Patriots 2011 Opponents set

[BelichickFan]

Re: Schedule for Next Year - Looks pretty tough again

Looks good to me, we're great at home and Philly is the only truly tough road game given our history with Pittsburgh.

 

[Keyser Söze]

Re: Schedule for Next Year - Looks pretty tough again

This season was FAR tougher. Imagine how good this team will be next season with our rookies/2nd year players getting better. That schedule doesnt compare at all to this seasons.

 

[ausbacker]

Re: Schedule for Next Year - Looks pretty tough again

New England Patriots

Home: Buffalo, Miami, N.Y. Jets, Kansas City, San Diego, Indianapolis, Dallas, N.Y. Giants

Away: Buffalo, Miami, N.Y. Jets, Denver, Oakland, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Washington


Anyone else think that's another pretty tough Schedule?

May as well lock in 14-2 now. No idea who the 2 losses will be against but I had to remove the homer glasses for a few seconds and keep some objectivity about me.

I honestly believe 2011/2012 is going to be the absolute coming of age for this team. That's what has made 2010 so special and amazing to me.

 

[DaBruinz]

Why do we get both division champs in the Colts AND the Steelers even though neither are in the divisions (AFC West/NFC East) we're scheduled to play? I just don't get how they schedule.

What is so hard to understand? Beyond the 6 divisional games, there are 4 Non-conference games and 6 conference games. 4 of the 6 conference games come from one of the other 3 divisions. This rotates on a year basis. The last 2 conference games come from the 2 divisions that you don't play outright. And they are slotted based on how the team finished the previous year. So, because the Pats finished atop the AFC East and they are scheduled to play the AFC West, the 2 other Conference games are the divisional winners from the AFC North and AFC South. It's been that way since 2002 when they expanded to 32 teams with the addition of the Houston Franchise.

 

[BrainTrust66]

What is so hard to understand? Beyond the 6 divisional games, there are 4 Non-conference games and 6 conference games. 4 of the 6 conference games come from one of the other 3 divisions. This rotates on a year basis. The last 2 conference games come from the 2 divisions that you don't play outright. And they are slotted based on how the team finished the previous year. So, because the Pats finished atop the AFC East and they are scheduled to play the AFC West, the 2 other Conference games are the divisional winners from the AFC North and AFC South. It's been that way since 2002 when they expanded to 32 teams with the addition of the Houston Franchise.

I'm with you on this. I'm amazed after all these years how many people still ask this question. Then there's the (and it's not just on this board) "conspiracy theories" of why one team ends up playing another conference team on the road several times - people just don't understand the rotation and the fact that sometimes you are playing a team because they finished in the same position as you in their division and sometimes you are playing them because it's your turn to play against their entire division. Take the Pats vs. Colts:

2003 - @Indy (played all AFC South)
2004 - home vs. Indy (divisional winners 2003)
2005 - home vs. Indy (divisional winners 2004)
2006 - home vs. Indy (played all AFC South)
2007 - @Indy (divisional winners 2006)
2008 - @Indy (divisional winners 2007)
2009 - @Indy (played all AFC South)
2010 - home to Indy (divisional winners 2009)
2011 - home to Indy (divisional winners 2010)

The venue rotates when the Pats play the AFC South. When they share the same position in the standings, they are home and then away 2 years at a time.

 

[PatsBoy12]

That looks like a tough schedule to me. The good thing is that almost all of the really hard teams will have to come to Foxboro.

 

[TheGodInAGreyHoodie]

I wonder how they are going to add the extra two games (if they go to the 18 game schedule). The most probable scenarios are either:

A) Adding two additional conference games (based on previous season's results): for example for next year the Pats would also have to play the second place teams in the AFC North and South (Baltimore and Jacksonville) so they would have an identical schedule as the Jets and the teams that finished 3rd and 4th would also have identical schedules (in this case the Bills/Phins would have to play the Bengals & Browns, Texans & Titans).

or

B) Adding two additional non-conference games (based on the previous season's results): again using next year as an example the AFC East plays the NFC East so they could add two additional games by making a rotation AFC East 1 plays NFC North 1 (Bears), NFC South 1 (Atlanta), and the NY Footsies would have to play (Green Bay and New Orleans).

These are the only two scenarios that would make sense for the league. I think that option B will be the one that they go with, because it is closer to the parity that the NFL seems to like, as it once again, makes it tougher for teams to keep winning.

From what I read the league is leaning towards A. I would prefer A as well.

 

[The Brandon Five]

Actually the AFC South has been the best division overall since the NFL went to eight divisions, though they were down this year. On the other hand the NFC West has been the league's worst division for seven straight years now.

Here are the year-by-year won-loss records of each division since the NFL went to an eight division format:


2007
42-22 -- AFC South
40-24 -- NFC East
35-29 -- NFC North
32-32 -- AFC North
28-36 -- AFC East
27-37 -- NFC South
26-38 -- AFC West
26-38 -- NFC West

Wow. The Pats accounted for over half the wins in the division that year.

 

[JonVaughnTD]

19 - 0 is possible. The Patriots could have a 30 game winning streak after next years Superbowl.

I'm not saying it's likely, but I'd give them a 20% chance.

 

[BrainTrust66]

19 - 0 is possible. The Patriots could have a 30 game winning streak after next years Superbowl.

I'm not saying it's likely, but I'd give them a 20% chance.

Let's not try to travel that road again. I'm in the "one-game-at-a-time" approach. Let's finish things up right this year before we start calculating the odds of a 30-game winning streak.

 

[PatsCelticsSox]

Why? It's the most competitive rivalry in sports right now.

Celtics-Lakers

Have met twice in the Finals the last 3 years. Only 1 championship separates the two for most in NBA history.