It appears an old rival is coming to Gillette Stadium in Week 1.
The New England Patriots will host the Pittsburgh Steelers on NBC's "Sunday Night Football" in their 2019 season opener, according to multiple reports. CLNS Media's Evan Lazar was the first to report the news.
The NFL won't officially release the 2019 schedule until 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday night, but The Athletic's Nick Underhill revealed the dates and opponents for the Patriots' five primetime games earlier in the day.
New England has five primetime games:
-Sept 8 vs Pitt
-Oct 10 vs Giants (Thursday)
-Oct 21 at Jets (MNF)
-Nov. 3 at Baltimore
-Dec. 1 at Houston — Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) April 17, 2019
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The Steelers were one of the five teams to beat the Patriots in 2018, earning a 17-10 victory in Pittsburgh. But the Steelers lost two All-Pros in running back Le'Veon Bell and wide receiver Mike Tomlin this offseason and will be a much different team when they travel to Foxboro to watch the Patriots raise their Super Bowl LIII banner.
The full schedule is as follows:
Week 1: vs. Steelers (Sunday Night Football on NBC10 Boston)
Week 2: at Dolphins
Week 3: vs. Jets
Week 4: at Bills
Week 5: at Redskins
Week 6: vs. Giants (Thursday Night Football)
Week 7: at Jets (Monday Night Football)
Week 8: vs. Browns at 4:25
Week 9: at Ravens (Sunday Night Football on NBC10 Boston)
Week 10: BYE
Week 11: at Eagles at 4:25
Week 12: vs. Cowboys at 4:25
Week 13: at Texans (Sunday Night Football on NBC10 Boston)
Week 14: vs. Chiefs at 4:25
Week 15: at Bengals
Week 16: vs. Bills
Week 17: vs. Dolphins
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