New England Patriots
In whole, the Patriots will tackle eight opponents who punched a ticket to the playoffs in 2025.
The New England Patriots’ 2026 schedule is finally here.
And Mike Vrabel, Drake Maye, and the remainder of an upstart New England squad may have their work reduce out for them in the event that they wish to orchestrate one other spectacular playoff run subsequent winter.
Recent off an sudden Tremendous Bowl look in February, New England will probably be challenged with a frightening schedule in 2026, which incorporates six nationally televised video games, a trek over to Germany, and an anticipated rematch of Tremendous Bowl LX in opposition to Seattle in Week 1.
Right here’s a have a look at New England’s full 2026 schedule:
Week 1: Patriots at Seattle Seahawks, 8:20 p.m. (Wednesday, Sept. 9 — NBC)
Week 2: Patriots vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, 1 p.m. (Sunday, Sept. 20 — CBS)
Week 3: Patriots at Jacksonville Jaguars, 1 p.m. (Sunday, Sept. 27 — CBS)
Week 4: Patriots at Buffalo Payments, 1 p.m. (Sunday, Oct. 4 — CBS)
Week 5: Patriots vs. Las Vegas Raiders, 1 p.m. (Sunday, Oct. 11 — CBS)
Week 6: Patriots vs. New York Jets, 1 p.m. (Sunday, Oct. 18 — CBS)
Week 7: Patriots at Chicago Bears, 8:15 p.m. (Thursday, Oct. 22 – Thursday Evening Soccer — Prime Video)
Week 8: Patriots at Miami Dolphins, 4:25 p.m. (Sunday, Nov. 1 — CBS)
Week 9: Patriots vs. Inexperienced Bay Packers, 4:25 p.m. (Sunday, Nov. 8 — FOX)
Week 10: Patriots at Detroit Lions, 9:30 a.m. (Sunday, Nov. 15 – Munich, Germany — FOX)
Week 11: BYE
Week 12: Patriots at Los Angeles Chargers, 8:20 p.m. (Sunday, Nov. 29 – Sunday Evening Soccer — NBC)
Week 13: Patriots vs. Buffalo Payments, 4:25 p.m. (Sunday, Dec. 6 — CBS)
Week 14: Patriots vs. Minnesota Vikings, 8:15 p.m. (Thursday, Dec. 10 – Thursday Evening Soccer — Prime Video)
Week 15: Patriots at Kansas Metropolis Chiefs, 8:15 p.m. (Monday, Dec. 21 – Monday Evening Soccer — ESPN)
Week 16: Patriots at New York Jets, 1 p.m. (Sunday, Dec. 27 — CBS)
Week 17: Patriots vs. Denver Broncos, TBD
Week 18: Patriots vs. Miami Dolphins, TBD
With the stage now set for a brand new soccer season, listed below are seven takeaways from the Patriots’ 2026 schedule:
A Tremendous Bowl rematch
The Patriots will open the 2026 season with a bang, as New England travels to Seattle to battle the Seahawks in a rematch of Tremendous Bowl LX on Wednesday, Sept. 9.
It’s the primary time that the NFL has scheduled a Tremendous Bowl rematch in Week 1 because the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers opened the 2016 season after taking part in for the Lombardi Trophy only a few months earlier. This additionally marks the primary time in franchise historical past that the Patriots will play on a Wednesday evening.
New England will probably be trying to atone for final season’s ending, with the Patriots’ Cinderella run coming to a crushing finish at Levi’s Stadium. The Seahawks received Tremendous Bowl LX in convincing style, 29-13.
Whereas the Patriots received’t need to cope with reigning Tremendous Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III, the Seahawks nonetheless boast a stacked roster — together with a relentless protection that made life depressing for Maye in February (six sacks, 11 QB hits).
It’s not going to get any simpler for New England this fall, particularly with Seattle’s already rocking residence crowd at Lumen Discipline anticipated to be even louder on an evening the place they grasp one other Tremendous Bowl banner.
A brutal begin
The Patriots are going to be examined early and sometimes to open the 2026 season, with a repeat of final 12 months’s sluggish begin probably placing Vrabel’s crew behind the eight-ball.
Past that heavyweight bout in Seattle in Week 1, New England will probably be on the highway in three out of its first 4 video games to start out 2026, with all 4 opponents coming off of playoff appearances the earlier 12 months.
New England’s residence opener at Gillette Stadium will are available in Week 2 with a matchup in opposition to the reigning AFC North Champion Steelers, who might have Aaron Rodgers again within the combine.
Week 3 has New England taking over a Jaguars crew that received 13 video games final season, with the Patriots possible bracing for sweltering circumstances down in Jacksonville.
