Next is a trip to Baltimore to play the AFC North champion Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. Thanks to 1,921 yards from running back Derrick Henry and a career-high 4,172 yards from quarterback Lamar Jackson, the Ravens averaged a league-high 424.9 yards per game last season, a number that could go even higher with wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins on the 2025 roster.
Finally, the team will end the regular season at home against rival Miami, a team it has beaten once since Mike McDaniel took over as head coach of the Dolphins in 2022. Time and date have yet to be set for the game.
Easiest stretch | Week 6 through Week 8
After facing the Bills on Sunday Night Football, the Patriots travel to New Orleans to play the 5-12 Saints and new head coach Kellen Moore in Week 6. As a former offensive coordinator with Dallas and Philadelphia, Moore did wonders for quarterbacks like Dak Prescott and Jalen Hurts, but what he can do for rookie Tyler Shough and second-year quarterback Spencer Rattler remains to be seen.
In Week 7, the team travels to Tennessee to face head coach Mike Vrabel’s former team. The Titans went 3-14 last season under new head coach Brian Callahan, their worst record since 2014. They’ll have Cam Ward, the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, playing quarterback this year, but the Patriots will get him in just his seventh NFL start.
Who will start at quarterback for the Browns in Week 8 is anybody’s guess. It won’t be Deshaun Watson, who’s still recovering from an Achilles injury, but options include Kenny Pickett, 40-year-old Joe Flacco, third-round pick Dillon Gabriel and fifth-round pick Shedeur Sanders.
Either way, look for new defensive end Milton Williams to make good on his four-year, $104M contract with a big game against the Browns.
Don’t sleep on the Raiders | Week 1 vs. Las Vegas Raiders
Look for the Raiders to test New England’s 23rd-ranked run defense right away when they open the regular season at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots allowed 131.4 yards rushing per game in 2024 and will have their hands full against Ashton Jeanty, also known as “Deuce,” in the season opener.
Jeanty was the sixth pick in the draft after leading the FBS with 2,601 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns in 2024. At 5-foot-9 and 215 pounds, he has been compared to Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders. He’s certainly an upgrade over Alexander Mattison, who led Las Vegas with 420 yards and four scores on the ground last season.
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