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          New England Patriots' schedule 2020: Jarrett Stidham will be tested early

          • Mike Reiss, ESPN Staff WriterMay 7, 2020, 08:05 PM ET
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              Mike Reiss is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the New England Patriots. Reiss has covered the Patriots since 1997 and joined ESPN in 2009. In 2019, he was named Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. You can follow Reiss on Twitter at @MikeReiss.
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          The New England Patriots' schedule for 2020, the hardest schedule in the NFL, was released Thursday.

          The regular season kicks off with the Houston Texans visiting the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday, Sept. 10 (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC). The opening doubleheader for Monday Night Football will feature the Pittsburgh Steelers at the New York Giants (7:10 p.m. ET, ESPN) and the Tennessee Titans at the Denver Broncos (10:20 p.m. ET) on Monday, Sept. 14.

          Check out the full week-by-week schedule here. Here's what is in store for the Patriots:

          Game-by-game prediction

          Patriots reporter Mike Reiss is predicting a 9-7 finish:

          Sept. 13: vs. Miami, Win

          Sept. 20: at Seattle, Loss

          Sept. 27: vs. Las Vegas, Win

          Oct. 4: at Kansas City, Loss

          Oct. 11: vs. Denver, Win

          Oct. 18: BYE

          Oct. 25: vs. San Francisco, Loss

          Nov. 1: at Buffalo, Loss

          Nov. 9: at N.Y. Jets, Win

          Nov. 15: vs. Baltimore, Loss

          Nov. 22: at Houston, Loss

          Nov. 29: vs. Arizona, Win

          Dec. 6: at L.A. Chargers, Win

          Dec. 10: at L.A. Rams, Win

          Dec. 20: at Miami, Loss

          Dec. 28: vs. Buffalo, Win

          Jan. 3: vs. N.Y. Jets, Win

          Strength of schedule: 1st, .537

          Breakdown

          It is 2019 fourth-round pick Jarrett Stidham's job to lose as Tom Brady's successor, and if the quarterback follows through and seizes it, he will get an early baptism in two of the toughest road environments in the NFL -- at Seattle in Week 2 and at Kansas City in Week 4. They don't come much tougher than that. This, of course, assumes fans are in attendance, due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Patriots will likely be underdogs in those games, which will make it imperative for them to hold their ground in their early-season home games -- against the Dolphins in Week 1, the Raiders in Week 3 and the Broncos in Week 5. Then New England will have a Week 6 bye to assess its early progress. While Stidham represents an unknown, the television networks still see the Patriots as a big draw, as evidenced by their five prime-time games.

          A week in Los Angeles

          The Patriots have a notable following on the West Coast, so this looks like a treat for the team's cross-country fans -- back-to-back games in Los Angeles on a short week. It also stands out as something coach Bill Belichick requested as a way to manage travel, similar to 2008, when the Patriots stayed out West between games. Expect them to do so again this season. Those can also be team-bonding experiences, which is why the club has asked the league for scheduling consideration to make those games back-to-back.

          Déjà vu to finish the season

          If it feels like you've seen the end of the Patriots' season before -- home games against the Bills and the Jets -- it's because you have, in two of the three prior seasons. Also, the Patriots have had back-to-back home games to close out the year in each of the past three seasons. Home for the holidays and the new year can be a good thing, although last year's stunning collapse in the finale (vs. Miami) is a reminder that home-field advantage only goes so far. One major difference between this schedule and those of recent years: Only twice in the past decade have the Patriots had a bye as early as Week 6 (Week 5 in 2010 and Week 4 in 2015).