What You Need to Know About the New England Patriots Game Against the Philadelphia Eagles at Gillette Stadium

Editor’s Note: Information in this article was provided by Patriots Media Relations.

The New England Patriots snapped a 10-game winning streak with a 30-24 overtime loss at Denver last week in snowy conditions on Sunday Night Football. The Patriots will return to the confines of Gillette Stadium this Sunday to face the Philadelphia Eagles.

Since the beginning of the 2003 season, the Patriots are 38-4 (.905) in regular-season games following a loss, including 11 straight wins following a defeat since 2012. The Patriots have dropped back-to-back regular season games just four times since 2003 (2006, 2009, 2011 and 2012). As a starter in his career, Tom Brady is 40-8 in games following a loss.

This Sunday’s game will be the Patriots fourth meeting against an NFC East team in 2015. The team will look for a sweep of the NFC East following a 30-6 win at Dallas on Oct. 11, a 27-10 victory at home vs. Washington on Nov. 8 and a 27-26 win at the New York Giants on Nov. 15. BROAD

To help you get ready for the game, here is what you need to know.

Broadcast Information

TELEVISION: This week’s game will be broadcast by FOX and can be seen locally on WFXT-TV Channel 25 in Boston. Thom Brenneman will handle play-by-play duties with Charles Davis as the color analyst. Tony Siragusa will work the sidelines.The game will be produced by Mark Teitelman and directed by Greg Scoppettone.

NATIONAL RADIO: This week’s game will be broadcast to a national audience on ESPN Radio. Bill Rosinski and Mark Dominik will call the game. Michelle Steele will work the sidelines.

LOCAL RADIO: 98.5 FM, The Sports Hub, is the flagship station for the Patriots Radio Network. Play-by-play broadcaster Bob Socci will call the action along with former Patriots quarterback Scott Zolak, who will provide color analysis. Produced by Marc Cappello.

Arrive Early and Allow for Plenty of Time Around Gillette Stadium

With a capacity crowd of nearly 67,000 fans expected, Gillette Stadium officials encourage drivers to allow themselves plenty of time when traveling near the stadium on game day. Traffic restrictions will be in place on local roads before and after the game. Fans must use I-95, I-495 or Route 140 to access Route 1 and Gillette Stadium. For ease of entry and exit, fans are reminded of the following:

Parking and Public Transportation

Stadium parking lots open four hours before kickoff. Parking is $40 for cars and motorcycles and $150 for buses, RVs, and limos. Those who would prefer to not drive can take the MBTA Commuter Rail to the stadium from South Station in Boston and TF Green Airport in Warwick, R.I. for $15 roundtrip.

South Station Schedule

• South Station: Departs for Gillette Stadium at 2 p.m.
• Back Bay: Departs for Gillette Stadium at 2:05 p.m.
• Dedham Corp: Departs for Gillette Stadium at 2:20 p.m.
• Arrive: Train arrives at Gillette Stadium at 3:05 p.m.

TF Green Airport Station Schedule

• TF Green Airport: Departs for Gillette Stadium at 1:30 9.m.
• Providence: Departs for Gillette Stadium at 2 p.m.
• South Attleboro: Departs for Gillette Stadium at 2:10 p.m.
• Attleboro: Train arrives at Gillette Stadium at 11:20 a.m.
• Mansfield: Departs for Gillette Stadium at 2:30 p.m.
• Arrive: Train arrives at Gillette stadium at 3:05 p.m.

Both trains will leave Gillette Stadium 30 minutes after the conclusion of the game.

The Dos and Do Nots of the Parking Lot

No one wants to be that person that gets in trouble for something that could have been avoided by knowing the rules of the parking lot. Here are the regulations for parking at the stadium. To provide all visitors with a safe and enjoyable visit to Gillette Stadium, the following parking lot restrictions apply on game days:

• Visitors must be in possession of a valid ticket to that day’s game to gain access to parking lots.
• Parking license is limited solely to the purpose of parking your vehicle on our property to gain entry to Gillette Stadium. Each paid license entitles the licensee to occupy one parking space.
• Solicitation, commercial or otherwise, by anyone for any purpose is expressly prohibited.
• Sale of any food, beverage or other items in Gillette Stadium parking lots, either prepaid or walk-up, without obtaining prior written approval of stadium management is expressly prohibited.
• Visitors must follow the directions given by the parking attendants and park within the space designated for your use.
• Spaces cannot be held for vehicles arriving at a later time.
• Vehicles cannot be pulled into drive aisles after they are parked.

