It’s tough to imagine the New England Patriots have any gripes with their 2019 schedule.
The NFL on Wednesday released the full slate of games for the upcoming season, and the Patriots made out quite nicely. New England for some time had known who its opponents would be for the 2019 campaign, but the layout out of games turned out to be more than manageable for the reigning Super Bowl champions.
In fact, one NFL analyst believes the Patriots are the biggest winner of the schedule for the new season.
“The Patriots. New England has some holes to fill on the roster before we get to the regular season, but the schedule sets up for them to start the season,” ESPN’s Matt Bowen writes. “After hosting the Steelers in Week 1, the Patriots get the Dolphins (away), Jets (home), Bills (away), Redskins (away), Giants (home) and Jets again (home) before the Sunday night matchup with Baker Mayfield and the Browns. If New England can beat Pittsburgh on opening weekend, it could go on a significant run to start the season.”
The toughest stretch of New England’s 2019 season undoubtedly occurs Weeks 11 through 14, which starts with a trip to Philadelphia, followed by a home date with the Dallas Cowboys, road tilt with Houston and finally an AFC Championship Game rematch against the Kansas City Chiefs in Foxboro. But prior to these tough four contests, New England will enjoy a well-timed Week 10 bye, which will provide Bill Belichick and Co. with ample time to prepare for what’s ahead.
The Patriots also close their season with division clashes against the Bills and Dolphins, both at Gillette Stadium. New England very well could be battling for playoff seeding during the final two weeks of the regular season, so having a pair of advantageous matchups down the stretch never hurts.
There are no guaranteed victories in the NFL, though, and it will be up to the Patriots to capitalize on their good fortune.
