User:McDogm/Pats Schedul

During the Fall 2005 season the NFL defending champion Patriots will play each division member home and away, each team in the AFC West once, and each team in the NFC South once. The team will also play the Indianapolis Colts and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The team will enjoy two appearances on ABC Monday Night Football.

The season begins on Thursday, September 8, 2005 and ends on Sunday January 1, 2006. The cardinal number of the game corresponds to each intervening weekend. Only the Patriots and the Raiders are playing on Thursday, September 8. The rest of the teams begin play 3 days later on September 11. Opening day of the 2005 NFL season falls on the fourth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 airplane attacks in New York City and Washington, DC. This is not the reason for the season opener to fall on the prior Thursday; the NFL normally opens with a marquee game a few days before opening Sunday.

The Patriots play at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass, a town close to Boston, Mass.

Notes

The two games that the Patriots organization is concerned with are the Pittsburgh game and the Indianapolis game. The San Diego Chargers game is a third important hurdle for the team. These three games will be in the books by Week 9, halfway through the season.

Going into the season a second level of difficulty would include Atlanta, Denver and the New York Jets. Week 9 again is a milestone as 5 out of 6 of these difficult games will be complete by then. Christmas Day, December 25, 2005 is the date of the second Jets game.

Rounding out the precis would be Buffalo, Carolina, Kansas City, New Orleans, Oakland, Tampa and Miami.

Pittsburgh

Ben Roethlisberger's second year may go as well as his first. Pittsburgh didn't seem to be focused on New England during the playoff game in January 2005. Look for Big Ben to be a lot smarter this season.

Indianapolis

The Colts are not a pleasing team to face. Peyton is better than Roethlisberger at this point. The professional rankings currently name Pittsburgh, Indianapolis and New England as the elite in the league with San Diego a fourth. Peyton Manning has 7 defeats at Gillette Stadium which is where this season's meeting is to be played. New England is the only team he has not easily beaten in the past.

San Diego

Last season's surprise is expected to do well again this year.

Atlanta and Denver

Atlanta and Denver are excellent teams. QB Michael Vick of Atlanta is outstanding.

New York Jets

Rounding out the serious opponents list is New York who play with New England in the AFC East division. Going against New York is the strong affinity between New England and New York culturally, based on proximity and the strong contingent of New England born and New England educated people living in the big city, including the bulk of its investment banking community.

Schedule

Oakland Raiders at home on Thursday - opening day for NFL 2005
Carolina Panthers
Pittsburgh Steelers
San Diego Chargers at home
Atlanta Falcons
Denver Broncos
Bye week - no game
Buffalo, NY Bills at home
Indianapolis Colts at home - Monday Night
Miami Dolphins
New Orleans Saints at home
Kansas City Chiefs
New York Jets at home
Buffalo Bills
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home
New York Jets - Monday Night
Miami Dolphins at home

The NFL Playoffs begin the next week. According to Las Vegas oddsmakers the Patriots are expected to make the playoffs.