The defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots will kick off the 2017 NFL season at home September 7 against the Kansas City Chiefs as the league released the regular-season schedule Thursday night.
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Four London games are being played in 2017.
White, who is now locked into a long-term contract to stay in New England, should continue to serve in his all-around role behind quarterback Tom Brady. Atlanta beat Green Bay in last season’s NFC Championship Game.
But there’s no backing out of this trip. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is expected to attend. But there’s already plenty that we know about games on the schedule and leaks are starting to trickle in.
This year’s short straw goes to the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Patriots will travel to Mexico City to face the defending AFC West Champion Oakland Raiders on November 19 as part of the NFL’s International Series. The Patriots’ other home games are against division rivals Miami, Buffalo and the New York Jets, and Kansas City, San Diego, Carolina and Houston.
Offensively, there wasn’t all that much separating the Seahawks and Giants as far as average points per game a year ago. As part of the NFL’s global expansion the Patriots-Raiders game will take place in Mexico City, one of five worldwide games this season.
The NFL decided against forcing the Atlanta Falcons to relive their Super Bowl collapse in Week 1 and instead scheduled their rematch with the Patriots for Week 7.
Tennessee has a marquee matchup as well, with the Raiders visiting Nashville at noon. It also will be revealed on Vikings.com and the team’s social media platforms at that time and be accompanied by schedule-related content.
The Raiders will travel to the nation’s capital to take on the Washington Redskins under the lights on NBC’s Sunday Night Football in Week 3.
The NFL announced its pre-season schedule last week.
Packers at Falcons, Sept. 17 at 8:30 p.m. …
The last time the Chargers hosted the Raiders in December, more than 50,000 visitor fans packed a stadium in silver and black, their vocal presence so palpable the “home” offense spent almost all afternoon in the silent count. That showdown in Seattle will be the first of two Monday Night games for the Falcons.
According to the Washington Post, that schedule that THR said was “pointedly lacking in high-interest games” included five games between teams that had made the playoffs the year before.
For the eighth consecutive season, all 16 games in Week 17 will be divisional contests to close the regular season.
The regular season will wrap up on New Year’s Eve, with all 32 teams set to play on Sunday, Dec. 31.
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Also, since Jerry Jones’ Cowboys will play at Levi’s and the Oakland Coliseum this season, would the National Football League arrange for those games to be back-to-back?
