Full Patriots, NFL 2017 Schedule released

[Deus Irae]

Maybe I'm being thick - don't see the screw job. What am I missing?

Pitt's a short week, as the last of 3 straight road games.
Denver's a nighttime start after a trip west that puts the team a mile above sea level.

As I said, at least with Denver, it's after the bye. That's about the most gentle screwing that matchup was going to get.

 

[Gronkowski123]

man, we have to wait til the end of the year to beat the **** out of the bills..

 

[Tunescribe]

Overall there are nine 1:00 games and only two late afternoon games (though that can always change). Somewhat surprised that there are not more 4:00 games.

@Tunescribe will like that.



edit: here's the Gillette Stadium breakdown:
(6) 1:00 games
(2) night games

One downside for season ticket holders is that there are home games on both Christmas Eve and New Years Eve. Aside from holiday preparations, HFA will (hopefully) be all wrapped up by then, making these meaningless games.

You are so very right -- I LOVE the six 1 p.m. home games, hope they stay at 1. Football is best in the daylight.

 

[Big-T]

Having to play 2 altitude games back to back in different countries sounds like a recipe for a ton of injures...Be a lot of hard work for the trainers to get the players acclimatised for both games in 2 vastly different climates.

Miami twice in 15 days is weird, but likely helps both teams a bit in regards to game plans.

 

[upstater1]

Having to play 2 altitude games back to back in different countries sounds like a recipe for a ton of injures...Be a lot of hard work for the trainers to get the players acclimatised for both games in 2 vastly different climates.

Miami twice in 15 days is weird, but likely helps both teams a bit in regards to game plans.

Second half of the season is not going to be a picnic.

All the hot venues except for Mexico are earlier in the season. Then you have Denver, Pitt, Buffalo, NY Jets all at the end.

AND, they are coming off 2 weeks of travel and a short week (Monday nighter) to head toward Pittsburgh, which will likely be the most difficult game of the entire season.

Something stinks there. The NFL did them no favors there.

 

[Sivy]

5 out of 6 on the road? NFL trying to screw the patriots? Means only one thing. 6-0 in those games.

 

[Deus Irae]

Second half of the season is not going to be a picnic.

 

[jmt57]

I am wondering now if Belichick requested the Broncos and Raiders games to be back-to-back. If I recall he did something similar in 2008 with the idea of having the team stay out west, and therefore avoid two long flights west. If he did do so though, I doubt he envisioned the team playing five out of six on the road (especially with a short week leading up to Pittsburgh).

Regarding five games out of six on the road I was surprised to find it has not been historically as bad as I thought it would be. The data below is for all AFC teams going back through 2005 (I'll add the NFC when I get around to it).

Five out of six games on the road (AFC, 2005-2016)
How often: four instances.
Cumulative record: 9-15 (.375)
- Dolphins, 2011: 1-5 in those six games (5-5 in all others). EDIT: bye in middle
- Bills, 2015: 2-4 in those six games (6-4 in all others).
- Ravens, 2008: 4-2 in those six games (7-3 in all others).
- Texans, 2006: 2-4 in those six games (4-6 in all others).

Of course the caveat is that this is a very small sample size and really needs to be further scrutinized by the quality of the opponents. Bottom line is that five out of six on the road is highly unusual.


In regards to three consecutive road games, here is the data for the same time frame (AFC from 2005-2016). I was surprised it happens as often as it does.
How often: 22 instances.
Cumulative record: 22-44 (.333)
- (2) times teams went 3-0
- (4) times teams went 2-1
- (8) times teams went 1-2
- (8) times teams went 0-3

In case you are wondering who the two teams were that swept, it was the 2014 Bengals and 2005 Jaguars. Both teams lost in the wild card round of the playoffs.

 

[RobertWeathers]

This schedule is the very definition of deck -stacking.

Par for the course...

