4 ways the NFL screwed Patriots with 2024 schedule

The 2024 NFL season schedules have finally been released, and for Patriots fans, it was met with excitement that quickly turned into disappointment and worry.

Because we've known who their opponents would be for a while, it was clear the season was not going to be a cakewalk.

They're set to face six playoff teams, two of which have made Super Bowls recently, and many others who have been rising in the ranks over the last few years.

Then it was made clear they would be playing the Jaguars in London, which will be a long trip. But the way the NFL decided to lay out their schedule has completely screwed with the Patriots 2024 hopes in more ways than one.

4 ways the NFL screwed Patriots with 2024 schedule

1. A Week 14 bye week? Really??

Week 5 and Week 14 bye weeks should be abolished for different reasons. One is too early in the season; the other is far too late.

For a league that claims to care about player safety, having teams play 13 games in a row without a break proves that to be inaccurate.

This is a tough road for the Patriots, who already have a difficult list of opponents. On top of that, if Jacob Brissett is named the starter for Week 1 and Jerod Mayo intends to put Drake Maye in at some point, there's no easy week to do that when the bye is so late.

Typically, they could've had him start midseason if they had the perfect bye week. But that won't be the case this year, so they'll really have to game plan for the season ahead.

2. The one request the Patriots made about west coast games was not granted

ESPN's Mike Reiss reported last week that the Patriots had requested that their games against the 49ers and Cardinals be back-to-back weeks so they could stay out west for an easier travel schedule.

Although the NFL doesn't have to grant these requests, they could have tried to accommodate them at least a bit more than they did. Instead, they have them traveling to San Francisco in Week 4 after playing the Jets the game before, and after their bye week, they play at Arizona and at Buffalo.

It seems like they really tried to go against what they asked for.

3. The Patriots have one primetime game all season

We know the Patriots have fallen fast and hard from the pedestal they held for 20 years, but going from being on the most primetime games in a season to being on just one Thursday Night broadcast is quite a turn of events.

Given the team's current state, it makes sense that they would be limited in their number of national games. However, because there's a new coach in charge and a rookie quarterback, it feels like that would pique the interests of more than just Patriots fans.

Apparently, the NFL doesn't see it that way, and we'll only see the Patriots take on the Jets in New York in TNF Week 3. And that's it.

4. No bye week after their international game

The Patriots play another international game this season, after traveling to Frankfurt, Germany last year to play the Colts.

This time, they'll play the Jaguars in London in Week 7. When they return to the States, they won't have the luxury of having a bye week like many teams have typically been gifted in years past; instead, they'll play divisional rival, the New York Jets.

This seems like a bit of a ridiculous expectation for any team, given the significant travel needed to and from the game, plus the time difference and more, not to mention it doesn't follow the pattern of how the NFL has booked schedules in the past.

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