The date and time have been set for the New England Patriots’ maiden voyage to Las Vegas.
The Patriots will visit the Raiders on Friday, Aug. 26 at Allegiant Stadium in the preseason finale for both teams. Kickoff is set for 8:15 p.m. ET.
The exhibition matchup — an earlier-than-expected reunion for the Patriots and longtime offensive coordinator-turned-Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels — also will feature a set of joint practices between the teams, according to a report from Boston Sports Journal’s Greg Bedard.
The scheduling of this game represents a shift in preseason protocol for the Patriots, who had faced the New York Giants in their final tune-up game every year since 2004. New England and New York still will meet this summer, but in Week 1 of the preseason. That game and the one against the Carolina Panthers the following week will be held at Gillette Stadium, with Panthers joint practices also on tap.
This Raiders meeting will be the Patriots’ first preseason game in the Pacific Time Zone since 1998, two years before Bill Belichick’s head-coaching tenure began.
The Patriots and Raiders also will square off in Week 15 of the regular season, with Belichick and company battling McDaniels and the raft of former New England coaches (Mick Lombardi, Carmen Bricillo, Bo Hardegree, Patrick Graham, etc.) and players (Chandler Jones, Brandon Bolden, Duron Harmon, Jakob Johnson, etc.) he brought with him to Sin City.
