still doesn't expect a better outcome when they open the season at Lumen Field. "New England was lucky as hell, and then when they showed up in the Super Bowl against a team loaded and ready to ball, they got completely outclassed," Smith declared.
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