The Patriots will play two games against each of its division rivals in the NFL after 2017 .
Thus , in 2018 , the Patriots will play two games against each of its division rivals ( highlighted in light blue ) , one game against each team in the AFC South and NFC North ( highlighted in yellow ) , and one game each against the first-place finishers in the AFC North and AFC West ( highlighted in orange ) . < /div > < /div >
NFL regular season