Saints at Patriots Preseason 2016: Date, Time & TV Channel

Tom Brady, Tom Brady Patriots

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is not expected to play in Thursday night’s preseason opener. (Getty)

The New England Patriots open the 2016 preseason at home against the New Orleans Saints at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. on Thursday night at 7:30 p.m ET.

The Patriots traveled to New Orleans last season for their second preseason game, where they claimed a 26-24 victory at The Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

Thursday night, the game will be nationally televised on NFL Network. The Patriots Preseason Television Network will televise the game in the New England region, as well as Alaska and Hawaii. Click here to go to Patriots.com to see what channels the game will air on. The game can be seen in New Orleans on WVUE-FOX 8.

The last time the two teams faced each other in the regular season was in 2013, when the Patriots took a 30-27 win on Oct. 13 at Gillette Stadium.

The Patriots are planning to keep quarterback Tom Brady, tight end Rob Gronkowski and wide receiver Julian Edelman out of tonight’s preseason opener, according to several media reports.

NFL.com’s Chris Wesseling wrote Wednesday that “all indications from New England suggest Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman and perhaps a few more key starters will not play this week.”

Brady has taken the majority of first-team snaps during camp practices, but Jimmy Garoppolo will need reps with the starters before the regular season. Garoppolo is expected to get the start tonight as the Pats work to get him ready for the first four regular season starts of his career, due to Brady’s suspension. Click here for a look at the Patriots projected depth chart.

Saints quarterback Drew Brees isn’t expected to play long on Thursday.

“I’ve been told a series or so,” the Saints quarterback told NOLA.com when asked how long he will play.

“We’ll typically look more at a number count in regard to how many snaps we want to get the first group, and there will be some exceptions with guys,” Payton told WDSU. “Some guys may not play at all, but we’re going meet as a staff, and we’ll kind of go through the waves, if you will, first wave then into the second half, the second group and then how we finish the game, so we just have to make sure the communication is good.”

Tonight will give a glimpse at the Saints defense, which struggled last season. Many will look to see how the front seven has improved under defensive coordinator Dennis Allen. Cornerback Ken Crawley, linebacker Craig Robertson, and free safety Erik Harris are on the roster bubble, but worth keeping an eye on. Click here for the Saints projected depth chart.

The Patriots have won the last three preseason games against the Saints, with wins at home in 2010, 2012 and at New Orleans in 2015.

The regular season begins on Sept. 8 with the Carolina Panthers visiting the Denver Broncos in a rematch of Super Bowl 50 at 7:30 p.m. The rest of the teams start their seasons on Sept. 11

Here’s what you need to know before Thursday night’s kickoff:


Saints-Patriots Preseason Week 1 Details

When: Thursday, August 11

Where: Gillette Stadium — Foxborough, Massachusetts

Time: 7:30 p.m. Eastern

TV Channel: The game will be broadcast on the NFL Network at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Patriots Preseason Television Network will televise the game in the New England region. Click here to go to Patriots.com to see what channels the game will air on. The game will air on WVUE-FOX 8 in the New Orleans area.