Sports

5 Things You Need to Know About Monday's Patriots' Game

The New England Patriots host the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football at Gillette Stadium. Kick-off is 8 p.m.

Watch out for traffic this evening as well as early afternoon. The Route 1 exit on Route 495 and the Route 95/495 intersection will most likely be congested with heavy traffic near Mansfield today.

The New England Patriots wrapped up and are set to return to game action for the first time in 11 days Monday on national television (ESPN) against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Here's five things you need to know about Monday's game:

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1. Parking Information and Time Gates Open

View the PDF file in the photo gallery above for a parking map of Gillette Stadium.

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General Parking Rates

  • $40 for cars
  • $125 for RVs (enter P10 N from the North, Enter P11 from the South)
  • $125 for Limos (enter P1 N from north or P7 S from the south)
  • $200 for buses (Enter P10 N from the North, Enter P11 from the South)
  • $40 for motorcycles (one per space)

All Lots are cash only.

Parking lots open for game day at 4 p.m. Monday. Gillette Stadium's gates open at 6 p.m. for admission to the game.

2. Allow Plenty of Time for Traffic Around the Stadium

Drivers are advised to allow themselves plenty of time when travelling near the stadium on game day. Traffic restrictions will be in place on local roads before and after Monday's game. Fans must use I-95, I-495 or Route 140 to access Gillette Stadium.

Because the game is on a Monday night, motorists should expect a larger traffic load because game traffic will be combined with the evening commute.

Click here to keep an eye on game day traffic with Patch’s live traffic feature.

3. The Dos and Don’ts at Gillette Stadium

No one wants to be "that fan" that doesn't know the stadium's security protocol. Be prepared on game day by reviewing the dos and don’ts at Gillette Stadium as well as other useful information about the facility:

4. Quick Hits About Monday's Game at Gillette Stadium

  • This will be the last Patriots game at Gillette Stadium until the regular season home opener on Sunday, Sept. 16 against the Arizona Cardinals.
  • The Patriots will be honoring New England’s Olympic medalists during Monday night’s game. The team announced Saturday that Patriots owner Robert Kraft invited the following Olympians to Monday's game: Aly Raisman (Needham native won gold with the U.S. women’s gymnastic team); Kayla Harrison (Wakefield native won gold in judo); Elizabeth Beisel (North Kingstown, R.I. native won silver and bronze medals in women’s swimming); Tina Charles and Ashja Jones (UConn basketball alums and current Connecticut Sun players of the WNBA won gold medals as part of the U.S. women’s basketball team.) Also on hand will be newly signed running back and U.S. Olympic sprinter Jeff Demps, who took silver in London as part of the U.S. 4x100 relay team.

5. Patch's Game Day Preview of Pats vs. Eagles

The New England Patriots return to game action Monday for the first time in 11 days to host the Philadelphia Eagles on national television. As the NFL reaches the halfway point of the preseason, many players will be pushed to the brink as they play for open roster spots.

Here's a few things to watch for during Monday's preseason game against the Eagles, which kicks off at 8 p.m.

  • Starters to Get More Work: Expect to see a larger body of work turned in by New England’s regulars as they look to improve on a 7-6 victory over New Orleans on Aug. 9 but this game will still feature second and third string players fighting for roster spots.
  • Building the Defense: The front office spent the off-season trying to improve a defense that was suspect throughout the 2011-2012 NFL season. Early signs have been encouraging, including a strong week of practice by the unit. The Pats’ defense played well against a potent Saints’ offense and will be tested Monday against the Eagles.
  • Players to Watch: On offense, look for running back Shane Vereen to make the most of his opportunity with Stevan Ridley likely unable to go due to an injury suffered at practice earlier in the week. The offensive line will be an area to watch as the unit has suffered injuries early in the camp and will look to establish momentum Monday night. Defensive rookies Chandler Jones and Dont’a Hightower will look to continue their strong preseason play and inject some youth and play-making ability to the unit. Keep an eye on the Patriots defensive backs, primarily Devin McCourty, as he tries to shake the struggles in coverage from last season.
  • Final Thought: This is the Patriots’ first primetime game of the season, albeit preseason, and it will be interesting to see how the younger players respond to a bigger stage against a solid all-around Eagles team. The Patriots offense was less than satisfied with its performance in the preseason opener and will look to convert more drives into points Monday. Fans won’t see a whole lot of the Pats’ regulars Monday night but the starting units should get more work than they did in the Aug. 9 win against the Saints.
  • Prediction: I’m expecting to see more points and a better overall effort by the Pats’ offense. The Eagles should present plenty of challenges for New England’s defense, which will be interesting to see how it handles the matchups. And while the score doesn’t mean anything for another three weeks, I like the Patriots depth more than the Eagles in this one and am picking the hometown team to win 21-13.


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