New England Patriots 2024 schedule released, with only one primetime game

FOXBORO -- We finally have the road map that Jerod Mayo will have to navigate in his first season as Patriots head coach. The NFL released its full schedule for the 2024 season on Wednesday night, and it won't be an easy one for New England.

After a 4-13 season, the Patriots are heading into a rebuild with a new head coach and a new quarterback. Whether it's veteran Jacoby Brissett or rookie Drake Maye taking the snaps for New England in Week 1 will be determined in training camp, but chances are it will be Brissett to start the season.

The Patriots will once again be relying heavily on their stout defense, which should be one of the better units in the league. But with a lot of questions on offense, starting with the offensive line, it could be another long season for the Patriots.

2024 New England Patriots schedule

Week 1: @ Cincinnati Bengals, September 8, 1 p.m. on WBZ
Week 2: vs. Seattle Seahawks, September 15, 1 p.m.
Week 3: @ New York Jets, September 19, 8:15 p.m. (Thursday night)
Week 4: @ San Francisco 49ers, September 29, 4:05 p.m.
Week 5: vs. Miami Dolphins, October 6, 1 p.m.
Week 6: vs. Houston Texas, October 13, 1 p.m. on WBZ
Week 7: @ Jacksonville Jaguars in London, October 20, 9:30 a.m.
Week 8: vs. New York Jets, October 27, 1 p.m. on WBZ
Week 9: @ Tennessee Titans, November 3, 1 p.m.
Week 10: @ Chicago Bears, November 10, 1 p.m.
Week 11: vs. Los Angeles Rams, November 17, 1 p.m.
Week 12: @ Miami Dolphins, November 24, 1 p.m.
Week 13: vs. Indianapolis Colts, December 1, 1p.m.
Week 14: BYE WEEK
Week 15: @ Arizona Cardinals, December 15, 4:25 p.m.
Week 16: @ Buffalo Bills, December 22, 1 p.m.
Week 17: vs. Los Angeles Chargers, TBD on WBZ
Week 18: vs. Buffalo Bills, TBD on WBZ

That is a lot of 1 p.m. games for the Patriots. Eleven of them to be exact, and more could be on the way in the final two weeks of the season.

Patriots get help from Edelman, Gronk, and Ernie Adams for their schedule announcement

Hey, at least the Patriots had a lot of fun with their schedule announcement this year. Julian Edelman, Rob Gronkowski, and Ernie Adams all helped with a take on Good Will Hunting, where they all try to guess the schedule before it's released. It is aptly named Good Jules Hunting, and also deserves some Oscar recognition.

The Patriots will have just one primetime game in 2024

Thursday Night Football against the Jets in Week 3. That's it for the Patriots in primetime.

That could change with the flex schedule, but the Patriots will have to be really good to get flexed into the spotlight. Last season, the Patriots were flexed out of Monday Night Football, even though they were facing Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.

For comparison's sake, the New York Jets have six primetime games in 2024.

Patriots have a tough strength of schedule

New England is tied for the eight-toughest schedule in the NFL, with their opponents touting a collective record of 148-141 (.512) in 2023.

Only the Buffalo Bills have a tougher schedule in the AFC East, tied for sixth with opponents touting a 149-140 (.516) record. The Jets are behind New England at .505, while the Dolphins' opponents were under .500 (141-148) last season.

The Cleveland Browns have the toughest strength of schedule (.547) in the NFL this season. 

The Patriots will travel a lot during the 2024 NFL season

The Pats will travel 25,071 miles in the upcoming season, according to Bill Speros, which is the fourth-most in the NFL. A trip to London and two trips out west will do that. At least their trip to Arizona comes out of their late-season bye week.

The Pats will play back-to-back road games three times during the 2024 season. At least they get to close things out with back-to-back games at Gillette Stadium.

The Patriots will play only eight home games during the 2024 regular season

The Patriots will play only eight games at Gillette Stadium for the second straight season, but this time around it's by design. Last season, the Patriots only had eight games at their home stadium because their tilt with the Indianapolis Colts in Germany counted as a home game.

The Patriots were just 1-7 at Gillette in 2023. 

Patriots 2024 Preseason schedule

Hey, we can't forget about the preseason! This will be the first time we see Maye sling a football for the Patriots in game action. 

Game 1: vs. Carolina Panthers, Thursday, August 8, 7 p.m. on WBZ
Game 2: vs. Philadelphia Eagles, Thursday, August 15, 7 p.m. on WBZ
Game 3: @ Washington Commanders, Sunday, August 25, 8 p.m.

That last preseason game should be a good one, as we could see No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels and No. 3 overall pick Drake Maye going against each other. The NFL saw that worthy of a primetime slot.