The New England Patriots will open the 2013 season on the road against the Buffalo, and then close it by playing host to the Bills.
The New England Patriots will open the 2013 season on the road against Buffalo, and then close it by playing host to the Bills.
The rest of the season will unfold between those dates, with five of the biggest games taking place in prime time. New England opens Week 2 with a Thursday night game against the Jets, then goes to Atlanta two weeks later for Sunday Night Football.
Coming out of a Week 10 bye, the Patriots have consecutive prime-time games, first a Monday night date against Carolina and then at home against Wes Welker and Denver Broncos. Things come to a crescendo with a Week 16 Sunday night game against the defending Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens.
The schedule also lines up so that Tom Brady could potentially tie Drew Brees' record of 54 consecutive games with a touchdown pass at home Week 6 against the New Orleans Saints. Brady is currently second on the list with 48 such games.
Based on 2012 records, New England has 14th hardest schedule in the NFL. Last season, when they went 12-4 and advanced to the AFC title game, the Patriots were considered to have the easiest schedule in the league.
Things appear to lineup favorably throughout the season. The bye lines up nicely in Week 10, giving New England time to rest before heading into one of the more meaty stretches of its schedule with games against Carolina, Denver and Houston to follow. The Panthers may not draw much excitement, but it will give New England additional time to prepare for mobile quarterback Cam Newton.
The weather outside of that at Gillette Stadium also should not play a major factor down the stretch. The Patriots four road games after October come in Carolina, Houston, Miami and Baltimore.
As far as scheduling, the hardest stretch comes at the beginning of the season with two games smashed into a five-day window. However, preparations are made easier with Tampa Bay and New York facing each other Week 1.
The Patriots would also likely prefer to have a full week to prepare for Denver, but will do so on short rest. The Broncos will enter the game after having played the Kansas City Chiefs.
New England does not have a game against the Indianapolis Colts after having played them in each of the last 10 seasons.
Week 1: at Bills (1 p.m.)
Week 2: vs. Jets (Thursday, 8:25 p.m.)
Week 3: vs. Buccaneers (1 p.m.)
Week 4: at Falcons (8:30 p.m.)
Week 5: at Bengals (1 p.m.)
Week 6: vs. Saints (4:25 p.m.)
Week 7: at Jets (1 p.m.)
Week 8: vs. Dolphins (1 p.m.)
Week 9: vs. Steelers (4:25 p.m.)
Week 10: Bye
Week 11: at Panthers (Monday, 8:40 p.m.)
Week 12: vs. Broncos (8:30 p.m.)
Week 13: at Texans (4:25 p.m.)
Week 14: vs. Browns (1 p.m.)
Week 15: at Dolphins (1 p.m.)
Week 16: at Ravens (8:30 p.m.)
Week 17: vs. Bills (1 p.m.)