Safe at home
For those wondering and because it was unclear in the paper this morning, the Patriots are not losing a 2009 home game as part of their trip to London next season to play the Buccaneers.
New England will still have eight home games because Tampa Bay would have hosted the game that will now be played overseas at Wembley Stadium on Oct. 25, 2009.
The NFL's scheduling formula calls for the Patriots to play the NFC South next season with away games against New Orleans and Tampa Bay and home games against Carolina and Atlanta.
So, it is Tampa Bay that is sacrificing a home game, not the Patriots, who will still have eight home games next season: Carolina and Atlanta, the Jets, the Bills, the Dolphins, the Jaguars, the Titans, and the AFC North team with the corresponding finish in that division to where the Patriots wind up in the AFC East.
Right now, the Patriots are second in the AFC East, so that would have them hosting Baltimore next season, if both teams end up second in their respective divisions.
The Patriots will play away games next season against the Jets, Dolphins and Bills, Tampa Bay (London), New Orleans, Indianapolis, Houston and the AFC West team with the corresponding finish, which right now would be San Diego.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft said that the franchise wouldn't have sacrificed a home game to go to London.
"I'm not giving up a home game, unless our fans vote for us to do so," said Kraft.
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Hey Mike,
Why would we play Jax and Tenn next year instead of Indy? I had thought we would play the team in the AFC South with the corresponding finish in that division.
Remember when Indy left the AFC East? Me neither..
Hi Ken. That's part of the NFL's rotating schedule formula, where it's pre-determined in advance. The idea is to ensure that teams don't go several years without playing each other. The way it's worked out -- because you play an assigned division each year but also face the team that finishes in the corresponding spot in every division in the AFC -- the Patriots and Colts are like division foes.
--Mike
Ken,
We are playing the entire AFC South - Indy, Jax, Tenn, and Houston. Each year we play all four teams form an AFC conference, all four teams from an NFC conference, our three division foes twice each, and the teams that finish the same as us in the two AFC divisions not already accounted for.
Ken: The Patriots play @Indy next year. They play the entire AFC South.
Why does it seem like we ALWAYS play Indy on the road???!!!
Mike,
Why is it that this (next year) would make it the third consecutive year we have played the Colts on the road? And then the 3 years prior to last year, we played host to the Colts. I know the NFL scheduling is very intricate and complicated, but wouldn't it make sense to at least alternate home/away games with, say, an opponent that you played the previous year? Just looking back at past Patriots schedules with common opponents, we played the Steelers at home this year and last, did not play them in 2006, and then played them on the road in 04 and 05. Maybe I'm just looking too far into this, but with two teams that play eachother as often as we do withthe Colts, a regular season home game can go a long way in determining a playoff home game.
The Pats play teams with corresponding finishes in the AFC North (Home) and the AFC West (Away) in 09. So the home game will most likely either be Pitt or Bal and the away game will most likely be either SD or Oak.
Pretty incredible how the Patriots end up playing the Colts and Chargers with such frequency, despite the rotating schedule. It always gives me a little headache when fans complain about having the hardest or easiest strength of schedule without understanding how far in advance 14 of the 16 games are determined.
i think it's BS that we play the colts on the road 3 years in a row....
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