After losing to the Seahawks in the Super Bowl this past season, New England opens the 2026-27 season with a Super Bowl rematch vs. the Seahawks in Seattle this coming Wednesday night. After nearly getting the job done last season, the Patriots made some big moves this offseason with one goal in mind: win Super Bowl #7 for this storied franchise.
Below, I break down my favorite long shot bet for the Patriots for this upcoming season on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Bold predictions for the New England Patriots
Drake Maye to lead NFL in passing touchdowns (+1500)
Maye had an incredible sophomore season in 2025. The 24-year-old finished with 4,394 yards, 31 touchdowns and eight picks while leading the Patriots to a 14-3 record and their first AFC East title since 2018.
Maye ranked first in completion percentage (72%), YPA (8.9) and passer rating (113.5). Maye’s passer rating was well ahead of Matthew Stafford (109.2), who Maye finished runner-up to in MVP votes.
Many believed Maye should have won the award over Stafford – myself included – and after this outstanding campaign, Maye is in an even better position to succeed this season, particularly as a touchdown passer.
Maye threw for 31 touchdowns last season – which ranked third among quarterbacks – despite a weak group of pass catchers. Yes, Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson are strong pass catchers out of the backfield, and Hunter Henry is a rock solid tight end, but Maye’s top wideouts were an aging Stefon Diggs, and erratic options in Mack Hollins and Kayshon Boutte.
Maye certainly brought the best out of these players, especially Diggs, but there is no denying this is an underwhelming receiver room that lacks star power and this was on full display in the Patriots’ Super Bowl loss to the Seahawks.
So, to address this issue, the Patriots made some major upgrades at receiver this offseason. Hollins remains, but Diggs and Boutte are gone and to replace them, New England traded for A.J. Brown and signed Romeo Doubs to a four-year, $68 million deal.
Brown and the Eagles relationship ended on a sour note, but the three-time Pro-Bowler still topped 1,000 yards and caught 7+ touchdowns last season for the sixth time in his seven seasons in the NFL. Brown is still only 29-years-old and the elite deep threat should be a match made in heaven with Maye, who finished third in deep pass completion percentage last season (54.8%).
Standing at 6’1″and weighing at 226 pounds, Brown is also an awesome redzone option that is offense severely lacked last season. Brown is far and away the best pass catcher Brown has ever played with in the NFL and the massive hype around this duo heading into the season is well warranted.
Doubs is also a great redzone threat, who caught six touchdowns last season and has found the paydirt 21 times in his first four seasons, all of which came with the Packers. Doubs isn’t a deep threat, but rather a strong possession and intermediate wideout who should complement Brown perfectly.
Brown and Doubs joining this offense is going to make things much easier for Henry and the tight end one upping himself with more touchdowns after grabbing seven scores last season is a possibility.
All in all, the Patriots have put a terrific group of weapons around Maye and this offense should be one of the best units in the league. Maye should continue to improve in his third season, especially after gaining a ton of playoff experience in New England’s run to the Super Bowl, and the quarterback easily outproducing his 31 passing touchdowns from last season is very likely.
Over 40 scores is within reach for Maye and the quarterback has a great chance to lead the NFL in passing touchdowns.
