The Washington Football Team visits the New England Patriots in Week 1 of the 2021 NFL Preseason in a game fans should be eager to get their eyes on and watch.
If you had told someone that the Washington Football Team would make the playoffs last year while the New England Patriots were sitting at home, a lot of people would’ve called you crazy — even knowing Tom Brady was gone. Yet, that’s the way things played out and what is surely on the mind of each team as they head into a 2021 NFL preseason matchup on Thursday.
Washington travels north to Gillette Stadium in Week 1 of the preseason in hopes of building on winning the NFC East a year ago. Things have changed for the Football Team, though, as they’ve made a slew of veteran additions on offense. The same is true for the Patriots, though, as the franchise made wholesale efforts to try and prove a disastrous part of the roster from last year.
There’s a lot to learn about both Washington and the Patriots in the preseason, so fans should be ready to watch this meeting on Thursday night. Here’s how.
How to watch, live stream Patriots vs. Washington in NFL Preseason Week 1
Date: Thursday, Aug. 12
Start Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Gillette Stadium – Foxborough, MA
TV Info: NFL Network
Live Stream: FuboTV (7-day free trial available with subscription), NFL App
NFL Network will have the national broadcast for fans to watch, which means you can log in on NFL.com or through the NFL App on your mobile device using a cable or satellite provider to watch the game there. Fans can also subscribe to FuboTV as they carry NFL Network, which is available for a 7-day free trial when you sign up.
NFL Preseason: Patriots vs. Washington preview
Many eyes for this game will be on the Patriots quarterback battle. Both rookie Mac Jones and veteran Cam Newton, who started for New England last year, are expected to see time. The younger signal-caller has been turning heads in training camp, so a strong start to his preseason and first NFL action could put him firmly in the QB1 conversation.
Beyond that, New England will be looking simply for some younger pieces to step up and perform at a higher level. Overall, this is an older roster, so they would love to see young players like Joejuan Williams, J.J. Taylor and several others put forth big efforts in the preseason to carve out roles for themselves.
It’s hard to say what Ron Rivera will show us from Washington on Thursday night. We may see veteran free-agent signing Ryan Fitzpatrick but, at this point, he doesn’t need too many reps unless he’s still trying to build a rapport with the likes of Terry McLaurin and fellow newcomer Curtis Samuel.
All told, the Football Team still finds their path to success on defense and we could get a series or two from the playmakers like Chase Young and Montez Sweat, in addition to rookie linebacker Jamin Davis. That will give us the best picture of how good the defending division champs can be this season.