Now that the NFL schedules have been released it’s time to take a deep dive into the 16 regular season games the New England Patriots will have in 2019.
Here are the rankings, from worst to first, of New England’s matchups on the schedule.
16. Week 5 @ Washington Redskins
Case Keenum will fight with Colt McCoy for the Redskins starting quarterback job this coming August. No matter who wins that competition, they won’t stand a chance against New England’s defense who should be able to shut down Washington’s offense with ease. This game shouldn’t be a close one.
15. Week 15 @ Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals fold when it matters the most, and that won’t change when they take on the Patriots late in the season. Andy Dalton will likely have multiple turnovers and give New England plenty of opportunities to score.
14. Week 16 vs. Buffalo Bills
Despite a crazy amount of free agent signings this offseason to surround Josh Allen with talent, the flyer is still out on Allen being able to sit in the pocket and be an accurate passer. New England will not allow Allen to do what he wants, which will put the game out of reach fairly quickly.
13. Week 2 @ Miami Dolphins
The Patriots have two things going for them in this game; 1) They are dealing with a team in the midst of a rebuild 2) They are traveling to Miami in September instead of later in the season. The warm weather won’t be tough to deal with and New England should come away with an easy win, just like they did last season versus the Dolphins in September.
12. Week 4 @ Buffalo Bills
There is always a chance that the Patriots drop a game or two early in the season. That couldn’t come at a better time than against the Bills in Buffalo. The Bills aren’t a very good team, so it probably won’t happen. But it could, which is why this game isn’t at the very bottom of the rankings.
11. Week 7 vs. New York Jets
Week 7 will mark the second New England will face the Jets in the regular season. Because of that, one can expect Bill Belichick to have a gameplan in place to beat the Jets, though it may not come easy. The Jets will likely be the second best team in the division in 2019, and anything can happen in a divisional game, but because this game is at Gillette Stadium it won’t crack the top 10 of these rankings.
10. Week 6 vs. New York Giants
Just breaking the top 10 of the list is Eli Manning and the Giants. Though New York doesn’t look to have a special team this season, Manning always seems to play elite football against the Patriots. So until otherwise happens, they will be a tough opponent. Saquon Barkley will also add another wrinkle that the Patriots haven’t had to deal with too often in the NFL.
9. Week 3 @ New York Jets
A divisional game on the road early in the season is why this Jets matchup is a couple places higher than the Week 7 matchup. New York has a good defense and now the offense just got much better with Le’Veon Bell in the backfield. The Jets will get uber hyped for this game and will look to make a statement in their first game against the Patriots in 2019. Do not be surprised if New England gets their first loss of the season at MetLife Stadium.
8. Week 1 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Are the Steelers a worse team than last year? Probably. Without Antonio Brown, there are questions as to how deep their receiving corps is heading into the 2019 season. But Ben Roethlisberger is still the quarterback, James Connor is still the running back, and there is a bunch of talent on the defense. New England always manages to outsmart the Steelers, but this primetime game in Week 1 will surely be a competitive one that could come down to the final seconds of the game.
7. Week 13 @ Houston Texans
In the Deshaun Watson era, the Patriots have always managed to catch the Texans when they aren’t on a hot streak. That should change this year. Watson will continue to shine, he will (hopefully) have better protection in the pocket thanks to some lineman drafted in this year’s draft, and the defense will put pressure on Brady to score lots of points. The final score of their September matchup in 2017 was a 36-33 win for New England. Expect a similar score this time around.
6. Week 17 vs. Miami Dolphins
With the competition being so fierce in the AFC now, one can expect that New England’s playoff position will be subject to change all the way up until their Week 17 matchup against the Dolphins. Though Miami won’t be much of a contender in 2019, there will be nothing more that new head coach Brian Flores and the Dolphins would love more than to give the Patriots a loss heading into the postseason. This will be a fiery game that could drop New England in the playoff seedings.
5. Week 12 vs. Dallas Cowboys
Dallas’ strength is the trenches on both sides of the ball, which may be too much to handle for the Patriots at Gillette. The Cowboys proved in 2018 that they have much more grit and determination to compete in the toughest of times than they did in the Tony Romo era. It would not be a surprise if Dak Prescott shined by leading a game-winning drive and shocking the NFL by beating New England in their own home.
4. Week 8 vs. Cleveland Browns
This ranking is solely based on the Browns living up to the hype. Baker Mayfield, Odell Beckham and the remainder of the talented offense will be too much to handle for any defense. And, Cleveland’s defense looks like they got even better this offseason. There may be too much talent on the field for New England to contain, which means this could either be a shootout or a blowout for New England. The best guess is the former. If Mayfield wants to earn a name for himself in the NFL, he has to come to Gillette and win. This would be the perfect opportunity to do such.
3. Week 11 @ Philadelphia Eagles
This game should make you cringe. Under the expectation that Carson Wentz will be healthy for this game, the Eagles could blow out New England on their home turf. If there is one team in the NFL that knows how to beat the Patriots, it’s Philadelphia. And this time around, they could use that same winning-gameplan with their MVP-caliber quarterback at the helm. That’s a recipe for a loss coming out of the bye for New England.
2. Week 9 @ Baltimore Ravens
This will be the first time the Patriots will get to face the Lamar Jackson-led Ravens. Their defense is playing at an elite level, which means the time of possession would be crucial in this game. The worry in this one for New England isn’t about playing good defense, it’s about playing great offense. If they can’t do that, then Jackson only has to make a few big plays for Baltimore to come out with a win. Tom Brady will have to be nearly perfect in his execution in this matchup.
1. Week 14 vs. Kansas City Chiefs
There have been very few opposing quarterbacks in the Brady-Belichick era that have shined in the spotlight and been able to consistently compete against New England while making very few mistakes. Patrick Mahomes is one of those few men. Last year’s AFC Championship game proved that the Chiefs may be the no. 1 nemesis for the Patriots for the near future and will be their biggest obstacle towards winning another Super Bowl. There is no doubt that Kansas City will travel to Foxborough and give one heck of a fight. If New England doesn’t bring their most explosive gameplan to fruition in Week 14, they will lose to the Chiefs.
