After several seasons of falling to the wayside in terms of marketability, the New England Patriots have returned to form. Last season's run to the Super Bowl, along with some off-the-field drama that surrounded the team this offseason, the Patriots have become one of the premier talking points across the NFL. Because of that, the reigning AFC champions have earned six standalone games in their 2026 schedule , and five primetime games. Those five games are tied for third-most in the entire NFL and show that the Patriots -- coming off a 14-3 regular season a year ago -- are now a team that the country wants to see each week. A lot of it comes from young quarterback Drake Maye , who exploded onto the scene en route to an All-Pro nomination and being the MVP runner up. When you nail the quarterback, the rest will fall into place. For the Patriots, he will be the conductor that keeps the New England train on the straight and narrow, and the NFL's willingness to highlight their young star shows that.…