New England Patriots Set to Play Game in Germany This Season

For the first time ever, Bill Belichick may actually be known (by comparison, at least) as the "smiley guy."

It was announced the New England Patriots will play a regular season game in Frankfurt, Germany, this fall. This follows last season's Germany game, when old friend and aspiring standup comedian Tom Brady (who won six Super Bowls for the Pats) and the Tampa Buccaneers played in Munich against Pete Carroll and the Seahawks (who donated a Super Bowl to the Pats).

The opponent: the rival Indianapolis Colts. Because if you can pack up and leave Baltimore in the dead of night, why not escape to an entirely different country?

The game will be played on November 12.

While exciting, it wouldn’t mark the team’s first regular season game overseas. In 2009, the Patriots defeated the Buccaneers in London, while in 2012, they beat the Rams. In both games, the Patriots were the designated “visitor”, which makes sense, as it would be odd to see the British cheer for “the New England Patriots.”

Meanwhile, in 2017, the Patriots defeated the Raiders in Mexico. Perhaps that’s where all rematches should take place, after the viral video of Raiders a fan berating a Patriots fan in Las Vegas this fall.

The Patriots are one of four teams assigned to Germany as part of the NFL’s Home Marketing Areas initiative, in which franchises are essentially adopted by a sister city in Europe.

The Pats, along with the Buccaneers, Carolina Panthers, and Kansas City Chiefs, are regarded as teams designed for adoption by the Germans. The team's release on the game is available here.