T
he full NFL schedule was released and New England Patriots fans will begin circling some matchups.
New England is tied for the lead with a league-high five prime time games. The Patriots begin their season with a matchup on the road against the Miami Dolphins and New England concludes on the road once again up in Buffalo against the Bills.
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The Patriots posted a video of Ernie Adams releasing the full schedule on their official Twitter account.
He can’t tell you what Pink Stripes means, but he 𝙘𝙖𝙣 present you with our 2022 schedule.
📺: Full schedule release show now live on @nflnetwork
So while all 17 games are important, three games stick out more than the rest.
Week 4 @ Green Bay Packers
The Patriots will be headed to Lambeau Field on October 2 to play the Green Bay Packers.
It has been quite some time since New England has made the trip to Green Bay. The two teams faced off at Lambeau in 2014 with the Packers securing a 26-21 win.
Aaron Rodgers tore up the Patriots defense throwing for 368 yards and two touchdowns. Davante Adams was his favorite target with 121 receiving yards.
This go-around, Rodgers won’t have Adams to lean on as the wide receiver was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders. Still, Rodgers is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Last season he threw for 4,115 yards and 37 touchdowns while only throwing four interceptions.
Going up against Rodgers will be a major test for New England’s secondary, especially after losing J.C. Jackson.
Week 13 vs Buffalo Bills
New England doesn’t face off with the reigning AFC East champions until after their bye week in Week 10. On December 1, the Patriots will face off against the Buffalo Bills on Thursday Night Football.
New England had mixed results against their AFC East foe in 2021. The Patriots picked up a win the first time they met last season, but the Bills took the following two games including a 47-17 smackdown of New England in the Wild Card Round.
The Bills roster remains largely the same. Josh Allen is still under center and he still has Stefon Diggs to throw the ball to. The duo will once again continue to test the Patriots secondary.
Allen threw for 4,407 yards and 36 touchdowns last season while Diggs had 103 receptions for 1,225 yards and 10 touchdowns.
The Week 13 matchup will show just how good New England is and where they land among the teams in the AFC East.
Week 15 @ Las Vegas Raiders
Patriots fans won’t have to wait too long to see Josh McDaniels and Bill Belichick square off. New England heads to Las Vegas on December 18 to play the Raiders on Sunday night.
While the players will be the ones truly going to battle, everyone’s eyes will be on McDaniels and Belichick. Will the (relatively) young and up-and-coming coach defeat his mentor or will the master show why he has been dominant for so long?
Derek Carr is coming off an impressive 2021 season where he threw for 4,804 yards and 23 touchdowns while throwing 14 interceptions. Hunter Renfrow and Darren Waller were his favorite targets combining for 158 receptions, 1,703 receiving yards, and 11 touchdowns.
With the matchup pitting the two former co-workers together, it is definitley a matchup fans will be excited to watch.
So get ready Patriots fans, the 2022 NFL season is inching closer and closer.
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Patriots Schedule Release: 3 Most Important Matchups of 2022