And, in Week 4, New England heads over to Buffalo for one more anticipated matchup in opposition to Josh Allen and the Payments on the crew’s new Highmark Stadium — with a motivated Payments crew trying to reclaim its standing atop the AFC East.
A stacked schedule
New England’s difficult begin doesn’t precisely give solution to easy crusing down the stretch, both.
After making the most of a lighter schedule in 2025 en path to a 14-win season, Vrabel’s membership is in line for a impolite awakening this fall.
New England’s 2026 schedule contains matchups in opposition to eight groups that made the playoffs in 2025: Seattle, Buffalo, Denver, Inexperienced Bay, Jacksonville, Pittsburgh, Chicago, and Los Angeles.
There are additionally a number of opponents who may very well be poised for bounce-back seasons in 2026, together with the Chiefs (with a wholesome Patrick Mahomes), Lions, and Vikings.
New England enters the 2026 season with the sixth-hardest schedule within the league — primarily based on opponents’ mixed successful proportion in 2025 (.531).
A matchup abroad
After avoiding a visit abroad final season, the New England Patriots are heading over to Germany for one more worldwide recreation.
New England will tackle the Detroit Lions in Munich, Germany, on Nov. 15, with kickoff set for 9:30 a.m.
The Patriots would be the designated highway crew, with the sport set to be performed at Allianz Area, residence to German soccer powerhouse Bayern Munich.
This would be the sixth worldwide recreation for the Patriots, who’ve additionally performed three video games in London (2009, 2012, and 2024), one recreation in Mexico Metropolis (2017), and one earlier recreation in Frankfurt, Germany, in 2023.
That 2023 loss to the Colts in Germany marked the start of the top for Invoice Belichick’s 24-year run in New England, with Mac Jones and the Patriots falling to Indy, 10-6, in an uninspiring efficiency.
General, the Patriots are 3-2 in crew historical past in regular-season video games performed exterior the US.
A number of primetime matchups
It shouldn’t come as a lot of a shock, however New England’s run to a Tremendous Bowl look final season signifies that the times of a number of 1 p.m. kickoffs and restricted primetime publicity are going to be a factor of the previous.
In whole, New England may have six nationally televised video games in 2026.
Past that Sunday morning timeslot for the Lions recreation in Munich on Nov. 15, New England has 5 video games fastened into primetime slots — two appearances on Thursday Evening Soccer in opposition to the Bears (Oct. 22) and Vikings (Dec. 10), a Sunday Evening Soccer showdown in opposition to the Chargers (Nov. 29), a Monday Evening Soccer bout in Kansas Metropolis (Dec. 21), and that Week 1 rematch in opposition to the Seahawks (Sept. 9).
New England might additionally get flexed into one other primetime recreation later this 12 months, with a rematch of the AFC title recreation in opposition to the Broncos in Week 17 probably holding a number of playoff-related implications.
After a 1 p.m. kickoff in opposition to the Jets in Week 6, New England received’t have one other 1 p.m. begin till Week 16, which is, fittingly, one other recreation in opposition to the Jets.
Even with a number of primetime video games, the Patriots managed to keep away from taking part in on a number of main holidays — together with some attractive timeslots on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day.
Racking up the miles
One of many advantages of New England’s simpler 2025 schedule was the absence of any prolonged treks for Vrabel’s membership. Not solely did the Patriots keep away from heading abroad in the course of the 2025 common season, additionally they didn’t even play a recreation west of the Mississippi River till the playoffs received underway.
That received’t be the case this 12 months. Past that journey to Germany, New England will fly out to the West Coast twice for primetime video games in opposition to the Seahawks and Chargers.
In whole, the Patriots will journey 27,980 miles in the course of the common season — the fifth most miles traveled by any NFL crew, per Bill Speros of Bookies.com.
For these protecting monitor, the 49ers lead all NFL groups when it comes to miles traveled in the course of the 2026 common season with 38,105 miles to cowl, due largely to a Week 1 trek to Melbourne, Australia, and a Week 11 recreation in Mexico Metropolis.
Brady’s return to Foxborough
New England’s Week 9 matchup in opposition to the Packers at Gillette Stadium was already going to carry loads of attraction given the historical past of each franchises and their respective standing as authentic contenders.
However, there will probably be an added layer of intrigue going into that recreation on Sunday, Nov. 8 — as New England legend Tom Brady will name his first Patriots recreation since taking up as FOX’s major colour analyst throughout NFL broadcasts.
Brady — set to enter his third season within the broadcast sales space — didn’t name a single Patriots recreation in 2024 or 2025.
Will probably be curious to see if Brady as soon as once more doesn’t have a “dog in the fight” when his former crew takes on Jordan Love and the Packers afterward this 12 months.
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