The New England Patriots will not open the 2019 NFL season despite being the defending Super Bowl champions. Instead, they will begin their championship defense in the prestifious "Sunday Night Football" window on NBC.
The league is mixing up its scheduling patterns for Week 1 next season, opting to not have the defending champs play in the Thursday night season opener. The Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers, a fitting matchup for the NFL's 100th anniversary celebration throughout 2019, will play in that Thursday night slot.
So, who will the Patriots play in Week 1? We won't know the opponent until the full schedule unveiling in April, but we do know it's going to be one of eight opponents: the Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Dallas Cowboys ,New York Giants or Kansas City Chiefs.
Click for a ranking of the best possible Week 1 matchups>>>
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