First Patriots-Josh McDaniels Reunion Will Happen Sooner Than Expected

By the time the Patriots and Raiders square off in the Week 15 edition of “Sunday Night Football,” Josh McDaniels already will have been months removed from first reuniting with his old employer.

The official release of New England’s 2022 schedule contained a surprise: New England will visit Las Vegas for both teams’ preseason finale. So, the Patriots and Raiders will be able to get some of the Bill Belichick-Josh McDaniels pomp and circumstance out of the way.

It’s rare for the Patriots to play an exhibition game on the West Coast. However, the news received some necessary context when Boston Sports Journal’s Greg Bedard reported that New England and Vegas will have joint practices ahead of the matchup.

The Patriots reportedly also will have joint practices with the Carolina Panthers before they face each other in Week 2 of the preseason. New England will open its preseason slate with a home game against the New York Giants.

As for the regular-season schedule, it’s a doozy. In addition to a brutal four-game stretch to open the campaign, the Patriots will play four(!!!) consecutive primetime games during the second half.

You can click here for our in-depth takeaways from the 2022 Patriots schedule.