Once their opponents were made official heading into the Super Bowl, it was clear that the Patriots were set to face a much tougher road back to the championship in 2026. Most outside New England felt they deserved it after benefiting from a "cupcake schedule" last year, so they're happy to see them have a more challenging task ahead of them.
The NFL ensured they had the toughest road imaginable, too, starting with a Super Bowl rematch on the road in Seattle against the Seahawks in the season opener.
They then have six road games in their next 10, with three in the first month alone, immediately given the chance to prove that their road-warrior motto from 2025 is legitimate.
Even worse is seeing how tough those first four opponents are and the difficulty level it sets for the Patriots, so nobody will be able to suggest they didn't earn their wins like they did last season.
The start to the Patriots' 2026 season is historically difficult
John Breech of CBS Sports discussed just how screwed they are to start the season, noting it is the highest strength of schedule a team has faced in that span since 1986, so all the complaints people had about the Patriots' "easy schedule" were certainly heard, and the NFL made all the effort to ensure they faced the complete opposite this time around.
"The Patriots first four opponents have a strength of schedule of .721, which is the highest any team has faced in the first four weeks since 1986. And to make matters worse, three of those four games are on the road (at Seahawks, Steelers, at Jaguars, at Bills)."
There surely won't be any narrative that their success was a farce this season.
It's a challenge that, although it will be incredibly difficult, they appear ready for it from the top down. They have a solid leader in Mike Vrabel, a talented coaching staff, and a motivated team ready for a different final outcome than last season.
They will have plenty of opportunities to showcase that, with six primetime games, and prove to the rest of the league that they are officially a team to worry about again. It might not have been that way for five years, and most were hoping it would be much longer, but the Vrabel effect, along with many others, ensured it ended.
Now they'll have the task of keeping on that trajectory, while (hopefully) dominating a historically difficult schedule.
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