Tough home schedule marks Patriots’ 2010 slate
By Bud L. Ellis
The New England Patriots will be put to the test by their home schedule in 2010.
The National Football League has released its schedule of home games and road games for the upcoming season. Dates and times have not been finalized, although the Patriots may be traveling to Detroit for a Thanksgiving Day matchup with the Lions.
The real story is New England’s home schedule, in which six of the eight games come against playoff qualifiers from last season. It’s a very daunting slate that includes matchups with AFC champion Indianapolis, NFC runner-up Minnesota, AFC wild-card qualifiers Baltimore and the New York Jets, AFC North champion Cincinnati and NFC wild-card team Green Bay.
The other two home games are against AFC East division rivals Buffalo and Miami.
The road schedule doesn’t appear anywhere as tough as the home portion. Games at the Jets and at AFC West champion San Diego are the only road contests against playoff teams. The rest of the schedule away from home includes visits to Buffalo, Miami, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Chicago.
According to opponents’ win percentage from last season, the Patriots’ schedule is sixth-toughest in the NFL.
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Sunday, March 14, 2010 at 7:19 pm by bud
Tags: Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, National Football League, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Diego Chargers
