Pats remain on road to prepare for Mexico City game vs. Raiders

The New England Patriots are enjoying the road so much that they’ve packed their suitcases for some extended time away.

The defending Super Bowl champions didn’t return home after Sunday night’s victory over the Denver Broncos — their 13th straight win away from Foxborough, Massachusetts — staying in Colorado for the week instead. The team will practice this week at the Air Force Academy near Colorado Springs, then head to Mexico City on Saturday for Sunday’s game against the Raiders.

“That’s the critical thing for this team is to get as much recovery in as possible before we head down to Mexico,” running back Rex Burkhead said on Monday, about 13 hours after the Patriots beat the Broncos 41-16. “It’s different being out here all week preparing, but I think definitely beneficial for the team and something that will help us out for the week in preparation for Oakland.”

The Patriots went 8-0 on the road in the regular season last year, then won the Super Bowl on a neutral field in Houston. They have won their first four road games this year, including Sunday night in Denver, a stadium that has been one of the rare weak spots on Tom Brady’s resume.

“We just want to be road warriors,” linebacker Kyle Van Noy said.

Of course, the five-time Super Bowl champions have been pretty good at home, too: They were 8-2 last year at Gillette Stadium (including postseason), and in the previous three seasons their only losses at home were in a couple of season finales after their playoff berth was locked up.