Patriots 2023 NFL Schedule Announced: Brady Returns, New England Goes to Germany
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Patriots 2023 NFL Schedule Announced: Brady Returns, New England Goes to Germany
"I'm happy to tell you and your audience that I invited him back to come here and be with us at the opening game and let the fans in New England thank him for the great service he gave us for over 20 years," said Kraft.
About Scheduled
According to the Patriots, the slate features five nationally-televised games, including their Week 10 regular season home game in Frankfurt, Germany on November. 12 against the Indianapolis Colts.
The game will be the Patriots' first in Germany as part of the 2023 National Football League's International Games. The nationally-televised game will be played at 3:30 p.m. in Frankfurt (9:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time). The Patriots have played three international games to date, including two in London and one in Mexico.
In 2009, the Patriots defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 35-7, at Wembley Stadium. The Patriots returned to London in 2012 and won their game against the St. Louis Rams, 45-7. In 2017, the Patriots made their first appearance in Mexico City defeating the Oakland Raiders, 33-8, at Estadio Azteca Stadium.
The Patriots' first nationally-televised game will be in primetime in Week 2 when they host the Miami Dolphins on Sunday Night Football on Sept. 17. Their last three primetime games will be played in consecutive weeks for the second straight season, beginning Thursday, Dec. 7 when the Patriots travel to Pittsburgh to play the Steelers.
The Patriots will return home to host the defending Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football on Dec. 18. The final scheduled primetime game will be played at Denver at 8:15 p.m. ET on Christmas Eve (12/24) on NFL Network. Last season, the Patriots played in three consecutive primetime games starting at Minnesota on Thanksgiving night, followed by a Thursday Night game at home against Buffalo and a Monday Night game at Arizona the following week.
New England will kick off the 2023 season by hosting the defending NFC Champion Philadelphia Eagles. During that game, the team will honor former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady in a special halftime ceremony on Sunday, Sept. 10. It is the first time since opening at Arizona in 2016 that the Patriots will begin the year against an NFC team.
The last time the Patriots kicked off the season at home against an NFC team was in 2000 when they hosted Tampa Bay in the season-opener. This year marks the first time since 1995 that the Patriots will open the season with back-to-back home games. After opening against the Eagles, the Patriots and Dolphins will meet at Gillette Stadium in Week 2 on Sunday night.
The Patriots will host Miami in a night game for the third time and own a 2-0 record in the previous meetings. The Patriots beat Miami, 26-23, at home on Nov. 23, 1998 on Monday Night Football and won, 36-7, against Miami on Oct. 29, 2015 in a Thursday Night Football Game at Gillette Stadium. The last time the two teams played on primetime was on Dec. 11, 2017 when the Patriots fell, 27-20, in a Monday Night game in Miami.
The Patriots will play both Super Bowl teams from last year at Gillette Stadium with the Eagles and Chiefs games. The Patriots last faced off against both Super Bowl teams from the previous year in 2020 when they traveled to Kansas City and hosted the San Francisco 49ers. Kansas City last played in New England in 2018 when the Patriots won a Sunday Night Football Game, 43-30, on Oct. 14.