The New England Patriots already know their 2026 schedule, but the general public will have to wait until Thursday night to get official word of it. However, the first few games have either already started leaking or been officially announced by the club.
Out of those four games, only one has officially been announced, namely the Patriots’ return to the international stage after a one-year hiatus; they will play the Lions in Germany in mid-November. This game might also give us a clue about the team’s bye, which might come in Week 11 right after the cross-Atlantic trip.
Two of the Patriots’ primetime games have also leaked. They will open the season with a Super Bowl rematch in Seattle — one that will be played on Wednesday rather than the traditional Thursday this year — and take on the Bears on Thursday Night Football in Week 7. New England will have mini-byes after both contests.
Furthermore, the Patriots will visit the Jets in Week 16 for a 1 p.m. ET game.
The rest of the games remain TBA at this point in time. The official schedule release will happen at 8 p.m. ET, even though traditionally most if not all of the schedule is already known at that point.
