Patriots 2024 NFL Schedule Released for Drake Maye's 1st Year After Mac Jones Trade

The New England Patriots will officially christen the Jerod Mayo era against the Cincinnati Bengals to kick off the 2024 NFL regular season.

The expectations for Mayo in Year 1 are pretty manageable.

The roster didn't get significantly better in the offseason. Running back Antonio Gibson and quarterback Jacoby Brissett were the two biggest outside signings.

In addition, Mayo will eventually hand the keys to the offense over to first-round draft pick Drake Maye, who could face a somewhat steep learning curve as a rookie. Mac Jones was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars to further signify the organizational reboot.

That said, here's a look at New England's 2024 schedule.

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2024 New England Patriots Schedule

Full schedule information available on the team's official website

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Analysis

The Patriots' schedule presents another challenge to Mayo and his staff.

Navigating through the AFC East alone will be tough. The Buffalo Bills are still a playoff contender despite trading wide receiver Stefon Diggs to Houston. The New York Jets should be better with a healthy Aaron Rodgers and some key additions. The Miami Dolphins have the pieces to notch double digits in wins again.

The losses could pile up outside of the division as well.

New England will host the Texans and Indianapolis Colts as part of the divisional crossover with the AFC South, and both of those franchises will have postseason aspirations when the action kicks off. Like Indy, the Jacksonville Jaguars could be a factor in the AFC wild-card race.

The Pats' two arguably stiffest non-divisional clashes come on the road. The San Francisco 49ers have advanced to the NFC title game in four of the last five seasons. The Cincinnati Bengals nearly ran their playoff streak to three seasons in 2023 despite quarterback Joe Burrow missing seven games.

What some see as a difficult slate others may consider a lineup ripe with opportunity. Upsetting the Niners, Bengals or Texans would be a way for New England to show progress is already being made under Mayo.

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Pivotal Matchups

Considering what figure to modest aims, the most important games on the Patriots' schedule are the ones that will most directly impact their playoff position.

The Tennessee Titans are starting over with the departures of coach Mike Vrabel, quarterback Ryan Tannehill and running back Derrick Henry signaling a major pivot.

The Arizona Cardinals, like New England, are building for the future as evidenced by a pretty quiet offseason in free agency, and the same is true for the Los Angeles Chargers. Hiring Jim Harbaugh was a bit of a coup but there's only so much Harbaugh can do to account for losing linebacker Eric Kendricks along with wide receivers Mike Williams and Keenan Allen.

The Chicago Bears are a bit of a wild card after having acquired Allen and signed running back D'Andre Swift. While the organization wants to take a step forward, the jury's still out on quarterback Caleb Williams until we see him in game action.

Any of these teams could plausibly finish around the Patriots in the league standings.