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Though the NFL schedule isn’t officially released until Thursday night at 8 p.m. ET, the New England Patriots’ schedule is already begininning to take shape thanks to a number of different leaks and rumors.
Before we get to the schedule, here’s a look at the teams the Pats will play during the 2017 campaign:
Home: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Houston Texans
Road: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Pittsburgh Steelers
That’s quite the gauntlet on the road. Outside of the typical AFC East division games, the Pats will have to travel to play the Broncos, Raiders and the Steelers, who are being tagged by oddsmakers as the three most likely teams to dethrone the Pats in the AFC.
Of course, exactly when those games occur will be an important factor in how New England navigates the schedule. Here are the games and dates that have been leaked:
Week 1: vs. Kansas City Chiefs, Thursday, September 7, per ESPN
Week 2: at New Orleans Saints, Sunday, September 17, per The Advocate‘s Nick Underhill
Week 7: vs. Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, October 22, per the Boston Herald‘s Jeff Howe
Week 11: at Oakland Raiders (in Mexico), November 19, 2017, per the NFL
Week 17: vs. New York Jets, December 31, 2017, per NJ Advance Media
We’ll continue to update the Pats’ schedule if more games and dates are announced leading up to the 8 p.m. ET reveal. Once the schedule is official, you’ll be able to find it in its entirety right here.