The New England Patriots have made it to the last three AFC Championship Games including last season. However, they haven't been able to win the Super Bowl since the 2004 season and haven't won the conference since 2011. Last year, the Patriots suffered a 26-16 loss to the Denver Broncos on the road at Mile High Stadium.

Do the Patriots have what it takes this season to beat out Broncos and win the AFC?

The AFC is far behind the NFC as far as competition and these two teams are clearly the class of the conference. The Kansas City Chiefs have taken a step back this offseason and the Pittsburgh Steelers aren't an elite team. The Baltimore Ravens lost multiple Hall of Famers last offseason after winning the Super Bowl and the Indianapolis Colts still have more to prove.

By far the biggest addition for the Patriots this offseason was All Pro cornerback, Darrelle Revis. If he stays healthy, the Patriots defense will be improved.

The Patriots schedule consist of:

  1. at Miami Dolphins
  2. at Oakland Raiders
  3. Minnesota Vikings
  4. at Kansas City Chiefs (Monday Night Football)
  5. Cincinnati Bengals (Sunday Night Football)
  6. at Buffalo Bills
  7. New York Jets (Thursday Night Football)
  8. Chicago Bears
  9. Denver Broncos
  10. *Bye Week*
  11. at Indianapolis Colts (Sunday Night Football)
  12. Detroit Lions
  13. at Green Bay Packers
  14. at San Diego Chargers (Sunday Night Football)
  15. Miami Dolphins
  16. at New York Jets
  17. Buffalo Bills

A few things jump out after viewing the Patriots schedule. First, the team will play the first two games of the season on the road. They will not verse tough teams in those games, but the Patriots don't play a home game until week three. The second thing is prime time games. The Patriots will play five prime games; against the Colts, Bengals, Chargers, Jets, and Chiefs. The Patriots will get a lot of nationally televised air time.

The third thing that stands out is the week nine game against the Broncos. Last season, the patriots defeated the Broncos in a spectacular 24-0 comeback, but lost to them in the playoffs. Peyton Manning was nearly perfect last season, breaking almost every passing record known to man. This game will be played at Gillette Stadium. The week 13 matchup aginst the Packers in Lambeau Field also promises to be a great game.

Both the Broncos and Patriots have made upgrades this offseason and both teams know they are the two best in the conference. Grabbing the No. 1 seed and getting home field advantage is almost a must for next year's AFC champion.