Rival Exec Defends Patriots from Trolls, Super Bowl Run Wasn't Due to 'Easy Schedule or Got Lucky'

One AFC executive doesn't believe the New England Patriots' 29-13 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX exposed anything deeper about the team.

"When you have the quarterback, the head coach and the play-caller [Josh McDaniels] that they have, you're always going to have a chance," the exec told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. "They didn't get to the Super Bowl because they had an easy schedule or got lucky. It's because they have those pieces in place, and they are building a good team around them."

The Seahawks' 16-point margin of victory doesn't tell the full story.

Patriots quarterback Drake Maye committed three turnovers and was sacked six times. Once he started to get going, his team was down 19 points and the game was pretty much over.

Seahawks' SB Scoop-and-Score😤

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The result provided plenty of ammunition to New England's skeptics, who argued the AFC champion was boosted by a weak schedule and would get exposed eventually.

Maybe calling the Patriots "lucky" to have reached the Super Bowl is a stretch, but they certainly weren't on Seattle's level Sunday.

Now, it's on the organization to show the 2025 campaign wasn't a false dawn.

"They still need to build out the roster a little bit more, but they will be able to do that because they have enough core pieces already addressed," one high-ranking executive said to Fowler.

Identifying the right additions will be critical.

The Cincinnati Bengals made the Super Bowl in Joe Burrow's second season, only to steadily fall off over the next four years. The Los Angeles Rams realized they had to move on from Jared Goff to become a title contender again, and swapping him for Matthew Stafford put them over the top.

Even when you have a talented young quarterback on a bargain contract, success is never assured in the NFL.

The Patriots still have a bright future ahead, even after Sunday's setback. Making that final step up from Super Bowl threat to Super Bowl champion can sometimes be the hardest challenge, though.