Let’s talk about the New England Patriots preseason schedule

The New England Patriots will begin their preseason play very soon, so let’s take a dive into these three crucial games before week one.

The New England Patriots play a preseason game on August 11th.  We are almost there, people.

Preseason begins roughly a week and a half from now, so these three games, which are crucial for so many players, are worth talking about.

The team will play the New York Giants, Carolina Panthers, and Las Vegas Raiders for their three preseason games.

They are home against the Giants and Panthers, and away for their game against the Raiders.

Obviously, these games are usually the last time a player can secure their roster spot for the season.  We can reasonably guess who will end up starting on both sides of the ball, but it is usually the depth of the team that is decided during the preseason.

Expect rookies like Tyquan Thornton and Cole Strange to get some reps during these games, but don’t expect Mac Jones or DeVante Parker to see the field much, if at all.

Their first two games against the Giants and Panthers might be interesting based on what each team has at stake.

The Giants might be in talks with Jimmy Garoppolo’s agency about a possible trade, so perhaps New York would throw him and Daniel Jones into a quarterback competition.

In their game against the Panthers, the Patriots might get to help decide who wins that job, between Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield.

In their final preseason game against the Raiders, they’ll see an old friend in Josh McDaniels on the other sideline.

At the end of the day, though, the biggest thing the New England Patriots should be concerned about is how their players perform in these crucial games before the real thing.