Image courtesy of Patriots.com
The NFL released its schedule on Thursday night, and it sets up as a tough one for the Patriots. Some thoughts on New England’s 2023 slate:
Brady Returns In A Tough Spot
Tom Brady came back to Foxboro as a player in 2021, a 19-17 victory for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He will come back again in 2023, but this time to be celebrated as the greatest Patriot of all. That will take place during the Patriots Week 1 game against the Eagles. Philadelphia is loaded and coming off a Super Bowl appearance. This will be a great day to celebrate Brady and remember the good times of the past, but it will arguably be New England’s toughest game on the field of the season.
Good Quarterbacks Early and Often
The Patriots face Jalen Hurts in Week 1, Tua Tagovailoa in Week 2, Aaron Rodgers in Week 3 and Dak Prescott in Week 4. They’ll also have to defend Josh Allen twice, potentially Anthony Richardson if he starts for the Colts, Justin Herbert, Patrick Mahomes, and Rodgers and Tagovailoa once more each. Bill Belichick has invested a lot of draft capital in his defense over the past four seasons, and a unit that was playoff caliber last season will face a gauntlet this season.
Germany Game Highlights November Opportunity
The Patriots will “host” the Colts on November 12th in Germany. What should be a fun showcase for the NFL also falls in a time of opportunity for the Patriots to rack up wins. From November 5th to December 7th, New England will play the Commanders, Colts, Giants after a bye, Chargers and Steelers. All are winnable games and come before a difficult end to the season.
Patriots Will Have To Play Their Best Football In Final Four Weeks
New England wraps up their season with games at home against the Chiefs, at Denver on Christmas Eve, at Buffalo and at home against the Jets. The AFC Playoff field is loaded and if the Patriots are going to make the postseason they will need to play well down the stretch as they will likely be fighting to get in. The schedule makers made things tough on the Patriots to close out the season.