Fresh off the Super Bowl, with one of the hot commodities in the National Football League at quarterback, the New England Patriots again matter.
For much of Patriots Nation, that translates to two words – road trip!
Since we are not looking to take out a second mortgage for our trip – we are in this for the long haul not a once in a lifetime event – we eliminate one game off the top, Detroit in Germany for obvious cost reasons.
But let’s take a minute to rank the other potential trips for New England football fans.
8. At NY Jets, Dec. 27
To actually want to attend this potential true stinker, you must truly love Rockefeller Center and all the pageantry of New York City during the Christmas season. You get the feeling that both teams’ fates will be decided by this one.
7. At Miami, Nov. 1
Bring your bathing suit. Leave the chill of fall in New England and get one final blast of summer heat. Oh, you have to go to watch the Dolphins? Yuck.
6. At Jacksonville, Sept. 27
The stadium gets a bad rap, and the city is not spectacular. Yes, you are an hour from some great golf – do you have a connection to get on at TPC Sawgrass? The game should be a good one, but the stifling Florida humidity is definitely a negative.
5. At Buffalo, October 4
It has the makings of another special Drake Maye-Josh Allen showdown, this one in the Bills’ new home that has to be worth a look. New Englanders don’t have to fly. It will be a pretty fall ride down the New York State Thruway. No snow in the forecast for now.
4. At Chicago, Oct. 22
Thursday nighter on the road offers plenty of cheap flight options into the Windy City. The Maye-Caleb Williams QB matchup will be the talk of the NFL. And this could be the final chance to see the Bears against the Patriots at Soldier Field.
3. At LA Chargers, Nov. 29
The Sunday nighter will be a bit of a stiff ticket price to swallow, but what a way to cap Thanksgiving weekend. Again, all eyes will be on this one, a must-attend event for the A-listers in Hollywood.
Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
2. At Kansas City, Dec. 21
With the Travis Kelce retirement tour expected to be in full swing and a driven Patrick Mahomes energized in 2026, the top seed in the AFC could be hanging in the balance for this Monday Night Football game. Monday night at Arrowhead. It does not get better than that.
1. At Seattle, Sept. 9
If you can handle the steep ticket prices (current get-in is about $350 apiece) and the razzing from the “12s,” the Wednesday night NFL season opener is certainly the place to be.
The stars will be out. The emotions will flow. And the Dungeness crab will be plentiful.
