FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- When the New England Patriots' schedule was released in April, my early projection was a 13-3 record. Now that we've seen the team in training camp and preseason, with Julian Edelman's season-ending torn ACL a most notable injury, let's freshen that up.

Week 1: Thursday, Sept. 7, vs. Kansas City Chiefs, 8:25 p.m. ET

This game kicks off the NFL season, and the Patriots' Super Bowl championship banner will be unveiled in a ceremony that owner Robert Kraft said should give fans a great surprise, as there has been ongoing construction at the stadium. It should be a special night. Record: 1-0.

Week 2: Sunday, Sept. 17, at New Orleans Saints, 1 p.m.

It wouldn't surprise me if the Patriots' defense has some early struggles this season, and facing a Drew Brees-led passing game on the road is a tougher test than it seems. The Patriots were blown out in New Orleans in 2009, and while this game should be closer, I think it's arguably one of the Patriots' most challenging of the season. Bill Belichick is usually still tweaking the roster at this time as September is essentially an extension of the preseason. Record: 1-1.

Week 3: Sunday, Sept. 24, vs. Houston Texans, 1 p.m.

It’s déjà vu from 2016, with Bill O'Brien and the Texans coming to town in Week 3, the only difference being that this one isn't on a Thursday night. The teams had an excellent set of joint practices in mid-August, and the Texans gave the Patriots' offense some issues. A key in this game will be the Patriots' ability to handle the interior rush. Record: 2-1.

Week 4: Sunday, Oct. 1, vs. Carolina Panthers, 1 p.m.

The "Under Armour Bowl" between two of the company's biggest ambassadors -- Tom Brady vs. Cam Newton -- is rare because the last time Carolina was in town for a regular-season game was 2009. The Panthers will have played back-to-back home games against the Bills and Saints entering this one. Record: 3-1.

Week 5: Thursday, Oct. 5, at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 8:25 p.m. ET

Here is the type of schedule nugget that can be fun to uncover: Outside of Thanksgiving, the Patriots haven't played a Thursday night road game since 1990, a 17-10 loss at Miami in which quarterback Marc Wilson couldn’t outduel Dan Marino. The Patriots haven't had too many days in recent years when they've been on the bad end of such a lopsided quarterback duel. The Buccaneers will be coming off a home game against the Giants in Week 4. Record: 4-1.

Week 6: Sunday, Oct. 15, at New York Jets, 1 p.m. ET

The Jets will be coming off a road game against the Browns, which should provide a good indication of whether their 2017 season has much hope. Outside of the "Butt Fumble" game, road contests against the Jets traditionally have been tough for the Patriots. Record: 5-1.

Week 7: Sunday, Oct. 22, vs. Atlanta Falcons, 8:30 p.m. ET

For this rematch of Super Bowl LI, the Falcons will have had their bye in Week 5 and then a home game against the Dolphins. At that point, the Falcons will have played the Bears (road), Packers (home), Lions (road), Bills (home) and Dolphins (home), so the impact of their Super Bowl hangover will be interesting to monitor. Record: 6-1.

Week 8: Sunday, Oct. 29, vs. Los Angeles Chargers, 1 p.m. ET

Check out the stretch the Chargers will go through leading to this game: at the Giants, at the Raiders and home against Denver. That's a tough challenge under first-year coach Anthony Lynn. Record: 7-1.

Week 9: Bye

Week 10: Sunday, Nov. 12, at Denver Broncos, 8:30 p.m. ET

In the NFL Films-produced DVD commemorating the Patriots’ Super Bowl championship season of 2016, behind-the-scenes footage from the locker room had Bill Belichick telling players how everyone told them they couldn't win in Denver but that didn't apply to that year's team. Cool stuff. In a tough stretch, Denver will be coming off three straight road games leading into this one: against the Giants, Chiefs (Monday night) and Eagles. Record: 8-1.

Week 11: Sunday, Nov. 19, at Oakland Raiders (Mexico City), 4:25 p.m. ET

For the second time this year, Brady's jersey will return to town from Mexico, only this time it will be in his bag. The Raiders will be coming off a bye week, which could be the deciding factor in the altitude. Perhaps Belichick keeps the Patriots in Denver the week prior to offset that. Record: 8-2.

Week 12: Sunday, Nov. 26, vs. Miami Dolphins, 1 p.m. ET

Receiver Jarvis Landry has his Dolphins sweeping the Patriots, which is the type of bulletin-board material New England players likely will dismiss leading up to the game, then remind Landry of afterward if the result doesn't go his way. The Dolphins will be coming off a bye week, but that might not be enough to win in Foxborough as the Patriots kick off a stretch in which they play five AFC East games in six weeks. Record: 9-2.

Week 13: Sunday, Dec. 3, at Buffalo Bills, 1 p.m. ET

The first potential bad-weather game for the Patriots. The club hasn't played a December road game in Buffalo since 2010. Record: 10-2.

Week 14: Monday, Dec. 11, at Miami Dolphins, 8:30 p.m. ET

It is a bit unusual to play a team twice in a span of three weeks in the regular season. How unusual? It has happened only once before for the Patriots in the Belichick era: his first season, in 2000, when the Patriots hosted the Colts on Oct. 8 (win), then visited them on Oct. 22 (loss). In 2001, the Patriots and Colts (who at the time were AFC East rivals before realignment moved Indianapolis to the AFC South in 2002) had a three-week split between meetings. Record: 10-3

Week 15: Sunday, Dec. 17, at Pittsburgh Steelers, 4:25 p.m. ET

This looks like a tough spot for the Patriots (fifth road game in six weeks), even given their success against the Steelers in 2016. But taking a closer look at things, the Steelers will be coming off their own tough stretch of four straight prime-time games: Titans (home/Thursday), Packers (home/Sunday), Bengals (road/Monday) and Ravens (home/Sunday). Record: 10-4.

Week 16: Sunday, Dec. 24, vs. Buffalo Bills, 1 p.m. ET

Home for the holidays -- a nice present from the NFL. In the Belichick era, when the Patriots have played on Christmas Eve, they have been home against the Jets (2016), home against the Dolphins (2011 and 2000) and on the road against the Jaguars (2006). Record: 11-4.

Week 17: Sunday, Dec. 31, vs. New York Jets, 1 p.m. ET

It's hard to imagine the Jets being in the playoff mix at this point, and if the Patriots have already wrapped things up, they could be resting players for the playoffs. A tough game to project because of that. Record: 12-4.