Washington vs Patriots live stream: How to watch 2021 NFL preseason game online

Washington vs Patriots live stream
(Image credit: Scott Taetsch and MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images / Getty)

The Washington vs Patriots live stream is almost here, and it's what the preseason is all about: position battles. The early news out of the field is not good for those about to rock: reportedly Gillette Stadium is around 90 degrees and mighty humid. This NFL live stream is gonna be a mighty test. 

Washington vs Patriots channel, start time

The Washington vs Patriots live stream will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT today (Thursday, Aug. 12).
It's on the NFL Network.

Tonight's game finds both the Football team and the Pats with an internal decision for the most important position in all of American sports. Which quarterback will have a leg up on their competition after this pre-season ?

Veteran against rookie. That’s what the New England Patriots are eyeing up this preseason and Thursday night’s matchup will be the first glimpse of 11-year vet Cam Newton fighting to keep his starting job over rookie and 15th overall pick Mac Jones. Newton struggled in his 2020 campaign, his first as a member of the Patriots. 

The 32-year-old started 15 games for New England throwing just 8 touchdowns with 10 interceptions. Newton has had a solid camp thus far for Bill Belichick, but so has Jones. Newton is only expected to get a series or two against Washington, so the rookie should have a long opportunity to show what he can do at the professional level.

Just like New England, Washington is trying to decide between the new and old guard. Taylor Heinicke is 28 years old but has just one regular season start to his name in the NFL after going undrafted in 2015. Heinicke finished the 2020 season with an impressive performance as he filled in for the injured Alex Smith in the playoffs. Heinicke threw for 306 yards with a touchdown and an interception against the eventual Super Bowl Champion Buccaneers in the Wild Card Round. He also ran for 46 yards and a touchdown. In the offseason, Washington rewarded Heinicke's efforts with a two-year contract extension worth $8.75 million.

Despite Heinicke's new deal, Washington still wanted more assurance at quarterback. So The Football Team did what many football teams have done when they at least want a veteran who can step in, they signed Ryan Fitzpatrick. Washington marks the 38-year-old’s ninth team heading into his 17th NFL season.

Washington enters Thursday night as 2-points road favorites. The over/under is 36.


How to watch Washington vs Patriots live stream with a VPN

ExpressVPN

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NFL streaming tip:

If you're away from home and so can't watch the Washington vs Patriots live stream, you can still see the game. Using the best VPN makes it so that you can appear to be surfing the web from your home town, so you can access the same streaming services you already pay for.

Here's how easy it is to stream NFL from anywhere in the world:

1. Get a VPN (we recommend ExpressVPN as the best out there)
2. Connect to the location you want to stream from
3. Use your usual streaming service and watch like normal

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Washington vs Patriots live streams in the US

In the US, Washington vs Patriots is going to be broadcast at 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT today (Thursday, August 12th) on the NFL Network which is available with most cable packages and on two of our favorite streaming services: fuboTV and Sling TV.

If FOX, ESPN, NBC and NFL Network have typically been enough to get you all the football you need, you could rely on Sling. Select market will get CBS games via Locast integration, and NFL RedZone is available in the $11 per month Sports Exrta pack for Sling Blue members. You can get CBS NFL games via Paramount Plus, if you want.

A more comprehensive package comes from Fubo TV, as it has all five of the main channels you'll want: CBS (built right in), ESPN, FOX, NBC and the NFL Network. RedZone is available in the $10.99 per month Sports Plus add-on. That's why it's one of the best streaming services.

It's a case of "you get what you pay for" as Sling Orange & Blue (which you'd need to get ESPN, FOX, NBC and NFL Network) costs $50 per month, while the Fubo TV Standard package gives you all of the above, for $65 per month.

Fubo.TV:a 7-day free trial

Fubo.TV: One of the best streaming services with the NFL Network, and the top pick for watching all of the 2021 NFL live streams, Fubo has all of the right network channels and the two cable channels you don't want to go without. Who needs cable? Not Fubo subscribers. It's got a 7-day free trial so you don't need to pay up front.

Sling TV

If you can stand to miss CBS games, Sling TV provides a middle ground. The $50 per month Sling Orange + Blue package has FOX affiliates for this game, as well as local NBC affiliates plus ESPN.

NFL Sunday Ticket: No pre-season games are included, so the Washington vs Patriots game won't be on NFL Sunday Ticket.

Washington vs Patriots live streams in the UK

American football fans across the pond cannot watch Washington vs Patriots on  Sky Sports, the typical home to more than 100 live games per NFL season. 

Americans abroad could just use the service of their choice, provided they log in via a VPN such as ExpressVPN.

Also, the NFL Game Pass can be purchased for $99 and will allow you to live stream 28 preseason football games. This is ONLY for NFL Preseason games. You cannot live stream NFL regular season games using NFL Game Pass.

The Washington vs Patriots live stream starts at 12:30am BST Friday morning.

Washington vs Patriots live streams in Canada

Get in, folks, we're going to Da Zone. Or to be more specific, Canadian football fans will need DAZN to watch Washington vs Patriots live streams in Canada. 

DAZN is also the home of live Champions League soccer games. Plus, Canadians get a 30-day free trial of DAZN here.

Marc Farzetta

Marc is a contributing sportswriter at Tom’s Guide covering the NFL, NBA and MLB as well as various other leagues. He is a graduate of Temple University where he studied Broadcasting and Journalism. Marc’s previous stops include the Trenton Times and NBC Sports Philadelphia. He also worked on the production crew of NBC Sunday Night Football for 11 seasons. When not working, Marc is probably sipping his next espresso to get him ready for more work.