You know that professional football is the most popular sport in America when people are this excited over the release of the schedule six months out.

But excited we are, and we now know exactly who and when the Patriots will be playing when the season kicks off with Denver vs. Carolina on September 8th. We knew that it wasn't going to be as easy a row to hoe as it was last year, as the AFC and NFC West are significantly better than the AFC South and the NFC East, but what can you do.

Plenty to break down and discuss regarding this schedule, but here are a few initial reactions to how the 2016 season is going to shape up. These are some of the good, the bad, and the ugly from the Patriots 2016 schedule.

THE GOOD

Late bye week. The 2015 season saw the Patriots stuck with the dreaded Week 4 bye, which does nobody any good. In 2016, the bye doesn't come until Week 9, right after a visit to the Buffalo Bills and right before a Sunday Night matchup at home against the Seahawks. Not only is Week 9 a great time for a bye week, it gives New England an extra week to prepare for Seattle and the extra rest won't be cut short by a trip to the west coast. Lots to be happy about here.

Four of the first six at home. The Patriots are one of the best, if not the best, home teams in the NFL, and opening up the 2016 campaign with four home stands is a great chance to gain some early momentum and start the year strong. Arizona is a tough out, but anything goes that first game of the season and it's tough to really take too much away from it either way. The other away game is Cleveland, which (as of right now, at least) should be a W. There's definitely a good chance that the Patriots start the season 5-1 or 6-0, which is all you can ask for. This softer home stretch will be especially helpful if Brady ends up having to sit for an extended period of time. Because that's what the NFL needs; no Tom Brady on the first Sunday Night game of the year.

THE BAD

Five primetime games. After opening up the year in primetime on Sunday Night Football against Arizona, they have a Thursday Night game vs. Houston (Week 3), a Sunday Night game vs. Seattle (Week 10), another Sunday Night game at New York Jets (Week 12), and then a Monday Night game vs. Baltimore (Week 14). Look for some games to possibly get flexed out of primetime, but the Patriots/Denver game could just as easily get flexed right back in. I hate primetime games, and on two separate occasions the Patriots play two of them in a span of three weeks. That just plain sucks, for training purposes, practice purposes, watching purposes, and Alec's nerves purposes.

Bengals and Steelers, Ravens and Broncos back-to-back. The AFC North is a rough division, and the Patriots get two legit contenders for the AFC - Cincy and Pittsburgh - in back-to-back weeks. Luckily the Patriots play the Bengals at home before traveling down to Pittsburgh, but that's a tough order regardless. The Patriots also have to play the other two potential AFC contenders, Baltimore and Denver, in back-to-back weeks. There are some absolutley brutal stretches on this schedule, and these two are right up there.

THE UGLY

Brutal home stretch. New England's last four games of the season: vs Baltimore, at Denver, vs. Jets, at Dolphins. That's a tough way to close out the season, as the Jets and Dolphins both split with the Patriots last year, and Tommy B simply can't win in Denver. Baltimore is looking to bounce back after a disappointing, injury riddled 2015, and there is no love lost between those two teams. The last few weeks of the season is when teams are jockeying for playoff position, and odds are that two or three of those games are going to have huge implications.

TONS of flying. After their Week 9 bye, they are at home against Seattle, and then have to fly to California to play the 49ers, then have to fly back east to travel to play the Jets before traveling back to Denver in a few weeks before flying back to New England then flying down to Miami to close out the year. Belichick usually likes to minimize travel, opting to keep the team in one area for a few weeks to try and stay on schedule. That just isn't possible this time around, as the home game/away game yo-yo makes things trickier. That much travel can mess with your funk, so hopefully Belichick has a good strategy.