Patriots 2020 Preseason Schedule Revealed, Opens At Home Vs. Lions

The New England Patriots unveiled their 2020 regular-season schedule last week. On Friday, they announced their preseason slate.

New England is scheduled to open the 2020 preseason Thursday, Aug. 13 with a home game against the Detroit Lions.

The Patriots will host the Carolina Panthers at Gillette Stadium the following week (Thursday, Aug. 20) before closing out their exhibition schedule with road dates against the Philadelphia Eagles (Thursday, Aug. 27) and New York Giants (Thursday, Sept. 3).

Thursday, Aug. 13: vs. Detroit Lions (7:30 p.m. ET)
Thursday, Aug. 20: vs. Carolina Panthers (7:30 p.m. ET)
Thursday, Aug. 27: at Philadelphia Eagles (7:30 p.m. ET)
Thursday, Sept. 3: at New York Giants (7 p.m. ET)

It remains to be seen whether this schedule will need to be altered to account for the COVID-19 pandemic, due to which all NFL team facilities remain closed. It’s also unclear whether teams will be permitted to hold joint training-camp practices this summer.

If they are, the Patriots and Matt Patricia’s Lions would be obvious partners. The teams practiced together in Michigan ahead of last year’s preseason opener.

The Patriots are scheduled to open the regular season Sunday, Sept. 13 against the Miami Dolphins at Gillette.

More Patriots: Analyzing New England’s Schedule, Game By Game