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New England Patriots’ most likely 2019 primetime games

By Patrick Morgan

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - JANUARY 20: James White #28 of the New England Patriots runs with the ball against Kendall Fuller #23 of the Kansas City Chiefs in the second half during the AFC Championship Game at Arrowhead Stadium on January 20, 2019 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - JANUARY 20: James White #28 of the New England Patriots runs with the ball against Kendall Fuller #23 of the Kansas City Chiefs in the second half during the AFC Championship Game at Arrowhead Stadium on January 20, 2019 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /
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ARLINGTON, TX – OCTOBER 11: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots directs the offense during the NFL game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on October 11, 2015 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Mike Stone/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX – OCTOBER 11: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots directs the offense during the NFL game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on October 11, 2015 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Mike Stone/Getty Images) /

3. Dallas Cowboys (HOME)

The Cowboys and the Patriots represent the top two most valuable franchises in the NFL at $5 billion and $3.8 billion, respectively. They also represent arguably the two most despised teams in the NFL. While both franchises enjoy the luxury of wide-ranging fanbases well outside the Dallas and Boston metropolitan areas, they also have more than their fair share of detractors between them.

People love to hate on Dallas for styling themselves as “America’s Team,” a moniker that other franchises have tried to adopt from time to time with various degrees of success or failure. Ultimately, the Cowboys reign supreme in having the largest, most far-flung fanbase of supporters around the country and perhaps even around the world.

That’s undeniably a good thing if your name is Jerry Jones or if you’re a card-carrying member of the Cowboys faithful yourself, but it’s also positively annoying and obnoxious if you’re not a fan of the Star. There’s nothing worse as a fan of a smaller-market team than visiting a local watering hole to support that team and finding the place riddled with boisterous Cowboys fans – particularly if you’re nowhere near the state of Texas.

Similarly, the Patriots’ ruthless dominance over the entire NFL these past two decades has bred a jealousy epidemic amongst the other 31 franchises, their players, their coaches, and their fans. Unless you’re a part of the New England organization or a supporter of it, chances are you’re sick and tired of seeing Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, and the rest of the Patriots on TV – especially in January and February.

Love them or hate them, though, the Cowboys and the Patriots remain uber-popular around the nation, around the world, and most importantly, around the TV networks when it comes to viewership and ratings. Dallas and New England are routine visitors of primetime television slots, because the NFL and the networks all know that either team is sure to bring out the masses to watch them play.

The prospect of the two teams playing each other though – that’s a scintillating concept that’s sure to get the mouths of network executives watering. Because of the way the NFL schedule is set up, Dallas and New England only play each other once every four seasons unless they meet in the Super Bowl.

In other words, this is seemingly a surefire bet to find its way to the primetime docket this season.

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