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] aren’t used to being the hunted, they’re used to being the hunters… Let’s see how the Patriots handle that.”@BartScott57 on the Lions-Patriots Week 10 matchup in Munich đż pic.twitter.com/1L6TjEcLSf
â Get Up (@GetUpESPN) May 13, 2026
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