The New England Patriots have certainly been the most surprising team in the NFL this season, bouncing back from consecutive four-win seasons to finish the 2025 schedule (which actually ended in 2026) at 14-3. By beating the Miami Dolphins Sunday, they equalled their highest win total since 2016 — a year they won the Super Bowl — and second-highest in the 66-year history of the franchise.
But they did it facing one of the easiest schedules in the NFL. After Week 17, their opponents had a collective winning percentage of .383, lowest in the league. The winning percentage of the teams they had beaten was .365. Only the AFC No. 1-seeded Denver Broncos defeated weaker opposition, at .356.
Patriots Schedule the Result of Poor 2024
With the Patriots finishing with the fourth-worst record in the NFL (including tiebreakers) in 2024, it was not a surprise that New England would play opponents who also finished poorly. Prior to the season, the Patriots were rated with the third “easiest” schedule, with opponents compiling a .429 winning percentage the previous year.
Whatever critics have said about the Patriots’ 14-3 record being the product of an easy schedule, fairly or unfairly, they won’t be able to say it next season. With the Patriots’ opponents now known, it is certain that head coach Mike Vrabel’s squad will run a much tougher gauntlet in 2026.
Patriots Get First-Place Matchups
Because the Patriots won the AFC East title, they already know based on the NFL’s schedule-making formula that they will face the winners of the AFC South and NFC West.
With the Seattle Seahawks beating the San Francisco 49ers Saturday to clinch the NFC West, the Patriots will travel to the Pacific Northwest to play the Seahawks next season.
That leaves only the winners of the AFC North and AFC South.
The AFC North winner turned out to be the Pittsburgh Steelers — who narrowly defeated the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night thanks to a last-second missed field goal by Raven’s rookie kicker Tyler Loop. The AFC South division winner is Jacksonville Jaguars, who cruised past the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.
Full List of Home and Away Opponents
As always, the Patriots will face each team in the AFC East twice, home and away, accounting for six games. They also face every team in the AFC West and NFC North, accounting for eight more games. They also face three other division winners to complete their 17-game slate.
Unlike this season, when New England played nine home games and only eight away, in 2026 the Patriots play one more road game than at home.
HOME
• Buffalo Bills
• New York Jets
• Miami Dolphins
• Denver Broncos
• Green Bay Packers
• Las Vegas Raiders
• Minnesota Vikings
• Pittsburgh Steelers
ROAD
• Buffalo Bills
• New York Jets
• Miami Dolphins
• Kansas City Chiefs
• Chicago Bears
• Detroit Lions
• Los Angeles Chargers
• Seattle Seahawks
• Jacksonville Jaguars
To get an idea of how strong the Patriots schedule will be, heading into Sunday the collective win percentage of those opponents was .521. That record would have given the Patriots the eighth-toughest schedule this season.
Patriots 2026 Schedule Gets Much Tougher: Full List of Opponents Revealed