Patriots heading to Germany to face Colts in November
The Patriots and Colts have had some iconic matchups over the last 25 years, including three conference championship games and several Tom Brady-Peyton Manning showdowns.
Their 2023 game will be memorable for a different reason: The NFL announced Wednesday morning that the Patriots’ home game against the Colts will be played in Germany’s Frankfurt Stadium in Week 10 (Nov. 12). It is one of two NFL games to be played in Frankfurt in 2023, with the Chiefs hosting the Dolphins in Week 9. Both games will kick off at 9:30 a.m. Eastern and be televised on NFL Network.
The Patriots have played three international games — winning twice in London and once in Mexico City — but this will be the first time they are the home team. The NFL has implemented a rotation in which each team gives up one home game every eight years to play internationally. In 2023, the Patriots will still have eight home games and eight road games in addition to the international game.
The other international games in 2023, all in London, will be Falcons-Jaguars in Week 4 (Wembley Stadium), Jaguars-Bills in Week 5 (Tottenham Hotspur Stadium), and Ravens-Titans in Week 6 (Tottenham). Four of the five international games will be televised by NFL Network, while Falcons-Jaguars will air on ESPN+.
The Patriots have a large following in Germany due in part to their two-decade run of success and for their support of German football players. They drafted offensive tackle Sebastian Vollmer in 2009, and have had Markus Kuhn and Jakob Johnson on their roster
in the last decade.
“I’m open-minded,” Patriots linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley said Tuesday. “I’ve never been to Germany. I mean, I’ve heard nothing but great things about it from [Vollmer].
“That’ll be my first time playing out of the country. So, this is, this is a whole new thing for all of us. So, we are excited. I mean, football is football at the end of the day, so once you hit the field, obviously you get in that mode, but just seeing this opportunity and where football is able to take you is huge.”
In 2021, the Patriots were one of four teams (along with the Chiefs, Panthers, and Buccaneers) to be granted Germany as a “home market” in the NFL’s International Home Marketing Area initiative.
The NFL has been playing in London since 2007, and last year held its first game in Germany, where the Buccaneers and Seahawks met in Munich. That game had more than 3 million ticket requests, and the NFL claimed an economic impact of 70 million Euros.
“I’m thrilled to play a home game in this new market and to continue to build upon our team’s long history and engagement with German fans,” Patriots owner Robert Kraft said.
“Our goal is to connect with fans at the local level and I look forward to expanding that fan base and fostering additional relationships and opportunities for partnership in Germany as well as Austria and Switzerland.”
The NFL said it would release the full schedule for the 2023 season Thursday at 8 p.m.