Conversely, it also means that the Patriots face no extended time on the road. And that is good.
If you studied the schedule you might have noticed that virtually all the toughest games and opponents are played at Gillette. Only the Steelers and Chargers are faced on the road.
But if a home game is worth 3 points, as the Vegas touts say, then the Pats have three point advantages on the Colts, (Finally!), Bengals, Vikings, Ravens, and Packers, as well as the usual home and way series with the Jets and Dolphins. In the case of the Jets, they get them at their place, when Santonio Holmes is on his League suspension, balancing off the loss of Welker early in the season too.
Other significant scheduling issues are they play Miami early in the season while it still hot in Miami, but it is a night game, mitigating the advantage that Miami usually has from the oppressive summer heat. OTOH, the Dolphins come to Gillette in cold January, which they never like to do.
About the only drawback to the schedule is that they play the Steelers at Pitt after Rothlesberger returns from his suspension.
OTOH, assuming Welker is PUPed for 6 weeks, the Pats will face the Ravens, Chargers, Vikings, Steelers, Jets, Packers, and Dolphins after he presumably returns; and all the newcomers and draftees have had half a season to acclimate. I always believe that Belichick's Patriots get tougher as the season wears on.
I think the Ravens game at Gillette at midseason may be a preview of the AFCCG, and a competition to see where that AFCCG game is played. If not, the Colts game at Gillette later, may serve to preview the AFCCG and alternatively decide the venue. This year the Colts won't have quite the cakewalk that they are used to having in their Division. Both the Titans and Texans look like much tougher clubs.
