The Patriots will face the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday. Even though New England has navigated every challenge this season, many people still have doubts because of its regular season schedule.<\/p>\n
New England has had the easiest strength of schedule in the NFL, primarily because it faced a fourth-place slate after finishing last in the AFC East in 2024. This season, the Patriots have secured victories over the Bills, Chargers and Texans. However, Bleacher Report\u2019s Brad Gagnon believes the main reason<\/a> New England won\u2019t clinch the Super Bowl is that it hasn\u2019t been battle-tested enough.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s well-known that the Patriots had the\u00a0easiest schedule\u00a0in the league this season,\u201d Gagnon wrote on Wednesday. \u201cThey followed that up with matchups against the defeated Chargers and the overmatched Texans, and now they face a Broncos team that just lost its star quarterback to a season-ending ankle injury.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t fault the Pats for their path, but it\u2019s fair to wonder if such a young and inexperienced team will be ready to be a Super Bowl underdog against a Rams team that is a lot more accomplished or a Seahawks squad that looks close to unstoppable at the moment.\u00a0This New England group has been better than most expected, indicating that the rebuild is in hyperdrive. But it\u2019s possible it\u2019s not truly ready to become a Super Bowl winner just yet.\u201d<\/p>\n The Patriots couldn\u2019t control the fact that their opponents this season didn\u2019t live up to expectations, but it didn\u2019t really matter that most of the teams they played weren\u2019t very strong. Winning in the NFL is tough, regardless of the team\u2019s skill level, and New England consistently took care of business whenever it stepped onto the field.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n It\u2019s hard to deny that New England has had an easy schedule, but that hasn\u2019t really affected the Patriots during the playoffs. They still have two games left, one of which will be against a backup quarterback, Jarrett Stidham.<\/p>\n More NFL:<\/p>\n