FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots' 2013 preseason opponents were announced today. The Patriots will open on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles, followed by a nationally-televised home contest vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, slated for Friday, Aug. 16 at 8:00 p.m. on FOX. The Patriots will then travel to Detroit to play the Lions and return home to close out the preseason against New York Giants.
New England will open on the road at Philadelphia on Friday, Aug. 9 during the first week of the preseason. The Patriots last opened the preseason on the road in 2009, coincidentally at Philadelphia. The Patriots and Eagles have been frequent preseason opponents with 20 previous preseason matchups. Last season, the Patriots and Eagles met in the preseason on Monday Night Football with Philadelphia taking a 27-17 win at Gillette Stadium on Aug. 20.
The Patriots will then play their first home game of the 2013 season when they host the Buccaneers on Friday, Aug. 16, in a nationally-televised game on FOX. The Patriots and Buccaneers will meet in the preseason for the third straight year after New England traveled to Tampa Bay in 2011 and 2012. Last season, the teams held two days of joint practices before playing a preseason contest that was won by Tampa Bay, 30-28, on Aug. 24, just four days after the Patriots played Philadelphia in a Monday Night game. Tampa Bay will also travel to face New England in the regular season, marking the Buccaneers' first regular season game at Gillette Stadium since a 28-0 loss to the Patriots in 2005.
The Patriots will travel to Detroit for a preseason game for the second time in three seasons on Thursday, Aug. 22. The Patriots played their third preseason game in 2011 in Detroit, losing 34-10 to the Lions on Aug. 27.
The Patriots and Giants will play each other in the preseason finale on Thursday, Aug. 29, meeting for the ninth straight season and for the 23rd time overall in the preseason, the most frequent preseason opponent for New England. Last season, the Giants beat the Patriots, 6-3, at MetLife Stadium on Aug. 29, 2012.
2013 PATRIOTS PRESEASON SCHEDULE
| Date | Opponent | Time | TV Coverage |
| Friday, Aug. 9 | at Philadelphia Eagles | 7:30 p.m. | Patriots Preseason Network |
| Friday, Aug. 16 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 8:00 p.m. | FOX |
| Thursday, Aug. 22 | at Detroit Lions | 7:30 p.m. | Patriots Preseason Network |
| Thursday, Aug. 29 | New York Giants | 7:30 p.m. | Patriots Preseason Network |
PATRIOTS 2013 REGULAR SEASON OPPONENTS
In 2013, the Patriots will play each of the other AFC East rivals twice and will play one game against each of the AFC North and NFC south teams. As the first-place team in the AFC East, the Patriots will play the first-place teams of the AFC South (Houston) and the AFC West (Denver).
HOME
| TEAM | W | L | Pct. |
| Denver Broncos | 13 | 3 | .813 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 8 | 8 | .500 |
| New Orleans Saints | 7 | 9 | .438 |
| Miami Dolphins | 7 | 9 | .438 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 7 | 9 | .438 |
| New York Jets | 6 | 10 | .375 |
| Buffalo Bills | 6 | 10 | .375 |
| Cleveland Browns | 5 | 11 | .313 |
AWAY
| TEAM | W | L | Pct. |
| Atlanta Falcons | 13 | 3 | .813 |
| Houston Texans | 12 | 4 | .750 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 10 | 6 | .625 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 10 | 6 | .625 |
| Miami Dolphins | 7 | 9 | .438 |
| Carolina Panthers | 7 | 9 | .438 |
| New York Jets | 6 | 10 | .375 |
| Buffalo Bills | 6 | 10 | .313 |
