Patriots Irked By Schedule With 'No Slacks'?

Members of the New England Patriots are reportedly displeased with the order of opponents on their 2023 schedule.

The New England Patriots probably can't complain about who they're playing: despite the hullaballoo that accompanies modern NFL schedule releases, their slate more or less matches those of their AFC East brethren and they've known all but three of the 17 matchups for years beforehand. 

When it comes to the matter of when, however, they might have legitimate gripes.

Per the Boston Herald, members of the Patriots are displeased at the way their 2023 opponents were slotted, citing a late bye and an early rush of elite competition that offers little, if any reprieve. 

"They don’t get a break and that’s something that I know that they’re aware of," Globe reporter Andrew Callahan said during an appearance on WBZ-FM. "In texting with a few players, they’re like, ‘You know, there are no slacks here. There is no breather, there is no anything like that.'"

To the Patriots' potential point, three of their first four opponents (Philadelphia, Miami, Dallas) went to the playoffs last season and they open at home against the Philadelphia Eagles, last year's NFC champion and narrow Super Bowl runner-ups. The outlier is the New York Jets, whose losses to the Patriots have been one of the few traditions leftover from the Tom Brady era, but that was before they invited Aaron Rodgers to the fold.

New England's bye in Week 11 comes after they face the Indianapolis Colts in Frankfurt. They better enjoy the week off because two more recent postseason entrants (the New York Giants and Los Angeles Chargers) immediately await before their Thursday night game on Dec. 7. The schedule is at least compassionate enough to give them 11 days to prepare for a Monday night visit from the Kansas City Chiefs, winners of that aforementioned Super Bowl against the Eagles. 

Though a majority of NFL opponents are determined years in advance, the Patriots' variables created one of the league's more difficult slates as determined by 2022-23 win percentage on the other side: they face a trio of fellow third-place division finishers, two of whom (New Orleans, Pittsburgh) have loftier expectations than their prior results indicate. The remainder, the Colts, gained the NFL's international interest and cost the Patriots a game at Gillette Stadium.

At least the Patriots will rack up some frequent flier miles: they're slated to fly 23,636 miles this season, the fifth-highest total in the AFC behind Miami, Los Angeles, Baltimore, and Kansas City. 

---

Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

Follow Patriots Country on Twitter and Facebook

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Patriots? Click Here

More Patriots coverage from Sports Illustrated here.