The 2020 NFL regular season schedule has officially been released. That means it is time to figure out which games are the most “must-watch” for each team. Right now, we are looking at the New England Patriots.
A strong 2019 regular season was derailed by a Wild Card Round loss to the Tennessee Titans. And things only got worse from their in the offseason.
Quarterback Tom Brady decided not to retire, but signed a contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That ended his 20-year run with the franchise.
Then tight end Rob Gronkowski came out of retirement, but did so because he wanted to play with Brady. And he was promptly traded to the Buccaneers as well.
That leaves this team in a much different position. And it creates a different view of the 2020 regular season schedule. With that in mind, what are the five most “must-watch” games for the Patriots this upcoming season?
Week 5 – Denver Broncos
The Patriots don't meet up with the Buccaneers this year. That would have obviously been number one, but that's not happening. So everyone gets moved up a spot. And that starts with the number five entry, the Denver Broncos.
This may seem like an odd entry, but there are a few rules here.
First, I didn't want to do every team in the AFC East division with the Patriots. That's too easy. I could've just made the entire list of New England's in-division rivals. So we're sticking with just one (we'll get to them later).
Second, the Broncos have a second-year quarterback in Drew Lock. You know who else has a second-year quarterback as their starter? The Patriots.
As of right now, New England plans on starting Jarett Stidham. He was a fourth-round pick in 2019 and made just four attempts that season.
So now it's time to see how he stacks up against the competition. Where is the young quarterback at in terms of skill, potential and development when it comes to players from the same draft class?
Lock has more experience in the NFL and more weapons. So there should be a little leeway for Stidham. However, going up against Lock could give the Patriots some knowledge into the situation.
Week 12 – Arizona Cardinals
Denver isn't the only team with a second-year quarterback that New England will face in 2020.
Lock was a second-round pick. The Arizona Cardinals have Kyler Murray, the number one pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Lock has a lot of weapons, but none are as good as DeAndre Hopkins. Murray has a lot of talent to throw to, and has a full year of development.
At this point, Stidham will have some reps under his belt, deep into the 2020 season. Some of that “lack of experience” argument won't hold as much water.
Week 4 – Kansas City Chiefs
This might be a blowout if we're being honest.
Sure, in 2019 this would be a great matchup. However, this isn't the 2019 Patriots. They still have some great things going for them (that defense should be strong) but they aren't the same team.
However, this could be an indicator of exactly where they are at as a team.
Can New England hold their own against the 2019 Super Bowl champs? Or will the Kansas City Chiefs make a mockery of them?
This should tell everyone just how far the Patriots have until they are back into a contention spot.
Week 7 – San Francisco 49ers
Jimmy Garoppolo. That's the focus of this game.
The Patriots picked Garoppolo in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft and traded him to the San Francisco 49ers a few years later.
The Patriots don't know what the future holds at quarterback. Could New England be Super Bowl contenders again if Garoppolo was at the helm?
You could argue he has his flaws, but Garoppolo did make the Super Bowl last year. This is New England's chance to prove it didn't mess up by trading him.
Weeks 8 and 16 – Buffalo Bills
Here it is. The Buffalo Bills are expected by many to take over as the front-runners of the AFC East. So the Patriots will be out to prove people wrong in Weeks 8 and 16.
For the first time in what feels like forever, the AFC East is anyone's to take. The Patriots could keep their crown with some big division wins.
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