The New England Patriots will try to defend their latest Super Bowl title when the 2019 NFL season kicks off. The NFL schedule makers gave them an East Coast-heavy slate.
Looking at the schedule for the Patriots going into next season, one big advantage pops out: The Patriots will have to travel out of the East Coast only once, when they go to Houston to take on the Texans in Week 13.
Other than that one trip, New England will be playing the other 15 games in the Eastern time zone, which might not sound like a big deal, but could certainly be one. The team won't have to do as much traveling as other teams, and won’t have to deal with any time zone changes or potential jet lag situations.
While the Patriots will still be doing plenty of traveling, they’ll be playing in a time zone local to them, which can certainly help when trying to keep a pattern of preparation throughout the year.
As the Patriots aim to defend their crown as the best team in the NFL, they’ll do so without a number of familiar faces. De facto defensive coordinator Brian Flores has left to coach the Miami Dolphins, and Danny Amendola and Trey Flowers have found new homes in free agency.
Of course, when you have one of the best quarterback-coach duos in NFL history, you can usually survive that sort of change, but with many other AFC powerhouses — including the Kansas City Chiefs — beginning to emerge, it will be interesting to see how the Patriots perform.
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