The New England Patriots might be taking their talents south of the border in 2017.
According to a report from ESPN’s John Sutcliffe, the Patriots could be tabbed to square off against the Oakland Raiders at Mexico City’s famed Estadio Azteca at some point next season.
That would be the second regular-season NFL game held at the iconic soccer venue in as many seasons, as it also hosted a “Monday Night Football” contest between the Raiders and Houston Texans earlier this month.
Sutcliffe mentioned during ESPN’s broadcast of Monday’s Green Bay Packers-Philadelphia Eagles game that Patriots owner Robert Kraft expressed interest in participating in a future Mexico City showcase.
The Patriots have played on foreign soil twice during Kraft’s tenure as owner, beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at London’s Wembley Stadium in 2009 and dispatching the St. Louis Rams in a return visit in 2012.
New England and Oakland aren’t scheduled to play each other this season, but they obviously are scheduled for a 2017 matchup, as the Patriots will play non-divisional games against the AFC West and NFC South. The two teams obviously could meet in the playoffs, as they enter Week 13 ranked second and first in the AFC, respectively.
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
