Looking Ahead: Patriots 2006
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by user Xinoph
With their first pre-season game just a few days away, it's time to take a look at the New England Patriots' schedule for 2006. Let's take a look at what the NFL has given them this year, as they try to bounce back from last year's playoff loss and return to the Superbowl.
| 2006 Patriots Schedule | ||||
| Team | Date | '05 W-L | Comments | |
| Buffalo Bills | Sept. 10 | 5-11 | One of the Patriot's greatest boons in recent years has been the six games on their schedule against the AFC East every year. That won't change this year. | |
| @ New York Jets | Sept. 17 | 4-12 | The Jets have certainly made some improvements in the off-season - or have they? They've made a lot of moves, anyway. This game will be a good test of those moves. | |
| Denver Broncos | Sept. 24 | 13-3 | A rematch from last year's playoffs, the first playoff game Tom Brady lost. Will Brady rally to beat them, or fall short again? Experience indicates the former - Belichick rarely loses to teams twice in a row. But this will almost certainly be a good, close game. | |
| @ Cincinnati Bengals | Oct. 1 | 11-5 | Two difficult opponents in a row, possibly. Can the Bengals sustain their success? If they do, this could definitely be a tough game. | |
| Miami Dolphins | Oct. 8 | 9-7 | This year, the Pats host Miami early, and visit late, so no snow factor - probably. Miami has struggled in New England - they are 4-1 in the new Gilette Stadium. | |
| Oct. 15 | Bye Week | The Pats could well enter the bye week with a losing record, but don't count them out. There's plenty of time left in the season. | ||
| @ Buffalo Bills | Oct. 22 | 5-11 | This game could be the perfect opportunity to bounce back from a tough loss (if Miami won) or continue a winning trend. The Bills will be competitive, but the Pats tend to do well against them. | |
| @ Minnesota Vikings | Oct. 30 | 9-7 | Minnesota is ripe to have a tough year this year; that they had a winning season last year was somewhat miraculous. Despite being in a dome, Brady should be able to get a win here. | |
| Indianapolis Colts | Nov. 5 | 14-2 | Always a game to look forward to, this rivalry will be intensified this year with the return of Adam Vinatieri to Gilette Stadium. Let's just hope it doesn't come down to a field goal. | |
| New York Jets | Nov. 12 | 4-12 | This game against the Jets could be tougher than the Week 2 game. If they've been struggling, they could rally and play well in New England. If they're playing well, they could.....play well. Either way, the Pats should keep an eye out for this one. | |
| @ Green Bay Packers | Nov. 19 | 4-12 | I don't quite believe Brett Favre's declaration that this is the best Green Bay team he's ever played on, but they're definitely better than they were last year. Or should be, anyway. At least playing in the cold of Lambeau won't be a problem for New England! | |
| Chicago Bears | Nov. 26 | 11-5 | This should be a good defensive battle, with two teams known for their prowess in that arena. New England likely prevails here with their offensive capabilities, but it definitely has the potential to be a good game. | |
| Detroit Lions | Dec. 3 | 5-11 | The NFL's Detroit won't have the best record in the league, like MLB's Detroit. That will be clear by the time the Lions play the Pats, and the game will make it even more clear. | |
| @ Miami Dolphins | Dec. 10 | 9-7 | Miami is often problematic for the Patriots; that the visit won't be offset by a late-season visit of the Dolphins to Gilette is even worse. | |
| Houston Texans | Dec. 17 | 2-14 | A historically (can we even use that word for this team yet?) terrible southern team visiting New England in December for the last regular-season home game of 2006. Need I say more? | |
| @ Jacksonville Jaguars | Dec. 24 | 12-4 | While Brady often works cold weather to his advantage, people forget that the California-raised QB isn't bothered by sunshine. This will be a tough game because the Jags should be good again, but don't worry about visiting Florida again in December. | |
| @ Tennessee Titans | Dec. 31 | 4-12 | The Pats finish this year on the road, in a dome - two terrible places. If Tennessee does rebound this year, this might be a difficult game. | |
Well, you'll see that the Patriots have a tough schedule this year, even with their six games against the AFC East. The NFL has created a tough road for the three-time Superbowl champions. They've also, except for the Week 15 game against Houston, taken away much of the advantage the Patriots gain through weather by scheduling other cold-weather teams in Gilette late in the year.
Now, there's no reason to think the Patriots won't make the playoffs. I count probably six easier wins, and then even if they split the rest of the games, that's an 11-5 record - which should be more than enough to win the AFC East. Of course, there are always unknown factors to contend with - maybe one of the other AFC East teams will be ready to challenge the Pats this year for division dominance, but it sure doesn't seem that way right now.
So while the Patriots probably make the playoffs again, they probably won't be anything like 13-3, nor will they go on a 12-game win streak again. Nor will they likely be the team the media focuses in on as the last undefeated team this year. They may have a tougher time this year than Pats fans would like, but barring something incredibly drastic happening, Belichick, Brady, and company are a pretty safe bet to at least make the playoffs.
After that it's anybody's guess.
Date
Tue 08/08/06, 12:25 pm EST
