Ranking the Patriots' 2026 schedule from least to most exciting games

"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)."

"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."

The 2026 New England Patriots schedule includes several primetime matchups against teams such as the Seahawks, Chargers, and Chiefs. The schedule was announced after a surprising Super Bowl LX run last year. New England previously benefited from a lighter schedule with no overseas games and no matchups west of the Mississippi, but that changes this season. The team will play in Germany and will also have two games on the West Coast. The Patriots face eight playoff teams from 2025, including Seattle, Buffalo, Denver, Green Bay, Jacksonville, Pittsburgh, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Their opponents’ combined 2025 winning percentage of .531 ranks the schedule as the sixth-hardest in the league. The 17-game ranking begins with a Week 16 trip to the Jets and includes a Week 8 game at the Dolphins.

Read at Boston.com