2009 Schedule Unveiled

The National Football League released the 2009 regular season schedule earlier this evening. We already knew that the Patriots would open the season against the Buffalo Bills and meet the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in London on October 25. Now we know how the remaining fifteen weeks will be played out.

Here is the Patriots' 2009 schedule (all times Eastern):

Mon. September 14 - BUFFALO - 7:00 p.m.
Sun. September 20 - at New York Jets - 1:00 p.m.
Sun. September 27 - ATLANTA - 1:00 p.m.
Sun. October 4 - BALTIMORE - 1:00 p.m.
Sun. October 11 - at Denver - 4:15 p.m.
Sun. October 18 - TENNESSEE - 4:15 p.m.
Sun. October 25 - Tampa Bay - 1:00 p.m. (in London)
BYE WEEK
Sun. November 8 - MIAMI - 1:00 p.m.
Sun. November 15 - at Indianapolis - 8:20 p.m.
Sun. November 22 - NEW YORK JETS - 4:15 p.m.*
Mon. November 30 - at New Orleans - 8:30 p.m.
Sun. December 6 - at Miami - 8:20 p.m.*
Sun. December 13 - CAROLINA - 1:00 p.m.*
Sun. December 20 - at Buffalo - 1:00 p.m.*
Sun. December 27 - JACKSONVILLE - 1:00 p.m.*
Sun. January 3 - at Houston - 1:00 p.m.*

(* - denotes the possibility of flex scheduling)

Obviously a few things jump out at you in merely reading the schedule. The Patriots hit a very difficult stretch from week three to week seven, when they face the Falcons and Ravens at home, then travel to Denver, a locale that has never treated them well, before coming back home to face the defending AFC South champion Titans, and concluding the first half of the season by traveling across the Atlantic Ocean for a meeting with the Bucs at Wembley Stadium.

However, the Patriots will receive a much needed and much-deserved bye week following their international excursion. Following the bye week, the Patriots will face AFC East foes Miami and New York, with a trip to Indianapolis sandwiched between the two. The road trip to Lucas Oil Stadium marks the third consecutive regular season game that the Patriots will play in Indianapolis.

The end of the season is no gift for the Pats either, as they play four of their last six away from Gillette Stadium. However, only one of the road trips involve the possibility of inclement weather, that of course being the trip to Orchard Park to meet the Bills on December 20.

Statistically the Patriots have the third most difficult schedule in the NFL. However, they will welcome the return of Tom Brady on September 14 and start the season with five of their first eight games at home. In theory, they could get off to a very hot start behind some good old fashioned home cooking, despite the challenging first half that they face.

But as a wise man once said, "That's why they play the games."