Patriots 2022 schedule release: New England will open its season in Miami

Update 5/12/2022: Patriots visiting Dolphins in 2022 regular season opener

The Miami Dolphins have officially confirmed that they will open the regular season at home versus the Patriots.

Original story 5/12/2022: Patriots reportedly visiting Dolphins in 2022 regular season opener

For the third straight year, the New England Patriots will open their regular season against the Miami Dolphins. But while those last two games took place at Gillette Stadium, this one will be a road trip for the Patriots.

The two AFC East rivals will meet at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium to kick off their 2022 campaigns, according to Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald. The game is scheduled as a 1 p.m. ET kickoff on Sunday, September 11.

Miami has been a challenging trip for the Patriots recently. Over the last decade, the team has gone just 3-for-10 when facing the Dolphins on the road, including a 33-24 defeat in the final game of last year’s regular season. New England has not won in South Florida since a 43-0 thumping early in 2019.

Of course, the Dolphins will look different this upcoming season. While starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is still in place, the team added some new weapons around him — from wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Cedrick Wilson Jr. to offensive tackle Terron Armstead. Additionally, the club hired a new head coach in former San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel.

Of course, there will be plenty of other storylines heading into that game. What we already know, however, is that opening the season in Miami will be a challenge for the Patriots — one that could have major ramifications on their standing within a competitive division.

The Week 1 game versus the Dolphins the fifth that has already been leaked ahead of Thursday night’s schedule release. An official announcement by the Patriots regarding their season opener will be made at 6 p.m. ET, with the full schedule getting unveiled two hours later.