The NFL released the league’s schedule during their ‘Schedule Reveal ’20’ program on NFL Network. Teams and fans finally found out exactly when they’ll match-up against divisional rivals and appear on primetime.
For the Patriots, the schedule was going to be difficult no matter what. Based on last year’s winning percentage, New England has the toughest slate of games this season, as their opponent’s won 53.7% of their games last year. A lot of that is aided by their match-ups with the NFC West that had three teams win at least nine games including the defending NFC Champion 49ers led by former Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
While the schedule is fairly simple, there are a few surprises for the Patriots as well.
New England will play in five primetime games
When Tom Brady left, there was an understandable feeling that the Patriots were going to have a considerable drop-off. Without one of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time, it seemed as though the Patriots wouldn’t get as much respect from the rest of the league. However, they have been given the maximum number of primetime games during this process.
The NFL still feels that the Patriots would still be a competitive team that people will want to watch. Whether that is true remains to be seen. But, for now, Bill Belichick is getting the respect he deserves.
The Patriots will have an early bye week
It’s generally believed that the later in the season a team’s bye week is the more beneficial the week off will be. An extra week of rest later on usually gives teams a good reset for the remainder of the season.
This year, the Patriots will have their bye during Week 6 of the NFL season. This is the earliest the Patriots will have a week off since 2015 when they were off in Week 4. That team lost four of their final six games. Hopefully, the 2020 Patriots don’t suffer the same fate.
The Patriots will play in Los Angeles twice in five days
This team is used to long trips that require some extra planning. Back in 2017, New England had two straight weeks on the road after playing in Denver and Mexico City in back-to-back games. 2020 will be no different.
On Sunday, December 6, the Patriots will take on the Los Angeles Chargers at the new SoFi stadium in Inglewood. Then, on Thursday, December 10, they’ll take on the Los Angeles Rams at the same stadium.
With the Chargers also playing at home the following Sunday, it’s likely the Patriots will need to find somewhere to practice. They may be able to use Banc of California Stadium, currently the home of Los Angeles FC, or Dignity Health Sports Park, the home of the LA Galaxy and former home of the Chargers.
Either way, it’ll make for a long road trip to the Golden State.