Prohibited Items

• Fans may not bring the following items into the stadium:
• Bags larger than a 12” x 12” x 6”. Contents of all bags will be inspected. Exceptions can be made for guests with special medical needs.
• Unmanned Aircraft Systems
• Remotely Controlled Model Aircraft
• Selfie sticks
• GoPro Cameras
• Battery Operated Heated Jackets
• Any type of portable chair or seat, other than those approved for persons with accessibility issues
• Video cameras
• Tripods or monopods
• Flagpoles over 2 feet in length
• Weapons of any kind, including pocket/utility knives
• Food or beverages
• Illegal drugs and substances
• Coolers or containers, including cans and bottles
• Umbrellas
• Fireworks, pyrotechnics, flares
• Laser pointers
• Animals, other than service dogs assisting those with disabilities
• Strollers or baby seats
• Segways
• Noisemakers, bullhorns, air horns, vuvuzelas
• Helium balloons, beach balls
• Lacrosse balls
• Any alcoholic beverages
• Food or beverages [unless the individual is in possession of a letter signed by Kelly Way, Director of Operations, TeamOps LLC
• Folding and/or standalone chairs
• Seat Cushions
• Soccer balls

Clear Bag Policy

The NFL Clear Bag Policy will be in effect once again throughout the 2015 season. That policy states that all bags entering the stadium must be clear plastic, vinyl or PVC and no larger than 12” x 6” x 12.” Fans can use one-gallon clear (see through) plastic freezer bag or similar. In addition, small clutch bags (not to exceed 7” x 4” x 2”) may be carried into the stadium along with one of the clear bag options. Prohibited items include, but are not limited to: non see-through purses larger than a clutch bag, coolers, briefcases, backpacks, fanny packs, cinch bags, luggage of any kind, seat cushions, computer bags and camera bags or any bag larger than the permissible size. For additional information, go to NFL.com/allclear.

Bring a Gift for Toys for Tots

Prior to the game, the Patriots and WBZ-TV will be counting on fans to support another important drive, the annual holiday toy drive, benefitting children in need this holiday season.

Fans are encouraged to bring new and unwrapped toy donations to the collection bins outside the entry gates at Gillette Stadium or to the Patriots ProShop prior to the game. All who donate will receive a 10 percent discount coupon to the Patriots ProShop. Toys donated by fans will be delivered by Patriots players at upcoming holiday charitable events. Toys will serve children ranging from newborn to 18 years old.

Series History

The Patriots and Eagles will meet for the 12th time in the regular season and the 13th time overall, including New England’s 24-21 victory in Super Bowl XXXIX following the 2004 season.

This week’s game is one of 19 Super Bowl rematches featured this season as part of the Super Bowl 50 celebration. The Patriots will face Philadelphia in the regular season for the first time since a 38-20 win at Lincoln Financial Field on Nov. 27, 2011. The Patriots will host Philadelphia in a regular season game for the first time since the 2007 season, when the Patriots edged the Eagles, 31-28, on Nov. 25, 2007 at Gillette Stadium. The 2007 game marked Philadelphia’s only regular season game at Gillette Stadium. Including the Super Bowl XXXIX victory, the Patriots have won the last four meetings between the two teams.

While the teams have played just 12 times in the regular season, the teams have played 22 times in the preseason (most recently in 2014), with the Patriots holding a 12-10 lead in those games. The only team that New England has faced more in the preseason is the New York Giants and Washington Redskins with 25 meetings apiece.

Quick Hits

• The Patriots schedule rotation has them playing the NFC East in 2015. The Patriots beat Dallas, 30-6, in Texas on Oct. 11, beat Washington, 27-10, at Gillette Stadium on Nov. 8 and beat the New York Giants, 27-26, at MetLife Stadium on Nov 15. The Patriots will look to finish with a 4-0 record in the division with a win this week. The last time the Patriots played the NFC East was in 2007 when they finished with a 4-0 record.
• New England holds an all-time combined regular-season record of 20-23 against the NFC East teams – Dallas (5-7), N.Y. Giants (6-4), Philadelphia (5-6) and Washington (4-6). The Patriots are 1-2 against the NFC East in the Super Bowl after beating Philadelphia 24-21 in Super Bowl XXXIX and losing to the Giants 17-14 in Super Bowl XLI and 21-17 in Super Bowl XLVI.

