Patriots Schedule 2023: Game-by-game predictions for upcoming season
Week 15: vs Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football
There's not much to say about this matchup; it screams Patriots L.
Not necessarily because they couldn't make it difficult for Patrick Mahomes to secure a win, but the Chiefs are a red-hot team coming off another Super Bowl win. It's difficult to bet against Kansas City ever.
Week 16: @ Denver Broncos on Christmas Eve
Denver is an interesting team as it goes through a transition phase for the second season in a row. Sean Payton came out of retirement to become the new head coach and hopes to bring back the winning culture to the once highly-decorated team.
Unlike other recently hired head coaches, Payton didn't dramatically change the roster upon his arrival, keeping Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton despite the rumors they would be on the trade block. With the few changes the Broncos have made, Russell Wilson has a better chance of returning to his old self, making the Patriots' job more difficult.
That said, though, this feels like a winnable game for New England. The teams haven't met since October 2020 and have a well-established rivalry, making it a bit of a toss-up. But the Patriots have a stout enough defense to shut down a potentially explosive Jeudy, even in Denver.