The 2024 NFL schedule won’t be released until May, but the opponents for each team are already known. The New England Patriots will see their usual AFC East rivals, but the team also has some tough matchups with the San Francisco 49ers, Houston Texans, and more.
The Patriots will face a fourth-place schedule in 2024 after a four-win season that saw the team part ways with long-time head coach Bill Belichick. The annual schedule rotation puts the Patriots en route to face the AFC South and NFC West. The Patriots will play nine away games and three other fourth-place teams.
2024 New England Patriots Home Opponents
- Miami Dolphins
- New York Jets
- Buffalo Bills
- Seattle Seahawks
- Los Angeles Rams
- Indianapolis Colts
- Houston Texans
- Los Angeles Chargers
Patriots’ 2024 Road Opponents
- Miami Dolphins
- New York Jets
- Buffalo Bills
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Chicago Bears
- Tennessee Titans
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- San Francisco 49ers
- Arizona Cardinals
Patriots To Face Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, Josh Allen
The AFC is littered with young, high-end quarterback talent, and the Patriots’ schedule shows that. On top of facing a healthy 40-year-old Aaron Rodgers twice, the team will see Justin Herbert, Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, Will Levis, Brock Purdy, Trevor Lawrence, Tua Tagovailoa, C.J. Stroud, Kyler Murray, and potentially even USC’s Caleb Williams.
The Patriots’ 4-13 record in 2023 was the team’s worst record since 1992. As a result, New England said goodbye to Belichick and promoted Jerod Mayo to head coach.
It’ll be an uphill battle, but the Patriots will have plenty of draft capital (including the third-overall pick) and cap space to revitalize the roster.
On top of talent they’ll add, the Patriots return some strong defensive talent. DB Jabrill Peppers, DE Keion White, CB Christian Gonzalez, CB Marcus Jones, LB Matthew Judon, DT Christian Barmore, LB Jahlani Tavai, and more are all set to be back in 2024 to bolster Mayo’s defense.
A Deceiving Schedule?
The assumption is that facing a fourth-place schedule gives you a much easier lineup of teams than those who won their division. However, especially this year, this isn’t the case. The Bengals, Chargers, Jets, Cardinals, and Colts all had their 2023 seasons limited to quarterback injuries and will have those QBs back in 2024.
On top of those returning quarterbacks, New England could also see the Bears take Williams with the first overall pick in the NFL Draft. They’ll also face a potentially improved Levis in addition to proven signal-callers like Matthew Stafford and Geno Smith. There’s no free win on the schedule for New England.
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Finally, the Patriots also play in one of the toughest divisions in the NFL. Both the Dolphins and Bills are Super Bowl contenders, and the Jets, with Rodgers back in the mix, could be one of the most improved teams in the entire league in 2024.
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