Schedule Breakdown: A Look at the Next Four Games for the Patriots
By Joe Lewis
With the bye week near its end, it’s time to look forward to the next four games on the schedule and project how things might shake out for the Patriots.
Most pro football coaches will tell you that they try to play seasons in quarters, evaluating the schedule, as well as the team’s performance, in four-game stretches. Through the first two quarters of the season, the Patriots have passed muster, amassing a 7-1 record to lead the conference. Now Bill Belichick and the coaching staff move forward to the third quarter of the season.
Looking ahead, the Patriots have the Seahawks, 49ers, Jets and Rams coming up on their schedule. It’s certainly a favorable road for New England compared to other AFC playoff contenders, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t tough games to be played. Even still, in this “Any Given Sunday” league, the Patriots will need to remain at the top of their game.
Should the Patriots manage to keep up the level of performance they’ve shown throughout the first half of the seam, outings against the Rams and 49ers shouldn’t prove to be much trouble. The New York Jets likely won’t go down without a tough fight, but it’s next week’s home rematch of Super Bowl XLIX against the Seattle Seahawks, however, that looks to be the toughest of the upcoming four-game schedule.