REPORT: Patriots To Potentially Play Raiders In Mexico City During 2017 Season
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New England Patriots > Patriots Blog
According to a report by ESPN’s John Sutcliffe, the New England Patriots may be chosen as the second team to face off against the Oakland Raiders in Mexico City following the success of this years NFL International Series game between Oakland and the Houston Texans.
During the ESPN Deportes, Monday Night Football telecast this week, Sutcliffe also remarked that Patriots Owner Robert Kraft is “very interested” in the possibility of playing at Estadio Azteca at some point in the 2017 season.
According to Sutcliffe, the NFL sees many advantages in Mexico City as a much more convenient location for games as it’s in the central time zone and therefore eliminates earlier start times, along with much quicker travel than a trans-Atlantic trip to the United Kingdom. Despite multiple incidents including laser pointers, the league is committed to Mexico along with the Raiders franchise, who have a large following in the country.
The game would mark the third time the Patriots are a part of the regular season international series, participating in London in both 2009 and 2012. In 2007, the Patriots were tabbed as the choice for a game in China, but it was later cancelled. In 1998, the Patriots played the Dallas Cowboys in a exhibition game in Mexico City.