Regardless of how the New England Patriots’ 2025 season ends, they’ve already exceeded even the most optimistic expectations.

The Patriots will enter Week 18 with a 13-3 record after finishing 4-13 in back-to-back seasons. They were crowned AFC East champions for the first time since 2019, and they could earn the AFC’s No. 1 seed with a win and a Denver Broncos loss on Sunday.

Head coach Mike Vrabel and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels have engineered the team’s remarkable turnaround. They’ve helped to get the most out of second-year quarterback Drake Maye, who’s now favored to win the NFL MVP award.

The front office deserves credit for making several impactful offseason moves, such as signing Stefon Diggs, Milton Williams, Carlton Davis, Harold Landry, Robert Spillane, and Morgan Moses. New England also nailed its first two draft picks in Will Campbell and TreVeyon Henderson.

It was a storybook 2025 for the Patriots, but is their success sustainable in the long term? On the latest Quick Slants, NBC Sports Boston’s Pats insider Tom E. Curran explained why this isn’t a flash in the pan.

“The Patriots are actually set up to be in a great spot,” Curran said. “Because of the cap space, because of the draft picks, because of Josh McDaniels, and the fact that he has already had two cracks at head coaching, and he might say, ‘You know what? I’m good here. I like it. I’m having a good time. I don’t need the money. I’m going to stick here for a while with this unbelievable quarterback.’

“So when we talk about whether or not the Patriots are lightning in a bottle or at the beginning of an outstanding run, much more likely that they’re at the beginning of an outstanding run. And if you hit them all with the true serum, they’d say the same thing. This year has not been found money for them, but it has been a little bit better than they anticipated. They are on the straight and narrow and sticking to it with their plans.”

As great as the Patriots have been, they have benefited from one of the NFL’s easiest schedules in 2025. That won’t be the case next season. As division champs, the Pats will have plenty of tough matchups in 2026.

For now, New England will focus on its regular-season finale against the Miami Dolphins and where it will land in the AFC playoff seeding. If the Patriots fail to earn a first-round bye, they will meet either the Houston Texans, Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars, or Los Angeles Chargers in the wild-card round.