Despite rumors of potential delays, the NFL confirmed it will unveil the full schedule for its 2023 regular season at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday.
As fans await that official announcement, here are five things we’ll be looking for once the New England Patriots’ schedule is revealed:
1. Germany game details
This season will feature the Patriots’ first game overseas since 2012, when they throttled the then-St. Louis Rams at London’s Wembley Stadium. This time, they’re headed to Germany. Their opponent? According to one German outlet, it’s the New Orleans Saints, with the game being played in Frankfurt. That remains unconfirmed, however, and the date and time of the game have yet to be reported. Patriots fans won’t need to wait much longer, though, as the NFL will announce all of its international matchups on Wednesday.
2. Primetime schedule
For years, the Patriots were a virtual lock to receive the maximum number of primetime games (five). Now? Not so much. New England didn’t max out its number of Sunday/Monday/Thursday night games in either of the last two seasons and actually had one game flexed out of primetime last December. Such is life for a team that has a 25-25 record since Tom Brady’s departure and has just one player on its roster who made the Pro Bowl a year ago (Matthew Judon). If the NFL is optimistic about the Patriots’ chances of rebounding after last season’s 8-9 finish, they’ll get a handful of primetime dates. If not, expect to see a lot of 1 p.m. ET kickoffs. In one of several changes to the schedule-making process this year, the league no longer is required to award every team at least one primetime game.
3. Holiday matchups
The ever-expanding NFL schedule this season will feature three games on Thanksgiving, a Monday tripleheader on Christmas Day and, for the first time, a game on Black Friday. That’s in addition to the standard slates on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, which both fall on Sundays this year. We’ll see if the league tabs the Patriots, who played on Thanksgiving last season for the first time since 2012, for any of its marquee holiday tilts.
4. Weeklong West Coast trip?
In seasons in which they play the AFC or NFC West, the Patriots typically spend a week away from Foxboro between road games to ease the travel burden on players and foster some midseason team bonding. The 2022 Patriots, for example, practiced at the University of Arizona between away matchups against the Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders. They’ve also logged stints at UCLA and the Air Force Academy in the past. Surveying this season’s opponents, New England could request to have its trips to Las Vegas and Denver scheduled for back-to-back weeks. If that’s not possible, stacking one of those with the Patriots’ game in Dallas would be another option.
5. Aaron Rodgers
After facing Rodgers just three times over his 18 years in Green Bay, the Patriots now will see the four-time NFL MVP twice this season following his blockbuster trade to the New York Jets. Rodgers did not look like an elite quarterback in 2022, but he’s a massive upgrade over Zach Wilson and should make the long-suffering Jets legit playoff contenders. Will the NFL dial up an early-season showdown between Rodgers and the Patriots, who have won 14 straight and 22 of their last 24 against New York? Other high-profile matchups for New England this season include home dates against both of last year’s Super Bowl participants, the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles.
