The New England Patriots’ 2017 regular-season schedule officially has been unveiled.
Here it is (all times ET):
Week 1: vs. Kansas City Chiefs (Thursday, Sept. 7, 8:30 p.m.)
The Patriots will open the season — and raise their Super Bowl LI banner — Thursday, Sept. 7, in a rematch of the 2015 divisional round.
Week 2: at New Orleans Saints (Sunday, Sept. 17, 1 p.m.)
Brandin Cooks meets his old team just two games into the season. And who knows, Malcolm Butler might be a Saint by this point.
Week 3: vs. Houston Texans (Sunday, Sept. 24, 1 p.m.)
Bill O’Brien and the Texans look to snap a streak of six consecutive losses to the Patriots.
Week 4: vs. Carolina Panthers (Sunday, Oct. 1, 1 p.m.)
Cam Newton visits Foxboro for the first time.
Week 5: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Thursday, Oct. 5, 8:25 p.m.)
The Patriots will play their second Thursday night game in five weeks as they visit Jameis Winston and the Bucs.
Week 6: at New York Jets (Sunday, Oct. 15, 1 p.m.)
New England heads to the Meadowlands for its first divisional game of 2017.
Week 7: vs. Atlanta Falcons (Sunday, Oct. 22, 8:30 p.m.)
Patriots fans will need to wait nearly half the season to see the much-anticipated Super Bowl LI rematch, which will come on “Sunday Night Football.”
Week 8: vs. Los Angeles Chargers (Sunday, Oct. 29, 1 p.m.)
That “Los Angeles” still looks pretty strange, huh?
Week 9: Bye
Week 10: at Denver Broncos (Sunday, Nov. 12, 8:30 p.m.)
The Patriots finally snapped a three-game road losing streak against the Broncos last season, winning 16-3 at Sports Authority Field to score their first victory in Denver since 2011.
Week 11: vs. Oakland Raiders (Sunday, Nov. 19, 4:25 p.m., at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City)
The official date for the Patriots’ battle with the Raiders south of the border leaked earlier this week.
Week 12: vs. Miami Dolphins (Sunday, Nov. 26, 1 p.m.)
The Dolphins reached the playoffs last season for the first time since 2008. If they continue their upward trajectory, this will be a must-watch game.
Week 13: at Buffalo Bills (Sunday, Dec. 3, 1 p.m.)
The second half of New England’s schedule is heavy with divisional opponents, including the first trip back to Buffalo for Stephon Gilmore (and potentially Mike Gillislee, too).
Week 14: at Miami Dolphins (Monday, Dec. 11, 8:30 p.m.)
The Pats and Dolphins meet on Monday night for the first time since 2011.
Week 15: at Pittsburgh Steelers (Sunday, Dec. 17, 4:25 p.m.)
Two of the AFC’s perennial powers square off in what could be one of the final showdowns between aging quarterbacks Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger.
Week 16: vs. Buffalo Bills (Sunday, Dec. 24, 1 p.m.)
Will Buffalo have anything to play for at this point? The Bills haven’t made the playoffs since 1999, and they’ve finished above .500 just once during that span.
Week 17: vs. New York Jets (Sunday, Dec. 31, 1 p.m.)
The Patriots will close out the regular season at home against the Jets, breaking a streak of two consecutive Week 17s in Miami.
HOME OPPONENTS: Buffalo Bills, New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Kansas City Chiefs, Houston Texans, Los Angeles Chargers
ROAD OPPONENTS: Bills, Jets, Dolphins, Pittsburgh Steelers, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Oakland Raiders (in Mexico), Denver Broncos
Thumbnail photo via Robert Deutsch/USA TODAY Sports Images
