New England Patriots
The Patriots will have several primetime matchups this season against teams like the Seahawks, Chargers, and Chiefs.
Drake Maye and the Patriots will have their hands full against the Seahawks defense in this rematch. AP Photo/Charlie Riedel
The 2026 Patriots schedule was announced on Thursday, with Mike Vrabel, Drake Maye, and Co. set for a daunting slate of games after last year’s unexpected run to Super Bowl LX.
New England made the most of a lighter regular season schedule last season, which included no overseas games or matchups set west of the Mississippi.
That won’t be the case this year, with New England set to both head to Germany for a matchup and play a pair of games out on the West Coast.
New England’s 2026 schedule includes matchups against eight teams that made the playoffs in 2025: Seattle, Buffalo, Denver, Green Bay, Jacksonville, Pittsburgh, Chicago, and Los Angeles. The Patriots have the sixth-hardest schedule in the league — based on opponents’ combined winning percentage in 2025 (.531).
With several primetime matchups on the docket, the Patriots will have no shortage of compelling games this fall.
Here’s our ranking of the Patriots’ 17 games, from least to most exciting:
17. Week 16 @ Jets, 1 p.m.
The bad news? The Patriots will be on another short week after going over to Kansas City to take on the Chiefs on Monday Night Football in Week 15.
The good news? The Patriots should sleepwalk their way into another W against this dreadful Jets team — even down in the Meadowlands.
16. Week 8 @ Dolphins, 4:25 p.m.
If the Patriots want to manufacture any sort of breathing room in their quest for a playoff berth amid such a daunting schedule, they’re going to need to take advantage of these games against the tomato cans within their own division.
A rebuilding Dolphins team should be easy pickings for the Patriots, but every trek down to Miami has often been an adventure for New England. The Patriots’ Week 2 comeback win over Miami last season was the team’s first victory at Hard Rock Stadium since September 2019.
15. Week 6 vs. Jets, 1 p.m.
Yes, Patriots fans will relish any opportunity to twist the knife against the Jets. But, beyond New England taking advantage of one of the few softer spots on their schedule, this game might be a bit of a snoozer against one of the worst teams in the NFL.
14. Week 5 vs. Raiders, 1 p.m.
At face value, a 1 p.m. home matchup against the cellar-dwelling Raiders doesn’t drum up plenty of headlines.
But, beyond the links to Tom Brady as the Raiders’ minority owner, Las Vegas has some exciting young players on its roster, like 2026 No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza, Ashton Jeanty, and Brock Bowers. New England will be looking to avenge a season-opening home loss to Vegas last season.
13. Week 18 vs. Dolphins, TBD
New England will close out its regular-season slate with what should be another victory against a lackluster Miami roster — one that will be ill-equipped to handle the chilly conditions in mid-January in Foxborough.
A regular-season finale can end up being more of a glorified walk-through if teams have little to play for. But, with how tough New England’s schedule is, we’ll put this game against the Dolphins ahead of the other AFC East bouts against Miami and New York — given that a playoff berth could very well still be up for grabs for the Patriots in their final game of the season.
12. Week 14 vs. Vikings, 8:15 p.m.
New England will be operating on a short week after hosting the Bills just a few days earlier at Gillette Stadium. Still, this Thursday Night Football game could be a bit of a letdown if a Vikings team loaded with talent — but saddled with dreadful quarterback play — can’t put it together this year.
Granted, the Patriots would welcome it if Minnesota regressed into an even more pedestrian opponent moving forward. But Kevin O’Connell has a solid track record of rejuvenating the careers of cast-off QBs — with Kyler Murray potentially being the next man up.
11. Week 2 vs. Steelers, 1 p.m.
While New England went undefeated on the road during regular-season play last season, it dropped three games in Foxborough — struggling at times to make the most of its home-field advantage.
They’ll look to set the tone in their home opener in Week 2 against a Steelers team that defeated them last year, 21-14, in Week 3. Pittsburgh might be the reigning AFC North champions, although the appeal of this matchup might hinge on just how much 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers has left in the tank.
10. Week 7 @ Bears, 8:15 p.m.
A primetime matchup between two of the top QBs from the 2024 NFL Draft, both Maye and Caleb Williams have made major strides since they first battled against one another on Nov. 10, 2024 — Maye’s first career win as an NFL starter.
With the Bears also taking a major leap last season under first-year head coach Ben Johnson, it should come as little shock that the NFL wanted to set up a Thursday Night Clash between these two legacy franchises at Soldier Field.
