It has seemingly been a long time since the New England Patriots were the pre-eminent team in the NFL, and one that had a reasonable chance to win the Super Bowl on a nearly every-season basis.
The 2023 slate.
Full New England Patriots schedule: https://t.co/wCwOzgDNrI pic.twitter.com/oVncWLs4Il
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) May 12, 2023
The last time that happened was the 2018 season when the Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 in Super Bowl LIII. Tom Brady was still the quarterback of the Patriots and he was working in concert with head coach Bill Belichick to deliver the franchise's sixth Super Bowl title.
Brady will be back when the Patriots open the season at home against the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles. No, Brady will not be wearing his familiar No. 12 and lining up behind center. Now that Brady is retired, he will be honored by the team in what will certainly be a raucous atmosphere.
While the crowd will be in a mood to celebrate, it may be very difficult for the Patriots and and their fans to leave Gillette Stadium with smiles on their faces. The Eagles are one of the most talented teams in the league, and they appear fully capable of delivering a solid beating to the home team.
The Patriots may have several pitfalls on the schedule this season. We believe there are 2 distinct sections that Belichick's team will have to overcome.
Potential Pitfall No. 1: Weeks 1 through 4
The Patriots will go right into the fire against the Eagles, and the defense will have to be at a near-peak level if it is going to contain Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts.
On the other hand, it doesn't seem likely that the Mac Jones-led offense will have much success against the Philadelphia defense. The Eagles were a very fast starting team in 2022 when they opened the season with an 8-game winning streak and they stretched that mark to 13-1 before they started to slow down.
The Patriots will host the Dolphins in Week 2, and that game will not be easy. While the Pats used to handle the Dolphins with relative ease when they came north in the glory years, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and his speedy receivers present quite a few problems.
New England goes on the road in Week 3 to play the Jets. This will be a different Jets team than the Patriots have seen in years — and perhaps decades. The Jets have Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, and he represents the best signal caller the franchise has seen since Joe Namath's prime years. Rodgers has to know he can endear himself to long-suffering Jets fans if he leads the team to a home win over the Pats.
One week later, the Patriots have to go to Dallas to face the Cowboys. Dallas offers a nasty, hard-hitting and physical defense, and there will be significant pressure on the offensive line to contain linebacker Micah Parsons, who had 13.5 sacks last year.
The Pats could be 0-4 or 1-3 after this four-game stretch. However, if they can finish 2-2 or better, it could mean good things are at hand.
Potential Pitfall No. 2: December challenge
The Patriots have a demanding stretch during the first three weeks of December. If the Patriots have managed to survive their challenging schedule to this point, they will face the Los Angeles Chargers at home in Week 13, the Pittsburgh Steelers on the road in Week 14 and the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs at home in Week 15.
The Chargers have one of the league's best young quarterbacks in Justin Herbert, and it is clear the defense will be challenged.
The Steelers are likely to offer a strong defense and quarterback Kenny Pickett may be much improved in Year 2. Finally, a visit from Patrick Mahomes is likely to result in the Chiefs lighting up the scoreboard.
Conclusion
The December portion of the schedule could prove to be the make-or-break portion of the season, but the belief here is that the opening four games of the season will set the tone for the season.
If they can stay close in Week 1 against the Eagles, it could mean a lot. That will give the Patriots the confidence to battle the Dolphins and Jets for 60 minutes and possibly emerge with victories in the final minutes.
If they can stay within reach against the Cowboys, that may be enough to give this team confidence throughout the rest of the season.
The opening stretch of the schedule presents the biggest obstacle — and perhaps the biggest opportunity for the Patriots.
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