Connections

NEW ENGLAND TIES

• Eagles head coach Chip Kelly is a native of Dover, N.H., and attended the University of New Hampshire, where he played quarterback and defensive back for head coach Bill Bowles from 1981-84. Kelly returned to New Hampshire to coach running backs in 1992. He switched to offensive line coach in 1997, before being promoted to offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 1999. During his six years in the role, Kelly’s offenses at his alma mater averaged more than 400 yards of total offense in seven of his eight seasons and more than 30 points per game in his final four years. As a result, three Wildcats received first-team All-America acclaim in each of his last two seasons in the Granite State.
• Eagles special teams coordinator Dave Fipp spent two seasons (1998 safeties, 1999 secondary/special teams coordinator) coaching at Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass.
• Eagles defensive line/assistant head coach Jerry Azzinaro has strong coaching roots in New England, where he served as an assistant at Maine, Boston College, Massachusetts and Westfield State from 1985 to 1998. He began his coaching career in 1978 as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, American International (Springfield, Mass.) while simultaneously serving as head wrestling coach at Hopkins Academy (Hadley, Mass.).
• Eagles wide receivers coach Bob Bicknell is a native of Holliston, Mass., and was a three-year letterman as a tight end at Boston College. His father, Jack, was the head coach at BC from 1981-1990. Bicknell began his coaching career as the safeties coach at his alma mater in 1993. He then coached the running backs at BC in 1994 and linebackers from 1995-97.
• Eagles assistant defensive line coach Mike Dawson was a three-year starter at linebacker and defensive end at UMass-Amherst and graduated with a degree in sports management. He began his coaching career as a defensive line coach at UMass-Lowell in the spring of 1998 before moving on to Maine for the 1998-99 seasons. In 2000, Dawson accepted a position as the linebacker coach at New Hampshire and held several positions at the school from 2000- 2005. After leaving the area to coach at Akron in 2006, Dawson returned to New England to coach special teams at Boston College from 2009-11.
• Eagles quarterbacks coach Ryan Day is a native of Manchester, N.H., and attended New Hampshire, where he served as a team captain as a senior and held four UNH passing records upon graduation. Day earned his masters in administrative studies from Boston College in 2004 and held three separate stints coaching at the college (2003-04 graduate assistant, 2007-11 wide receivers, 2013-14 offensive coordinator/quarterbacks).
• Eagles outside linebackers coach Bill McGovern was a four-year starter at defensive back at Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., and set single-season (11) and career (24) records for interceptions in 1-AA as a senior while earning consensus first-team All-American honors. McGovern had several coaching stints in the New England area at Holy Cross, Massachusetts and Boston College (1986- 97 Holy Cross, 1988-90 Massachusetts, 1991-92 Holy Cross, 1993 Massachusetts, 1994-96 Boston College, 2000-12 Boston College).
• Eagles assistant linebackers coach Brian Smith was a three-year starter in the secondary at the University of Massachusetts and began his coaching career at his alma mater in 2004, tutoring the team’s outside linebackers. He was named the team’s wide receivers coach the following season, where he worked with New York Giants All-Pro and Pro Bowl WR Victor Cruz.
• Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland was a four-year letterman and three-year starter at inside linebacker at Southern Connecticut State. He earned Little All-America honors as a senior and was named a team captain. Stoutland began his coaching career at his alma mater as the inside linebackers coach from 1984-85. In 1988, he returned for his second coaching stint at the school where he served as the team’s offensive coordinator for four seasons.
• Eagles defensive quality control coach Stephen Thomas served a defensive graduate assistant at Delaware from 2009-10.
• Eagles LB Kiko Alonso was born in Newton, Mass., but moved to California for high school.

PHILADELPHIA TIES

• Patriots special teams coach Joe Judge was born in Philadelphia and played quarterback and strong safety during a four-year high school career at Landsdale (Pa.) Catholic High School. He was named All-Area as a junior and senior. Patriots special teams assistant Ray Ventrone appeared in 35 games at Villanova where he earned first-team All-Atlantic 10 honors and was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Academic Team his junior year. Ventrone finished his Wildcat career with 251 tackles, two sacks, five forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and 11 passes defensed.
• Patriots defensive line coach Brendan Daly coached the defensive line at Villanova in 2005.