9. Week 3 @ Jaguars, 1 p.m.
Despite a relatively sleepy 1 p.m. start, this game should be a riveting matchup between two of the most surprising teams in the NFL last season. A lot has been made about the Patriots’ 14-win season and unexpected run to the Super Bowl, but the Liam-Coen-led Jags went from 4-13 in 2024 to 13-4 this past year.
This won’t be an easy road match for New England, especially given the muggy conditions expected in Florida in mid-September.
8. Week 10 @ Lions, 9:30 a.m.
For the sixth time in franchise history, the Patriots will head overseas for an international game — with Bayern Munich’s home venue of Allianz Arena set to host a bout between New England and the Detroit Lions.
Beyond the pomp of another international NFL showcase, this should be a tough test for New England’s defense against Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs, and a Lions team poised for a bounce-back after last year’s 9-8 record.
This could be a high-scoring affair in Munich, which would be a welcome improvement from the 10-6 snoozefest that the Patriots found themselves in the last time they were in Germany in 2023 (vs. Indianapolis).
7. Week 12 @ Chargers, 8:20 p.m.
Coming off the bye week, the Patriots will have their work cut out for them in this primetime matchup at SoFi Stadium.
The Chargers already landed some digs against Vrabel and the Patriots with their now-viral schedule-release video, but Los Angeles can also let their play do the talking — especially with Mike McDaniel running the Chargers’ offense and both of their starting tackles back from injury in Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater.
Justin Herbert can be a wild card at times, but the Chargers — if they remain healthy — are dangerous on both sides of the football. This could be a tough matchup for New England, even with some added rest on their side.
6. Week 9 vs. Packers, 4:25 p.m.
There will be no shortage of compelling storylines in this one. Beyond the Patriots and Packers’ standing as two premier franchises with aspirations of a deep playoff run, this game will also mark Brady’s first time calling a game in New England as FOX’s lead color analyst.
While time will tell if Brady decides to have a “dog in the fight” with this game featuring his former team, this could be a prime revenge game for Romeo Doubs after inking a four-year, $68 million contract in New England this spring.
5. Week 4 @ Bills, 1 p.m.
Any clash between the two powerhouses in the AFC East will be appointment viewing, especially with Josh Allen and the Bills eager to knock New England off its divisional pedestal.
While a rematch later in the season will hold more weight, the Patriots will have their hands full in Week 4 — especially with the Patriots set to play their first game at Buffalo’s new Highmark Stadium.
Even with the shiny new digs, expect plenty of smashed tables for Bills fans at the tailgate — and a ton of jeers directed toward the Patriots in a hostile environment.
4. Week 15 @ Chiefs, 8:15 p.m.
For the first time since 2020, the Patriots are making the trek back to Arrowhead Stadium — and are looking for their first win in KC since an instant-classic AFC title game in January 2019.
This Monday Night Football showdown could be a changing of the guard between the last NFL dynasty and a Patriots team looking to reclaim its standing as the top power in the AFC — with plenty of eyes on Maye’s first game against Patrick Mahomes.
3. Week 17 vs. Denver Broncos, TBD
Beyond the potential playoff implications at this stage of the season, this rematch of last season’s AFC title game should have no shortage of storylines. Be it the brutal weather conditions in Denver or the Broncos soldiering on without starting QB Bo Nix, the Broncos will be looking for some revenge this time around against the Patriots.
It wouldn’t come as much of a surprise if this Week 17 game gets flexed to a primetime slot — especially if both the Patriots and Broncos live up to their billing as two of the top teams in the AFC.
2. Week 13 vs. Bills, 4:25 p.m.
The rematch between Maye and Allen should have plenty of playoff implications at that juncture of the NFL calendar — especially when it comes to what should ultimately be a two-team race for the AFC East divisional crown.
One of the Patriots’ signature victories last season came on the road against Buffalo in Week 4, only for Allen and Co. to exact some revenge at Gillette Stadium in a 35-31 comeback victory in Week 15. New England will look to shift its fortunes and defend home turf against Allen and Co. in what should be another classic between these two powerhouses.
1. Week 1 @ Seahawks, 8:20 p.m.
The Patriots’ 2026 season is starting with a bang, as New England will head to a raucous Lumen Field in Seattle in an anticipated rematch of Super Bowl LX. This marks the first time that the NFL has scheduled a Super Bowl rematch in Week 1 since the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers opened the 2016 season.
New England will be looking to atone for a crushing 29-13 defeat at the hands of Seattle in Santa Clara, while a still-stacked Seahawks squad will have plenty of momentum on their side on a night where they will hang another Super Bowl banner.
As the first game of the 2026 NFL season on a Wednesday night, there will be plenty of eyes on the Patriots as they try to prove that last year’s unexpected playoff run wasn’t a flash in the pan.
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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