The New England Patriots missed the playoffs last season. Their road to get back there this year won't be easy.
Here are six takeaways from the Patriots' 2023 season schedule, which was unveiled Thursday night:
1. The Patriots' season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles will feature storylines galore:
-- Defending NFC champions coming to Gillette Stadium.
-- Mac Jones (assuming he beats out Bailey Zappe in training camp) facing off against one of his former Alabama teammates, Jalen Hurts.
-- The return of Matt Patricia, who, in his new role as a senior Eagles assistant, will have a hand in defending the Patriots offense that he steered into the ground last season.
-- And, of course, the Patriots' highly anticipated tribute to Tom Brady, who will be back in Foxboro for a celebration of his storied career.
Patriots defensive tackle Davon Godchaux on Thursday said New England will be especially motivated to put on a good show for the legendary quarterback.
"That's going to be big," Godchaux said. "A lot of people are looking forward to that. That's probably sold out already. We don't even know who the home opener is (against), and it's probably sold out because Tom's coming back. But that's going to be big. Arguably the greatest quarterback ever, and for him to come back to where it all started, I know all the fans are excited about that. He's done a lot for this program -- six Super Bowls with Coach Belichick and along with everybody else who participated in those Super Bowls.
"It's going to be exciting to have him. We've definitely got to get a win. We want to get a win every game, but that game, we've definitely got to get a win. A legend's coming back, so we've definitely got to show out."
2. Doing so will be easier said than done, though. The Eagles are coming off a 14-3 season and a narrow Super Bowl loss. In fact, the Patriots' entire early-season slate looks tricky. They'll host the Miami Dolphins -- a playoff team a year ago -- in Week 2, then head to New York in Week 3 for their first matchup with the Aaron Rodgers-led Jets.
The Patriots have won 14 straight and 22 of their last 24 against the Jets, but they took one of their 2022 meetings by five points and needed a last-minute punt-return touchdown to win 10-3 in the other. And both of those were with Zach Wilson quarterbacking New York. Whether Rodgers, a surefire Hall of Famer who played some of his worst football last season, can turn the long-suffering boys of East Rutherford into legit contenders will be one of the most fascinating questions of this NFL season.
Add in a road date with Dallas in Week 4, and the Patriots' first four games are against teams that either made the playoffs in 2022 or now have Aaron Rodgers.
3. Though the Patriots finished outside the playoff picture last season, their 2023 schedule will be among the most difficult in the NFL. By some metrics, it's tougher than any other team's.
Based on opponents' 2022 win-loss records, New England's schedule is the third-most difficult, trailing only the Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Dolphins. If you go off oddsmakers' projected win totals for each opponent, the Patriots' slate ranks No. 1 -- by a wide margin.
Obviously, team performance changes from season to season, and preseason predictions often are proven wrong. So, the Patriots' schedule could wind up being easier or harder than these early projections suggest. But with the AFC East looking stronger than it has in decades and some heavy hitters among New England's non-division foes, there aren't many obvious cupcake opponents on here. Except maybe the Washington Commanders, who come to town in Week 9.
4. The schedule makers gave the Patriots an extra day of rest ahead of their late-season matchup with the defending Super Bowl champs. They'll visit the Pittsburgh Steelers on "Thursday Night Football" in Week 14, then return home to face the Kansas City Chiefs the following Monday.
Those games will be part of a three-week run in primetime for the Patriots, who also have a Week 16 matchup at the Denver Broncos scheduled for Christmas Eve night. New England received a total of four primetime games, with its Week 2 tilt against Miami at home rounding out that list.
Two of those games (Kansas City and Denver) are flex eligible, so the Patriots could wind up playing as few as two nationally televised games if they continue their run of mediocrity this season. That's unlikely, though, as it's hard to imagine the NFL yanking Patrick Mahomes out of that marquee timeslot.
5. The Patriots' Week 11 bye is logically placed. It follows their game against the Indianapolis Colts in Frankfurt, Germany, which was announced Wedensday.
6. New England often spends a week on the road between western trips, but that won't be happening this season. With the Patriots' visits to Vegas, Denver and Dallas scattered across different points in their schedule, there isn't an obvious opportunity for a the team to spend an extended period away from Foxboro. They are likely to arrive at least a day or two early for their Germany game, however.