 

[Kontradiction]

Really hope Buffalo is not a late game or Christmas Eve day...paid a pretty penny at a charity auction for 4 seats to this game to take the family ....will be daughter's first game (she'll be 9) and son's second (he'll be 12) and wife's first (she'll be 39....again, and again, and again!)

Good game to take the kids to. That game should be the definition of a dismantling. Especially if they keep Butler in the fold.

 

[denverpatsfan]

BRUTAL Schedule. 10-6 will be tough.

 

[XLIX]

There are 32 fan bases right now complaining about how the NFL schedule makers are out to screw them.

 

[bormio]

BRUTAL Schedule. 10-6 will be tough.

And when was the last time NE went 10-6?

 

[festy1986]

So when will tickets go on sale

 

[PatsWSB47]

.....Tough schedule. Wish we had added some weapons this off season

 

[FourierSeries]

lol @ this schedule.

How about a challenge for once?

 

[patfanken]

Week 5 at Tampa (plus the home opener). They want every team to have to play on Thursday once. Since there are seventeen weeks that makes 34 teams, so I'm guessing the two teams that play on Thursday in week one have to play another Thursday night game later.


It is rare, but does happen. Teams typically don't fare too well.

Can you bust out your stat machine, JM, and tell me when and how often it's happened. I can recall the times teams *****ed about have 3 out of 4 on the road, but NEVER 5 of 6. If this has happened twice before in the last 2 decades I'd be shocked.

If this isn't "getting even" I'm not sure what is. The more I think about it, the more steamed I get.

 

[TB_Helmet]

I am wondering now if Belichick requested the Broncos and Raiders games to be back-to-back. If I recall he did something similar in 2008 with the idea of having the team stay out west, and therefore avoid two long flights west. If he did do so though, I doubt he envisioned the team playing five out of six on the road (especially with a short week leading up to Pittsburgh).

Regarding five games out of six on the road I was surprised to find it has not been historically as bad as I thought it would be. The data below is for all AFC teams going back through 2005 (I'll add the NFC when I get around to it).

Five out of six games on the road (AFC, 2005-2016)
How often: four instances.
Cumulative record: 9-15 (.375)
- Dolphins, 2011: 1-5 in those six games (5-5 in all others).
- Bills, 2015: 2-4 in those six games (6-4 in all others).
- Ravens, 2008: 4-2 in those six games (7-3 in all others).
- Texans, 2006: 2-4 in those six games (4-6 in all others).

Of course the caveat is that this is a very small sample size and really needs to be further scrutinized by the quality of the opponents. Bottom line is that five out of six on the road is highly unusual.


In regards to three consecutive road games, here is the data for the same time frame (AFC from 2005-2016). I was surprised it happens as often as it does.
How often: 22 instances.
Cumulative record: 22-44 (.333)
- (2) times teams went 3-0
- (4) times teams went 2-1
- (8) times teams went 1-2
- (8) times teams went 0-3

In case you are wondering who the two teams were that swept, it was the 2014 Bengals and 2005 Jaguars. Both teams lost in the wild card round of the playoffs.

How the heck did you put all that together? Good work.

 

[Tunescribe]

Can you bust out your stat machine, JM, and tell me when and how often it's happened. I can recall the times teams *****ed about have 3 out of 4 on the road, but NEVER 5 of 6. If this has happened twice before in the last 2 decades I'd be shocked.

If this isn't "getting even" I'm not sure what is. The more I think about it, the more steamed I get.

But look at it this way, Ken: it's preceded by three weeks at home and is followed by two weeks at home (which turns into a month at home if they get a playoff bye, which is a definite advantage). At Buffalo isn't much travel. The real squeeze is Monday night at Miami followed by Sunday at Pittsburgh -- THAT smacks of manipulation, especially in that part of the season. If the Pats can win one of those two they should be OK.

 

[QuantumMechanic]

I'm fairly certain we've had three straight home games though, so I suppose this was bound to happen at some point.

Like, say, weeks 2-4 of the 2016 season...