Patriots former rival not completely sold on team ahead of 2026 season
TL;DR
Former NFL linebacker Bart Scott questions the New England Patriots' ability to handle being the hunted in the 2026 season after their surprising success last year.
Key points
- Bart Scott is a former All-Pro linebacker and ESPN commentator
- Scott sees the Patriots as the hunted in the 2026 NFL season
- The Patriots won 14 games last season as AFC champions
- Scott expects teams like the Bills to challenge the Patriots
- The Patriots need to adapt to the pressure of being the hunted
Mentioned in this story
Former All-Pro linebacker and current ESPN commentator Bart Scott wants to see how the New England Patriots perform when they're "the hunted" in the 2026 NFL season.
Scott has been viewed as a longtime rival of the team due to his stints with the Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets as an NFL player. When appearing on ESPN's Get Up on Wednesday, he explained that the Patriots caught teams by surprise by winning 14 games last season.
However, he expects them to get every team's best shot in the 2026 season after last year's run as AFC champions.
"With the Patriots, it's intriguing because usually when you have a year that's unexpected, sometimes you have a course correction because now people aren't used to being the hunted," said Scott. "They're used to being hunters. Now, let's see how the Patriots handle that. The [Buffalo] Bills are going to be coming for redemption, and everybody is going to start eyeing and circling those games."
The Patriots have made notable improvements through free agency and the 2026 NFL Draft on both sides of the ball. So the team that takes the field this season is expected to be better than the one that advanced to the Super Bowl last season.
With that said, this will be a solid measuring stick to see if the Patriots have staying power as one of the NFL's top teams.
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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Patriots former rival not completely sold on team ahead of 2026 season
Q&A
What did Bart Scott say about the Patriots' performance in the 2026 season?
Bart Scott expressed that he wants to see how the Patriots perform as the hunted team in the 2026 season after their unexpected success.
Why does Bart Scott believe the Patriots will face challenges in 2026?
Scott believes the Patriots will face challenges because they are not used to being the hunted and will have to handle increased pressure from teams like the Buffalo Bills.
How did the Patriots perform in the previous season before 2026?
The Patriots won 14 games last season and were AFC champions, which caught other teams by surprise.
