Packers vs. Patriots: Preseason Ticket Info, Date, TV Schedule and Live Stream

The NFL preseason has begun, and though the games have no bearing on the regular season, football-deprived NFL fans welcome the action.

The Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots will open their respective preseason schedules in an interconference matchup Thursday, Aug. 13, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. 

The game between the NFC and AFC heavyweights, respectively, could very well be a Super Bowl 50 preview should both teams live up to the preseason hype surrounding them. The Packers are currently the 6-1 favorites to win the Lombardi Trophy, while the Patriots come in fourth at 10-1, per Odds Shark.

Read on for all of the game information you'll need to know about this high-powered matchup, including how to view it and a preview of what to watch for.

How to Watch 

Date: Thursday, Aug. 13, 2015

Time: 7:30 p.m. ET

Location: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

Tickets: ScoreBig.com

TV Info: NFL Network 

Live Stream: NFL Preseason Live

What to Watch

This matchup didn't go so well for the Patriots the last time the two teams met, when the Packers won 26-21 at home Nov. 30, 2014. What has changed since then?

For starters, both teams' secondaries will look a lot different this season. New England lost corners Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner in free agency, while Green Bay let Tramon Williams and Davon House walk. 

For the first defensive series or two on Thursday, the Packers should feature projected new outside starter Casey Hayward alongside veteran Sam Shields, while defensive back Micah Hyde looks to move into the nickel corner role.

The Patriots, on the other hand, will likely still be testing out perimeter combinations, but expect to see Super Bowl hero Malcolm Butler and up-and-comer Logan Ryan take the field at cornerback. 

For the second-team defense, the Packers will perhaps want to give some playing time to first-round rookie Damarious Randall, who has been taking snaps on the outside in training camp and making headlines for intercepting quarterback Aaron Rodgers in drills, according to the Associated Press (h/t FoxSports.com). 

Speaking of quarterbacks, while Tom Brady currently remains suspended for the first four games of the regular season, he has been taking first-team reps in training camp, as NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported:

Though it may only be for a series, expect to see Brady take the field to start the game against Green Bay on Thursday. But perhaps the more interesting player to watch will be backup Jimmy Garoppolo. He only played 151 snaps in 2014, per Pro Football Focus, mostly in games in which the Patriots were so far ahead that they pulled Brady.  

If Brady does indeed sit out the first four games of the season, Garoppolo will set the tone for the entire season. Going 0-4 or 1-3 to start the year will be tough for the team to overcome, especially since without Brady, the Pats will start the season missing 36 percent of the 2014 Super Bowl starting lineup, per Gary Myers of the New York Daily News. 

This game will be the first time either of the teams' rookies take the field in a game situation. Who should you be watching?

For the Packers, keep an eye on inside linebacker Jake Ryan, whom Green Bay selected in the fourth round. Middle linebacker Sam Barrington and veteran Clay Matthews have been taking first-team snaps inside during camp practices, but with Matthews nursing sore knees, outside linebacker Nate Palmer has been earning first-team reps next to Barrington, according to Tadd Haislop of Sporting News. 

Ryan was the only inside linebacker Green Bay took in the draft at what many considered its greatest position of need, so the faster he can develop, the better the team will be. How many snaps he earns against New England will be a good indication of his progress. 

For the Patriots, fourth-round selection Tre' Jackson looks to be the team's starting right guard, per Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. He will have the unique challenge of potentially having to develop chemistry with one quarterback through a quarter of the season and then another through 12 games. 

Both the Packers and the Patriots are built similarly, relying on young talent to fill needs as early as their rookie seasons, being led by big arms at quarterback and rebuilding on both the defensive line and at cornerback.

Make sure to catch this matchup on NFL Network if you can; you might see it again come February.