5 takeaways from Patriots' 2024 schedule
NFL Schedule Release Day 2024 is here, the latest in a running string of special event days for the growing empire of football. We’ve known for some time who the New England Patriots are playing; it was just a matter of when and where.
And now with all of that information in tow, here are five takeaways from their 2024 slate:
Patriots’ ‘last-place schedule’ not so easy
Most analysts and fans agree it’s going to be a grind for the Pats to get back to a winning record, let alone perhaps surpass the Las Vegas win total of 4.5 games, though there are some who think the 2024 Pats are being overlooked. Because the Patriots finished in the cellar of the AFC East in 2023, they were rewarded with a last-place schedule in 2024.
Which should be easier, in theory, and is often how a team on the comeback can rise above expectations. Except many of the last-place teams of 2023 the Pats will face this season should be good, if not much better than expected.
Teams like the Chicago Bears, Tennessee Titans, Cincinnati Bengals, Los Angeles Chargers and Arizona Cardinals should all be markedly better than last season. Plus, seven of their 17 games are against playoff teams from last season. Yet almost every year it seems one last-place team goes from worst to first. Could it be the 2024 Patriots? Probably not, given this tough road to redemption. Speaking of life on the road…
Patriots will cover plenty of ground (via the air)
Looks like the Pats will be racking up the frequent flyer miles this fall as they’re scheduled to fly the fourth-most miles of any team in the NFL, earning them “road warrior” status. The Week 7 trip to London obviously inflates the overall mileage total, but with two Western trips (to San Francisco and Arizona) and several medium-length flights, the team’s travel legs will certainly be tested.
Rough road ahead
The road schedule seems more dynamic and difficult than what lies ahead on Route 1 (more on that in a minute) for the Pats. Home or away, the improved AFC East, which many think is up for grabs this season, is never easy for anyone.
Buffalo had significant roster turnover this offseason, but with Josh Allen under center still has to be the division favorite. The Pats always struggle in Miami no matter what time of year. And if Aaron Rodgers is healthy (“If…if…such a big word for only two letters.” –Joe Namath), the Jets figure to be a much improved team. The MetLife showdown is a Thursday night early on in the season, which will definitely factor into quality of game play.
Now look outside the division and no matter if it’s Jacoby Brissett, Drake Maye or prime Tom Brady (the latter is not a reality), the Pats will have their hands full. The Pats will get first look at a returning Joe Burrow, who is back and likely with a vengeance (and a loaded WR corps) as they open Sept. 8 in The Jungle.
San Francisco, the defending NFC champion and Super Bowl contender again, is the first of two big West Coast trips. The other is for Kyler Murray, come Week 15, who looked great at the end of last season and now has Marvin Harrison, Jr. at his disposal to improve the Cardinals offense under second-year coach Jonathan Gannon.
First overall pick Caleb Williams has been surrounded by a veritable fantasy football offense in Chicago, and it will be interesting to see if Maye will be starting for the Pats by their Week 10 Windy City showdown. The Jags host the Pats in London in what nobody is calling “The Mac Jones Revenge Game” thus far. Still, that should be a battle.
And lest we forget that Tennessee, whom the Pats face midseason, grabbed the Patriots’ number one offseason wide receiver target two years in a row, and now they’ll get a look at a revamped Titans attack under rookie coach Brian Callahan that features receivers De’Andre Hopkins and Calvin Ridley, not to mention Tyler Boyd, plus backs Tyjae Sharpe and Tony Pollard. That squad figures to keep the much-ballyhooed Pats defense on their toes for 60 minutes.
Also of note is three back-to-back road affairs: Week 3 at the Jets followed by Week 4 at San Francisco, then Week 9 at Tennessee followed by Week 10 at Chicago, and then a Week 15 showdown in Arizona followed by Week 16 at Buffalo. As Mr. Sulu would say, “Oh my!”
Home sweet-ish home
If we’re being fair, there might have been more stars on the field of Gillette Stadium between Lionel Messi visiting in April and Tom Brady’s big night in June than at any point during the upcoming 2024 season for the Pats, and that’s fine! Sex appeal doesn’t count towards a win, and the fans will show up so long as their team is giving 110% and showing some promise. Or at least to see Drake Maye’s first home start.
An opener at summer’s end against a Seattle Seahawks team in transition that also features a new young coach kicks off the 2024 Gillette Stadium campaign that looks like it has some winnable tilts for sure. While there’s no layup from beginning to end, it’s tough to point out a true gauntlet or most difficult stretch.
They get Miami earlier in the season for the second straight year, and conclude with Buffalo, which could affect someone’s AFC East title chances. Perhaps the snazziest team coming to Foxboro is the Houston Texans, who upgraded a playoff team and have big postseason dreams with second-year QB CJ Stroud and newly acquired Stef Diggs, no friend of the Foxboro Faithful.
The Pats have two back-to-back home game stretches this season; one in October with Tua and Miami Oct. 6, followed by that visit from the Texans, and then again to wrap the season with the Chargers and new coach Jim Harbaugh visiting between Christmas and New Year’s, then the home finale vs. the Bills.
If the Pats are going to make up some ground this season, it should be where “Crazy Train” plays, hazy IPAs flow and the steak tips sizzle.
Late bye for the not-ready-for-primetime players
12 is obviously a big number in New England. 13 is one greater, and that is exactly how many games the Patriots will have to play before they get a break, as they have a very late bye, scheduled for Week 14 over the Dec. 8 Sunday schedule.
A bye week in the middle of the season is always preferable, but it’s something you don’t get to choose. This will be another in the series of tall tasks for the Pats to manage this season, staying as healthy as can be in the NFL until well into the holiday season. Woof.
And clear your Sunday decks, people! The Pats, who were once the apple of the primetime football broadcast eye, sadly will find themselves quite familiar with the 1 p.m. time slot this season. Only one primetime game to speak of, a Week 3 Thursday Night Football game at the Jets on Amazon Prime.
No Monday Night Football. No Sunday Night Football. Not even a sniff of Netflix on Christmas. Only the Patriots could force the hand of the league to turn some heads and flex their way back into primetime later in the season. But for starters…they're running with the rest of the pack.
Overall, this is a difficult schedule for a team with a solid veteran defensive core and a lot of new looks and rooks on offense. To say the Pats and first-year coach Jerod Mayo have their work cut out for them is an understatement the size of Rhode Island. Between travel, timing and toughness of opponents, if this team is to make way or get the right kind of headlines again they have a whole lot of jobs to do.
Season starts Sept. 8 in Cincinnati. As Javon Baker told us to do, our popcorn will be ready.
