With the New England Patriots learning of their full 2020 regular season schedule last week, here are the toughest and easiest games for New England.
There is no denying that the New England Patriots will look much different during the 2020 NFL season and in the years ahead after a busy offseason.
With a new quarterback set to take over the offense this year following the departure of legendary quarterback Tom Brady to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency this offseason, it will be interesting to see if Bill Belichick and company take a step back this season or if the new quarterback under center will be able to pick things up without a beat throughout the regular season.
New England is coming off of once again claiming an AFC East title in 2019 with a record of 12-4 overall, finishing ahead of the Buffalo Bills, New York Jets and Miami Dolphins in the division standings. The Patriots, however, were surprisingly bounced in the opening round of the playoffs while seeing their season end much earlier than they hoped.
Now with a multitude of new faces both on offense and defense set to appear in Foxborough this season, New England will have its work cut out for it to try and defend its division title and return to the playoffs in 2020.
With the Bills improving this offseason, most notably with the acquisition of wide receiver Stefon Diggs in a trade with the Minnesota Vikings, Buffalo has beefed up its offense and could be in a position to make a run at an AFC East title this year. The Jets and Dolphins are still somewhat in rebuilding modes and are trying to get on the upswing of that process this year, which could play in the favor of the Patriots once again in 2020.
Last week, New England learned of who it will play and when throughout the course of the regular season schedule as it is set to begin the post-Brady era. And the schedule looks tough for the Patriots while once again facing some stellar AFC and NFC opponents.
New England will have the most difficult strength of schedule among any of the NFL teams in 2020, which could mean it might take a step back from what it accomplished the last few seasons.
With the regular season schedule set for the Patriots, let’s take a dive into that league-hardest schedule and point out three of the toughest and easiest games for New England this year.
Toughest games on Patriots schedule
3. Week 2 at Seattle Seahawks
Whenever a team has to hit the road to play the Seattle Seahawks on their home field in Seattle, it’s going to be a tough game to try and win. That is no exception for the New England Patriots when they travel to face Seattle early on in the regular season during the 2020 campaign.
Bill Belichick and company will face the Seahawks on the national stage of Sunday Night Football in Week 2 of the regular season schedule, and it will be a hard game for the Patriots to try and steal on the road.
At this point in the year, given the fact that there is a flood of new personnel in key positions on both sides of the ball in New England this season, the Patriots will likely still be trying to fully establish their identity at this point in the 16-game schedule and the Seahawks will likely be able to take advantage of that opportunity.
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New England could ultimately shock everyone and go on the road to grab this win on Sunday night, but this game will likely favor Seattle at the early stages of the season.
2. Week 10 vs. Baltimore Ravens
Another tough game that will appear in the later portion of the regular season for New England comes during Week 10 against the stellar opponent in the Baltimore Ravens. The Patriots, who will be entering this game after playing the New York Jets on Monday Night Football in Week 9, will have one less day of preparation while trying to fend off one of the top teams in the AFC at Gillette Stadium.
In this game on the national stage of Sunday Night Football, New England will struggle to try and keep up with Lamar Jackson and company on the other side of the field and just won’t have the offensive firepower to match Baltimore shot-for-shot in what might end up being a high-scoring affair.
Part of the reason many thought Tom Brady left the Patriots this offseason to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC was the fact that New England has to face the likes of the Ravens and other top squads in the AFC throughout the regular season. Even if the Patriots did still have Brady under center, this would be a tough game, but it will be even harder now without him.
1. Week 4 at Kansas City Chiefs
The toughest game of the regular season schedule for the Patriots will come against the defending Super Bowl Champions Kansas City Chiefs early on in the season on their home field.
Much like the Week 2 contest in Seattle, the early-season test against a tough opponent on the road will be a hard task for New England to try and steal a victory outside of Foxborough as it continues to try and gain footing with a new quarterback under center.
Kansas City displayed a high-powered offense led by Patrick Mahomes and company, but the good news is that the Patriots defense was one of the top units in the NFL a year ago. But, New England has experienced some change on the defensive side of the ball while the offense has continued to take a step back, which will make for a tough Week 4 matchup on the road in Kansas City.
Easiest games on Patriots schedule
3. Week 3 vs. Las Vegas Raiders
The New England Patriots will get their first look at the Las Vegas Raiders early on in the regular season schedule this year, taking on the Raiders at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough in Week 3.
New England will likely be coming off of a disappointing game in Seattle the week prior in Week 2, looking to fend off a losing streak while facing a Las Vegas squad that is in the crossroads of if it is going to continue to rebuild or is ready to take a next step in the right direction in 2020.
Regardless, the Patriots will be able to take advantage of the Raiders at Gillette Stadium and will be able to avoid a losing streak to grab a win at home in this game.
2. Week 13 at Los Angeles Chargers
Much like New England this season, the Los Angeles Chargers will have a new look to the offense and especially the quarterback position throughout the 2020 campaign.
After veteran quarterback Philip Rivers departed Los Angeles this offseason after spending the entirety of his career with the Chargers, the team will likely turn to rookie quarterback Justin Herbert to lead things under center for the offense.
This year will be viewed as somewhat of a rebuilding year for Los Angeles while breaking in its quarterback of the future within the offense, and that could play in the favor of New England when the two teams face off in Los Angeles in Week 13.
1. Week 17 vs. New York Jets
Year after year, the Patriots have been able to take advantage of games against the New York Jets. And even with some different personnel on both sides of the field in 2020, New England will likely be able to do so once again this year.
In this Week 17 matchup against the Jets at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, the New England defense will be able to step up and shut down New York while allowing the offense to do just enough to come out with the win on the final game of the regular season.