Patriots Won’t Open Season On Thursday Night
The Masters Tournament every April is a tradition unlike any other. And so isn’t the opening night for the NFL. Something that the Patriots have been a part of for five seasons since 2000.
Since 2004, every Super Bowl champion has opened their season at home (for the exception of the 2013 Ravens who had a parking conflict with the Baltimore Orioles.) Thursday night games haven’t been the most liked tradition by football fans however. Often times, the Thursday night game has the lowest ratings and offers the worst match-ups for the exception of the opening game.
But this year to celebrate it’s 100th season, the NFL is breaking away from tradition. It announced today that the opening game will be the league’s longest rivalry.
The NFL’s 100th season will kick off with @packers at @ChicagoBears on Thursday September 5th, 2019! #NFL100 pic.twitter.com/aGvs22AvNe
— NFL (@NFL) March 25, 2019
Possible Home Opener Opponents for the Patriots
Furthermore, the league announced that the Patriots will open up in primetime on Sunday night against an opponent that will be announced later this spring. But who will the Patriots take on during the September 8th home opener? Here is a list of the Patriots home opponents for the 2019 season:
- Cleveland Browns
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Dallas Cowboys
- New York Giants
- Buffalo Bills
- Miami Dolphins
- New York Jets
- Kansas City Chiefs
It most likely won’t be any of the three other AFC East opponents so you can probably rule them out. The Chiefs would be an interesting opponent because it would be an AFCCG rematch, but the Patriots opened up the 2017 campaign vs the Chiefs so the NFL may want to avoid that. Another opponent that raises your eyebrows are the Pittsburgh Steelers. But the Patriots raised their Super Bowl 49 banner against them so the NFL may avoid that too.
So who could it be? The Giants who have beaten the Patriots twice in the Super Bowl? “America’s Team” the Dallas Cowboys? How about the newly revamped and AFC North favorites Cleveland Browns. Whoever it is, it’ll surely be a spectacle to watch.
The NFL will release the full 2019 schedule later this month.