A sneak peek at the New England Patriots opponents for the 2024 season
Who says it's too early to look ahead to next year's opponents?
Well, the NFL recently confirmed that it would continue using the typical scheduling rotation when formulating opponents for each team before every season. This allows for a sneak peek into who the Patriots will be facing in one year, courtesy of the great ESPN Patriots reporter Mike Reiss.
In his most recent Sunday notes article, Reiss listed all the seemingly confirmed teams that New England will be facing both at home and away, which at this moment, looks like an interesting array of opponents, but looks like a much easier schedule than the one they'll be facing in just a couple of months.
Home games
- Houston Texans
- Indianapolis Colts
- Los Angeles Rams
- Seattle Seahawks
- Buffalo Bills
- Miami Dolphins
- New York Jets
- AFC West team that finishes in the same spot in the 2023 standings
Away games
- Arizona Cardinals
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- San Francisco 49ers
- Tennessee Titans
- Buffalo Bills
- Miami Dolphins
- New York Jets
- AFC North and NFC North teams that finish in the same spot in the 2023 standings
Of course, you can't evaluate how the Patriots will fare a whole year beforehand, and you can't assume how tough any teams they face will be. But considering how tough their 2023 schedule is, as it was named the most difficult of any in the league, first glances at their opponents for next year look like a cakewalk in comparison.
Although three opponents are still unknown, most of the teams that have been revealed are going through many changes, like new quarterbacks and coaching staff, that the Patriots have already gone through in recent years. And hopefully, they won't be going through it all again next year.
This upcoming season has a lot on the line for the Patriots overall, but especially for Mac Jones and Bill Belichick, who have been feeling the pressure from Robert Kraft to return to being a winning team again.
If they can manage to do that, even with the opponents they have to face this year, then 2024 will be of no concern once it's finally time to shift focus on that season.