Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Quick hits from release of regular season schedules


The league released the regular-season schedules for all 32 teams Tuesday, and there's already a number of intriguing matchups leaping off the page for the division.

A handful of those games are set to take place in New Jersey, with Rex's Ryan's return to the Meadowlands and a regular-season battle of home-field supremacy at Met Life Stadium on tap for the second half of the season.

It will also be tough to catch a prime-time game this year that doesn't feature the New England Patriots, as the team will play five of their games on either Thursday, Sunday or Monday night. Schedule makers have clearly noticed the change within the division from last year, as each team has at least three prime-time matchups on their schedule.

Here are some highlights of each team's schedule, with links to the full 16-game lineups below:

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

- We knew the defending champs would host the opening game of the season. Now, we know the opponent -- the Pittsburgh Steelers, who went 11-5 last season.

- Bill Belichick will get an early opportunity to silence Rex Ryan, as they'll face Buffalo on the road in Week 2 of the season. They'll also face the Bills on Monday Night Football in Week 11.

- The second half of the season will be a tough test for New England, as the team as an early bye week (Week 4) and will finish with two divisional road games (Jets, Dolphins).

Full Schedule

BUFFALO BILLS

- Ryan and Bills will have an opportunity -- albeit a tough one -- to get things going early this year, as they'll be at Ralph Wilson Stadium for three of their first four games. The opponents? The Colts, Pats and Giants in weeks 1, 2 and 4, respectively.

- Buffalo's London trip against the Jaguars will take place Week 7, following a game at home against the Bengals. As is standard protocol for teams heading overseas, their bye week will be the following week.

- While the team's first half looks promising, things get ominous after their trip across the pond. The Bills will face have three straight divisional games and will, at one point, play five of six games on the road.

Full Schedule

NEW YORK JETS

- Get those signs ready, Jets fans -- Ryan's reunion in New Jersey will be Week 10, and Gang Green won't get another shot at their former coach until the final week of the season.

- For only the 13th time in regular season history, the Jets and Giants will face off at the Meadowlands, an occurrence that hasn't happened since 2011. The game adds another home game for the Jets, as they're technically the visitor for the Week 13 showdown.

- New York's Week 4 trip to England for their divisional game against the Dolphins makes for an early bye week, though the team's schedule is fairly forgiving after that. They will, however, finish the season on the road against the Cowboys (Week 15) and at the Ralph.

Full Schedule

MIAMI DOLPHINS

- Miami will start the season with a pair of road games (Redskins, Jaguars) before heading back to South Florida for a matchup with the Bills. Four of the team's first five opponents had four wins or fewer in 2014.

- As is the case with Buffalo, Miami's test will be after their bye week, which is Week 5. The team will play their next five of seven games on the road, including three in a row against the Pats, Bills and Eagles, respectively.

- The close of the 'Phins season is a mirror image of its start -- they face off against the Chargers, Colts and Pats, who combined for 32 wins last season.

Full Schedule

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