Patriots vs. Raiders: Who will see playing time in Week 3 preseason game

The New England Patriots and Las Vegas Raiders will close out their preseasons Friday at Allegiant Stadium. With both teams participating in joint practices this week it’s unlikely we’ll see the starters for too long on either side. The Patriots are 1-1 and the Raiders are looking to finish preseason with a perfect 4-0 record.

Kickoff is set for 8:15 p.m. ET and the game will air on WBZ-TV Channel 4 in Foxborough and FOX5 Las Vegas in Las Vegas. The Raiders are 1.5 points favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook.

New England Patriots

The starters played about a quarter in the Patriots’ 20-10 win over the Carolina Panthers. Mac Jones (4-for-8, 61 yards), Damien Harris (three carries, 18 yards) and Jakobi Meyers (one catch, four yards got in some work. It was an opportunity for Bailey Zappe (16-for-25, 173 yards, interception) to get some significant reps. Young receivers Lil’Jordan Humphrey (five catches, 71 yards) and Tre Nixon (six catches, 56 yards) both looked good. Bill Belichick has spoken highly of Nixon and he’s someone to watch.

Which Patriots will play, expected inactives

Las Vegas Raiders

The Raiders’ 15-13 win over the Miami Dolphins was a snoozer by all accounts. Most of the starters sat and the quarterbacks didn’t distinguish themselves outside of Nick Mullens (6-for-9, 39 yards), who got traded to the Minnesota Vikings shortly afterward. One thing that stood out was the efforts of rookie running back Brittain Brown (nine carries, 70 yards). Brown played well enough that it might have been the primary reason that lead to the release of Kenyan Drake.

Which Raiders will play, expected inactives

When asked about the starters playing, beat writer Vincent Bonsignore didn’t believe the Raiders would play their starters against the Patriots.