After putting together one of the most impressive seasons in recent memory, the Patriots were expected to be a feature of the 2026 season, which is far different than how they have been treated over the last five years.
The NFL followed through on that assumption by giving them five primetime games, plus an international contest against the Lions, further proving they are back on the map again.
They will begin the season with the first Wednesday night opener against the Seahawks in Seattle, and will be featured throughout the rest of the year on two Thursday Night games, a Sunday night game against the Chargers, and a must-see matchup against the Chiefs on Monday Night.
While that’s all good and dandy in the eyes of the fans, they were quick to notice that they will not face one of their most bitter rivals in primetime, which was highly projected to be one of their primetime games of the season: the Buffalo Bills.
It was a matchup that was moved into the night slot during the 2025 season, but apparently, the NFL isn’t all that interested in featuring it again this fall. That might be a massive mistake.
The NFL had every reason to feature either one of the Patriots-Bills matchups this season
Considering how competitive the AFC is predicted to be in 2026, it’s somewhat shocking that the league would forgo a Patriots-Bills primetime matchup at some point, especially after how close their games were last season.
As one of the more intriguing rivalries in the conference, it should have been a highlighted matchup on the calendar, but was instead overlooked in favor of others.
Fortunately for New England, that didn’t result in fewer primetime games, as they still have five (or six, if you include the game in Munich).
But it still would have been a can’t-miss game had one of their meetings against the Bills been featured, and it certainly would have attracted a large audience who continue to hope for the Patriots’ downfall.
It’s a massive loss for the NFL, which could have capitalized on the Bills’ desire to snatch the AFC East crown back from the Patriots, after owning the division for five straight years, while the Patriots hope to keep their momentum going beyond just one season that many have referred to as a fluke or a result of a weak schedule.
Those are easy storylines to run with over the course of the week to hype up the game, yet it wasn’t something the league appears to have been interested in.
Regardless, the hope is that the Patriots will build on what they accomplished in 2025 and continue their ascent back to relevance, where they spent much of the last 25 years. They look well-equipped to do that, with added motivation from a devastating Super Bowl loss, and it would only be sweeter to prove the NFL missed out by not featuring either game against the Bills, especially if they beat them.
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