FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The NFL announced the 2018 preseason pairings today and the Patriots learned that they will host the Washington Redskins (Preseason Week 1) and the Philadelphia Eagles (Preseason Week 2) at Gillette stadium and travel to play the Carolina Panthers (Preseason Week 3) and the New York Giants (Preseason Week 4). The dates and times of those games will be mutually decided upon between the teams and announced at a later date.Â
The three most frequent preseason opponents in franchise history are the Giants (27 preseason meetings), Eagles (22) and Redskins (21). It will be the fifth time under head coach Bill Belichick that the Patriots will face those three teams in the same preseason (2002, 2003, 2009 and 2014). The Patriots will open the preseason with games against Washington and Philadelphia for the second time. The Patriots opened the 2014 preseason with back-to-back games against Washington and Philadelphia with a road game at the Redskins followed by a home game against the Eagles.
The Patriots and Redskins held joint practice sessions together at Washington's training camp facility in Richmond, Va. prior to the 2014 preseason-opener. The Patriots will square off against their Super Bowl LII foe in Week 2 of the preseason when they host Philadelphia. The Patriots hosted the Eagles for joint practice sessions prior to the 2014 game.Â
The Patriots will play their final two preseason games on the road with games at Carolina in Week 3 and at the New York Giants in Week 4.
It will be the fourth time in five seasons that the Patriots and Panthers will meet in Week 3 of the season. The Patriots hosted Carolina in 2014 and traveled to the Panthers for games in 2015 and 2016.Â
The Patriots and Giants will play each other in the preseason finale for the 14th straight season and for the 28th time overall. The Patriots and Giants began meeting annually in 2005 and have alternated hosting the preseason finale since then. The Giants lead the all-time preseason series with an 18-9 record and have won the last four games, including a 40-38 win last year at Gillette Stadium on Aug. 31.Â
2018 PATRIOTS PRESEASON SCHEDULE
| **DATE** | **OPPONENT** | **TIME** | **TV COVERAGE** |
| Week 1* | Washington Redskins | TBA* | WBZ and Patriots Preseason Network |
| Week 2* | Philadelphia Eagles | TBA* | WBZ and Patriots Preseason Network |
| Week 3* | at Carolina Panthers | TBA* | WBZ and Patriots Preseason Network |
| Week 4* | at New York Giants | TBA* | WBZ and Patriots Preseason Network |
*-Specific date and time TBA
