Patriots players are reportedly not pleased with how their 2023 schedule turned out

After barely struggling through a unique season last year, the Patriots are getting no breaks as their 2023 season has been deemed one of the most difficult of all in the NFL.

A lot has been made about their first month of games, starting against the NFC Champions at home against the Eagles, followed by the ever-challenging Dolphins, the newly Aaron Rodgers-led Jets in New York, and ending in Dallas against the Cowboys.

Unfortunately, that's just one of the daunting stretches of their schedule, with a bye week not coming until mid-November in week 11.

But how are the Patriots themselves feeling about their upcoming workload?

According to the Boston Herald's Andrew Callahan, they're not exactly thrilled; and who could blame them?

Callahan shared the insight during an appearance on an episode of 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Toucher & Rich” show last week, citing personal conversations with players as his sources.

"I think you could look at their schedule, and that would be the starting point for if the Patriots season is going to bottom out. Because they don’t get a break. And that’s something that I know that they’re aware of — because hey, they can look at the schedule. But in texting with a few players, they’re like, ‘You know, there are no slacks here. There is no breather, there is no anything like that.'"

Despite the apparent strides Bill Belichick has made this offseason to put the team in a better situation compared to 2022, it's not shocking to hear that the team is not feeling jazzed about how their schedule turned out.

Of course, the opponents were set months before the schedule was released, immediately making it clear that it wouldn't be an easy season. But how the year was formulated certainly makes the road far bumpier.

How New England comes out to start the season will quite literally dictate how the weeks that follow will go. Moreover, it will set the tone for the rest of the season, adding to the long list of obstacles they'll need to overcome and get back on track to being a competitive team. And in order to do that, they'll most definitely need to break out of this slightly worrisome mindset to not defeat themselves before even stepping on the field.

Can they do it?