Ranking Patriots’ 2026 schedule from least to most exciting games

New England made the most of a light regular-season schedule last season, which included no away games or matchups west of the Mississippi River.

That won’t be the case this year, as New England is scheduled to head to Germany for a game and play two games on the West Coast.

New England’s 2026 schedule includes matchups against eight teams that reached the playoffs in 2025: Seattle, Buffalo, Denver, Green Bay, Jacksonville, Pittsburgh, Chicago, and Los Angeles. The Patriots have the sixth-toughest schedule in the league — based on opponents’ combined winning percentage in 2025 (.531).

With several prime-time games on the docket, the Patriots will have no shortage of compelling games this fall.

Here are our rankings of the Patriots’ 17 games, from least to most exciting:

17. Week 16 @ Jets, 1 p.m

Bad news? The Patriots will have another short week after going to Kansas City to face the Chiefs on Monday Night Football in Week 15.

The good news? The Patriots should sleepwalk their way to another W against this awful Jets team — even at the Meadowlands.

16. Week 8 at Dolphins, 4:25 p.m

If the Patriots want to provide any sort of breathing room in their quest for a playoff berth amid such a grueling schedule, they will need to take advantage of these matchups against tomato cans within their division.

A rebuilding Dolphins team should be an easy choice for the Patriots, but every trip to Miami has often been an adventure for New England. The Patriots’ Week 2 win over Miami last season was the team’s first win 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, besides New England taking advantage of one of the few spots on its schedule, this game might be a bit of a snoozefest against one of the worst teams in the NFL.

14. Week 5 vs. Raiders, 1 p.m

On the face of it, a 1pm home game against the basement-dwelling Raiders doesn’t generate a lot of headlines.

But, beyond the ties to Tom Brady as the Raiders’ minority owner, Las Vegas has some exciting young players on its roster, such as 2026 No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza, Ashton Jeanty and Brock Bowers. New England will look to avenge its season-opening home loss to Vegas last season.

13. Week 18 vs. Dolphins, TBD

New England will conclude its regular-season slate with what should be another victory over a lackluster Miami slate — one that will be ill-equipped to handle the cold conditions of mid-January in Foxboro.

The end of the regular season can become a glorified round if teams don’t have much to play for. But, given how tough New England’s schedule is, we’ll put this game against the Dolphins ahead of other AFC East matchups against Miami and New York — since a playoff berth could still be up for grabs against the Patriots in their final game of the season.

12. Week 14 vs. Vikings, 8:15 p.m

New England will be working a short week after hosting the Bills just a few days ago at Gillette Stadium. However, this Thursday Night Football game could be a little disappointing if a Vikings team loaded with talent — but saddled with horrific quarterback play — can’t get it together this year.

The Patriots would certainly welcome it if Minnesota fell to a more forward-leaning opponent. But Kevin O’Connell has a track record of revamping the careers of castaway QBs — and Kyler Murray could potentially be the next guy up.

11. Week 2 vs. Steelers, 1 p.m

While New England was undefeated on the road during the regular season last season, it did lose three games in Foxboro — where it struggled at times to make the most of its home advantage.

They will look to set the tone in their home opener in Week 2 against a Steelers team that beat them last year, 21-14, in Week 3. Pittsburgh could be the AFC North champion, though the appeal of this matchup may hinge on how much 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers has left in the tank.

10. Week 7 @ Bears, 8:15 p.m

A prime-time matchup between two of the top QBs from the 2024 NFL Draft Both Maye and Caleb Williams have made huge strides since pitting against each other for the first time on November 10, 2024 — Maye’s first win of her career as an NFL starter.

With the Bears also making a big jump last season under first-year coach Ben Johnson, it should come as no surprise that the NFL wanted to hold a Thursday night game between these two legacy franchises at Soldier Field.

9. Week 3 @ Jaguar, 1 p.m

Despite a relatively quiet start at 1pm, this should be an exciting matchup between two of the most surprising teams in the NFL last season. Much has been made of 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 last year.

This won’t be an easy game for New England, especially given the wet conditions expected in Florida in mid-September.

8. Week 10 @ Lions, 9:30am

For the sixth time in franchise history, the Patriots will head overseas for an international game — with Bayern Munich’s home stadium, Allianz Arena, set to host a game between New England and the Detroit Lions.

Combined with the pomp of another NFL international showcase, this should be a tough test for New England’s defense against Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmir Gibbs and a Lions team poised to bounce back after last year’s 9-8 record.

This could be a high-scoring game in Munich, which would be a welcome improvement from the 10-6 snooze the Patriots found themselves in the last time they were in Germany in 2023 (vs. Indianapolis).

7. Week 12 @ Chargers, 8:20 p.m

Heading into the bye week, the Patriots will have their work cut out for them in this primetime game at SoFi Stadium.

The Chargers have already made some digs against Vrabel and the Patriots with their now-viral schedule release video, but Los Angeles could also let their play do the talking — especially with Mike McDaniel running the Chargers’ offense and both of their starting tackles returning from injury in Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater.

Justin Herbert can be a wild card at times, but the Chargers – if they stay healthy – are dangerous on both sides of the football. This could be a tough matchup for New England, even with some extra relief on their side.

6. Week 9 vs. Packers, 4:25 p.m

There will be no shortage of compelling storylines in this story. Along with the Patriots and Packers’ status as two major 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” in this game involving his former team, this could be a major revenge play for Romeo Dubbs after signing a four-year, $68 million contract in New England this spring.

5. Week 4 @ Bills, 1 p.m

Any clash between the two AFC East powerhouses would be a fixture, especially with Josh Allen and the Bills eager to knock New England out of its division base.

While a rematch later in the season will carry more weight, the Patriots will be busy in Week 4 — especially as the Patriots prepare 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 plenty of taunts 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 back at Arrowhead Stadium — looking to pick up their first win in Kansas City since an instant classic for the AFC title in January 2019.

This Monday Night Football showdown could be a changing of the guard between the NFL’s last dynasty and a Patriots team looking to reclaim their status as a top power in the AFC — with many eyes on Maye’s first matchup against Patrick Mahomes.

3. Week 17 vs. Denver Broncos, TBD

Beyond the potential playoff implications at this point in the season, this rematch for last season’s AFC title should have no shortage of storylines. Whether it’s due to the harsh weather conditions in Denver or the Broncos going without starting QB Bo Nix, the Broncos will be looking for some revenge this time around against the Patriots.

It wouldn’t be a surprise if this Week 17 matchup gets flexed in prime time — especially if both the Patriots and Broncos live up to their billing as two of the best teams in the AFC.

2. Week 13 vs. Bills, 4:25 p.m

A rematch between Maye and Allen should have a lot of implications for the playoffs at that point in the NFL calendar — especially when it comes to what should ultimately be a race between two teams for the AFC East Division crown.

One of the Patriots’ signature wins last season came on the road against Buffalo in Week 4, only for Allen and Co. to exact some revenge at Gillette Stadium with a 35-31 victory in Week 15. New England will look to turn its fortunes around and defend its 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 Seattle’s buzzing Lumen Field for a highly anticipated rematch of Super Bowl LX. This is the first time 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 look to atone for a crushing 29-13 defeat at the hands of Seattle in Santa Clara, while a still-stacked Seahawks team will have plenty of momentum on their side on the night they hang another Super Bowl banner.

As the first game of the 2026 NFL season falls on 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 just a blip on the horizon.

Connor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.