The New England Patriots’ path back to the postseason ain’t gonna be easy.
For starters, the Patriots will face some tough opponents in 2022: They have the NFL’s fourth-toughest schedule based on the projected win totals of their opponents and end their season with a brutal six-game stretch that includes matchups with the Buffalo Bills (twice), Arizona Cardinals, Las Vegas Raiders and Cincinnati Bengals.
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But there’s another quirk that will make their 2022 slate more challenging than most: The Patriots will have up to five “short weeks,” tied for the most in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini:
The Patriots and Eagles will play a league-high 5 games on short weeks (less than 7 days between games). The Jaguars, Jets and Falcons play the fewest (2 each). Via @ESPNStatsInfo #Jets
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) May 13, 2022
Here are the periods in which New England will have fewer than seven days of rest between games:
- Week 7 vs. Chicago Bears / Week 8 vs. New York Jets
- Week 11 vs. New York Jets / Week 12 at Minnesota Vikings
- Week 14 at Arizona Cardinals / Week 15 at Las Vegas Raiders
- Week 15 at Las Vegas Raiders / Week 16 vs. Cincinnati Bengals
- Week 17 vs. Miami Dolphins / Week 18…
