2012 NFL Schedule: Thoughts for the Bills, Jets, Dolphins and Patriots

We knew who each team was going to play, we knew where they were going to play, but now we know where and when they will play...and on what channel.

But the schedule release is more than that. A long home stretch can be a huge gift, while a stretch of tough opponents can cripple a team's season.

Let's have a basic look at each team's schedule.

And with that, here's my instant reaction to each of the schedules in the AFC East.

New England Patriots

For what is the easiest schedule by strength, the Patriots sure have it tough on paper. They have three road games in the first four weeks of the season, and get a home game Week 5 against Peyton Manning and the Broncos.

The schedule for Weeks 6 through 8 seems innocuous enough—at Seahawks, vs. Jets, at Rams—but the game vs. St. Louis will be played in London at Wembley Stadium. That means, in a three-week span, the Patriots will have to go from the west coast back to the east and then all the way overseas. 

At least they get the mercy of the bye.

They also have three divisional games in the final six weeks of the season, with two of those games on the road and one of them on Thanksgiving.

Bill Belichick has often said he enjoys playing on Thanksgiving because it gives the team extra time to rest up for the stretch run. And that stretch run will be tough. The Jaguars are still rebuilding, and though the two games against the Dolphins look like cupcakes, Miami always plays New England hard. But two of New England's toughest foes will rear their heads in that stretch run, as the Patriots take on the Texans in Week 14 and the 49ers in Week 15. At least they're both home games.

New York Jets

The Jets have a tough stretch to start the season, hosting the Bills in Week 1 followed by a two-week road trip against the Steelers and Dolphins and two home games against the 49ers and Texans.

And after a small respite with a home game against the Colts, capping off a three-game home stand, they get thrown right back into the fire with a road game against the Patriots. 

That starting five-game stretch promises to give the Jets all they can handle early. In their first eight games, the Jets play four division opponents. If they stumble out of the gate, they could be in an early hole. On the other hand, they could win multiple games and put themselves in great position in the AFC East.

Down the stretch, there are a lot of cupcakes for the Jets (don't say that too loud in front of Rex Ryan). With games at Seattle, at St. Louis, vs. Arizona, at Jacksonville and at Tennessee, the Jets will have plenty of chances to improve their record against softer opponents, but they'll have to do it on the road.

Buffalo Bills

Four of the Bills first six games are on the road. That's tough no matter who the opponents are. Consider that they have to play the Jets, the 49ers and the Patriots in that span, and it could be a tough start for a team that has aspirations of winning the AFC East title.

It doesn't get much easier for the Bills coming out of the bye, either, with road games against the Texans and the Patriots leading into a short week and a Thursday night prime-time showdown against the Dolphins.

They got a huge gift with a stretch run that should really help improve their record. They travel to Indianapolis to take on the Colts before a three-game home stand against—no joke—the Jaguars, the Rams and the Seahawks.

To top it off, if things don't go well for the Bills early on, they have a two-game AFC East trump card at the end of the season, with a road contest against the Dolphins followed by a season-ending home game against the Jets.

Miami Dolphins

A punch in the face awaits the Dolphins right out of the gate, as they get ready to take on the Houston Texans at Reliant Stadium. The schedule eases up a bit from there, with home games against the Raiders and Jets followed by a two-game road trip against the Cardinals and Bengals.

They get another easy game headed into the bye, hosting the St. Louis Rams at SunLife Stadium, and coming out of the bye, they travel to MetLife Stadium to take on the Jets. 

The toughest stretch of the season for the Dolphins has to be from Weeks 11 to 14, where they play the Bills at the Ralph on a Thursday night, and after a long week they host the Seahawks and the Patriots, followed by a trip across the country to take on the 49ers.

There's also a little specter looming at the end of the season, with two contests against the Patriots in Weeks 13 and 17. 

Schedule info provided by NFL.com.

Follow @ErikFrenz