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LANDOVER, MD – AUGUST 25: Drake Maye of the New England Patriots is hit as he attempts a pass.
The New England Patriots have certainly been the most surprising team in the NFL this season. If not, they are near the top, bouncing back from consecutive four-win seasons to enter the final week of the 2025 schedule (which actually takes place in 2026) at 13-3. If they beat the Miami Dolphins Sunday, they will equal their highest win total since 2016 — a year they won the Super Bowl — and second-highest in the 66-year history of the franchise.
But they will have done it facing one of the easiest schedules in the NFL. After Week 17, their opponents had a collective winning percentage of .383, lowest in the league. The winning percentage of the teams they have beaten was .365. Only the current AFC No. 1-seeded Denver Broncos defeated weaker opposition, at .356.
Patriots Schedule the Result of Poor 2024
With the Patriots finishing with the fourth-worst record in the NFL (including tiebreakers) in 2024, it was not a surprise that New England would play opponents who also finished poorly. Prior to the season, the Patriots were rated with the third “easiest” schedule, with opponents compiling a .429 winning percentage the previous year.
Whatever critics have said about the Patriots’ 13-3 record being the product of an easy schedule, fairly or unfairly, they won’t be able to say it next season. With all but two of the Patriots’ opponents now known, and the other two narrowed down to two possibilities each, it is certain that head coach Mike Vrabel’s squad will run a much tougher gauntlet in 2026.
Only Two Opponent Spots to be Filled
Because the Patriots have clinched the AFC East title, based on the NFL’s schedule-making formula they already know they will face the winners of the AFC South and NFC West.
With the Seattle Seahawks beating the San Francisco 49ers Saturday to clinch the NFC West, the Patriots now know that they will travel to the Pacific Northwest to play the Seahawks next season.
That leaves only two spots on the Patriots schedule to be filled — the winners of the AFC North and AFC South.
The AFC North winner will be either the Baltimore Ravens or Pittsburgh Steelers — whichever wins their Sunday Night Football matchup on January 4. The AFC South division winner will be either the Jacksonville Jaguars, if they defeat the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, or the Houston Texans. If Jacksonville loses and Houston beats the Indianapolis Colts, the Texans win the division and will face the Patriots on the 2026 schedule.
Full List of Home and Away Opponents
As always, the Patriots will face each team in the AFC East twice, home and away, accounting for six games. They also face every team in the AFC West and NFC North, accounting for eight more games. They also face three other division winners to complete their 17-game slate.
Unlike this season, when New England played nine home games and only eight away, in 2026 the Patriots play one more road game than at home.
HOME
• Buffalo Bills
• New York Jets
• Miami Dolphins
• Denver Broncos
• Green Bay Packers
• Las Vegas Raiders
• Minnesota Vikings
• Steelers or Ravens
ROAD
• Buffalo Bills
• New York Jets
• Miami Dolphins
• Kansas City Chiefs
• Chicago Bears
• Detroit Lions
• Los Angeles Chargers
• Seattle Seahawks
• Jacksonville Jaguars or Houston Texans
To get an idea of how strong the Patriots schedule will be, heading into Sunday the collective win percentage of those opponents was .521. That record would have given the Patriots the eighth-toughest schedule this season.
Jonathan Vankin JONATHAN VANKIN is an award-winning journalist and writer who now covers baseball and other sports for Heavy.com. He twice won New England Press Association awards for sports feature writing. He was a sports editor and writer at The Daily Yomiuri in Tokyo, Japan, covering Japan Pro Baseball, boxing, sumo and other sports. More about Jonathan Vankin
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