FORMER PATRIOTS

• Eagles defensive backs coach Cory Undlin began his NFL career in 2004 as a defensive assistant with the New England Patriots, working with the secondary. In his one year with the Patriots, he helped the team capture a victory in Super Bowl XXXIX.
• Eagles WR Jonathan Krause spent this year’s training camp with the New England Patriots and was a member of the team’s practice squad in 2014.

FORMER EAGLES

• Patriots S Patrick Chung spent the 2013 season with the Philadelphia Eagles, where he started in 10 of the 12 games he played and compiled 56 tackles, seven passes defensed and one fumble recovery. Chung recorded four tackles in Philadelphia’s postseason game vs. New Orleans.

FORMER NFL TEAMMATES

• Eagles offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur served as offensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams from 2009-10, where he worked with Patriots WR Danny Amendola (2009-12) and Patriots defensive line coach Brendan Daly (defensive line, 2009-11).
• Eagles offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur spent two seasons (2011-12) as head coach of the Cleveland Browns where he worked with Patriots DL Jabaal Sheard (2011-14) and special teams assistant Ray Ventrone, who played safety for the Browns from 2009-12
• Eagles defensive coordinator Bill Davis tutored Patriots DL Alan Branch (2007-10) when Davis served as a member of the Arizona Cardinals defensive coaching staff (2007-08 linebackers, 2009-10 defensive coordinator).
• Eagles special teams coordinator Dave Fipp worked with Patriots LB Jonathan Freeny (2012-14) when he served as assistant special teams coach for the Miami Dolphins (2011-12).
• Eagles wide receivers coach Bob Bicknell tutored Patriots TE Scott Chandler when he served as tight ends coach for the Buffalo Bills from 2010-11 and wide receivers coach in 2012.
• Eagles defensive backs coach Cory Undlin tutored Patriots DL Sealver Siliga when Undlin served as the defensive quality control coach for the Denver Broncos in 2012.
• Patriots WR Brandon LaFell and Eagles WR Seyi Ajirotutu were offensive teammates with the Carolina Panthers in 2011.
• Patriots DL Alan Branch and TE Scott Chandler and Eagles LB Kiko Alonso and QB Thad Lewis were defensive teammates with the Buffalo Bills in 2013.
• Patriots TE Scott Chandler and Eagles WR Miles Austin were offensive teammates with the Dallas Cowboys in 2010.
• Eagles QB Sam Bradford (2010-14) and WR Danny Amendola (2009- 12) were offensive teammates with the St. Louis Rams.
• Patriots DT Akiem Hicks and Eagles S Malcolm Jenkins were defensive teammates with the New Orleans Saints from 2012-13.
• Patriots DL Alan Branch, Eagles S Chris Maragos and Eagles DB Walter Thurmond III were defensive teammates with the Seattle Seahawks from 2011-12.
• Patriots TE Scott Chandler and RB Darren Sproles were offensive teammates with the San Diego Chargers in 2007.
• Patriots LB Jonathan Freeny and Eagles K Caleb Sturgis were teammates with the Miami Dolphins from 2013-14.

FORMER COLLEGE TEAMMATES

• Patriots RB LeGarrette Blount (2008-09) and Patriots S Patrick Chung (2005-08) worked with Eagles head coach Chip Kelly (2007-08 offensive coordinator, 2009-12 head coach), Eagles LB Kiko Alonso (2008-12), DE Brandon Bair (2007-10), Eagles RB Kenjon Barner (2009-12) and Eagles assistant defensive backs coach Matthew Harper (2006-07 played safety) at Oregon.
• Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia (graduate assistant 2001- 03) worked with Eagles defensive line/assistant head coach Jerry Azzinaro (defensive line/recruiting coordinator 1999-03) when they served as members of the Syracuse coaching staff.
• Patriots OL Cameron Fleming, DB Jordan Richards, and Eagles TE Zach Ertz were offensive teammates at Stanford in 2012.
• Patriots DL Alan Branch and Eagles LB Brandon Graham were defensive teammates at Michigan in 2006.
• Patriots DB Jordan Richards and Eagles S Ed Reynolds were teammates in the secondary at Stanford from 2012-13.
• Patriots DL Dominique Easley (2010-13) and LB Jon Bostic (2009-12) played with Eagles DB Jaylen Watkins (2010-13), Eagles K Caleb Sturgis (2008-12), Eagles WR Riley Cooper (2006-09) and Eagles TE Trey Burton (2010-13) at Florida.

Photo Credit: New England Patriots