SportsQuest
All games

Week 17, Sun, Jan 3, 1:00 PM local

Denver Broncosat New England Patriots

Gillette Stadium, Foxborough. Fly into BOS.

Build the quest

Kickoff slot

Early

Lots open before breakfast.

Lots open

9:00 AM

Local time on game day.

Where to stay

In the city

Tailgate from 9:00 AM, then the game.

The matchup

Form, ESPN's model and the stat leaders
Form

The Broncos are 2-1 after 3 games, 3rd in the AFC West.

They have won 2 in a row.

They are 0-1 on the road.

The Patriots are 1-2 after 3 games, 3rd in the AFC East.

They are 1-0 at home.

What we know about Gillette Stadium

Where visiting fans stay

Checked at the source
  • Patriot Place, Foxborough. 5 min by walk. The rare NFL stadium with a real hotel cluster at the gate. Two hotels sit 0.2 miles away, the Renaissance Boston Patriot Place and the Hilton Garden Inn Foxborough/Patriot Place, both official stadium hotels, inside a shopping and dining complex with casual and sit-down restaurants, a movie theater, a Trader Joe's and the Patriots Hall of Fame. You can walk to the game and walk back. The catch is that there are only two hotels for 65,000 people, so they sell out early and get priced high on game weekends.
  • Downtown Boston. 60 min. MBTA Commuter Rail Patriots event train, South Station to Foxboro. This is the right choice if your trip is about Boston as well as the game. If you stay within reach of South Station, you can take the $20 round trip event train straight to Foxboro station. It sits at the far end of Lot 4, with a walkway under the access road leading to the north end of the stadium. The catch is the schedule, not the distance. There is usually one train out, about 2.5 hours before kickoff, and return trains leave 30 and 45 minutes after the final whistle.
  • Providence, RI. 45 min. MBTA Commuter Rail Patriots event train via the Northeast Corridor, Providence to Foxboro. Providence is cheaper than Boston, has its own restaurant scene, and the same MBTA Patriots event train runs there from Providence Station. It also has an airport 20 minutes away. It is the best value base if your trip is just about the game.

Around the stadium

From a specialist guide
Patriot Place is a real mixed-use complex next to the stadium: two hotels 0.2 miles from the gates, a range of restaurants, a pharmacy, a Trader Joe's, a movie theater and the Patriots Hall of Fame. Parking at Patriot Place is free on game days, though the Patriots keep an eye on it to stop drivers without tickets from using it. This is one of the few NFL stadiums where staying right next to it is a real option instead of a highway motel.

Getting in from the airport

From a specialist guide
Boston Logan International (BOS) is 20 minutes away by the Silver Line SL1 bus or the Blue Line subway into downtown Boston.

Getting to the stadium

Checked at the source
MBTA Commuter Rail Patriots event train, about 60 min. Foxboro station sits next to the stadium at the far end of Lot 4. A walkway runs under an access road to the north end of the stadium. MBTA Commuter Rail Patriots event train (Providence branch) to Foxboro station, next to the stadium. Franklin/Foxboro Line scheduled service to Foxboro station, next to the stadium.

Tailgating

From a specialist guide
Tailgating happens in the lots starting four hours before kickoff, but it's a car activity: there's no lot re-entry once you leave, no walk-up tailgate village, and no ticketed public tailgate. The carless option here is unusually good, though. Patriot Place's bars and restaurants are a two-minute walk from the gates and work well as a pre-game gathering spot. Just remember there's no stadium re-entry at Patriots games, so eat and drink before you go through the turnstiles.

Getting in

Checked at the source
  • Bag policy: There are three allowed bag formats: a one-gallon clear plastic freezer bag no bigger than 11 by 11 inches, a clear plastic, vinyl or PVC bag no bigger than 12 by 12 by 6 inches, or a small wristlet or handheld wallet no bigger than 6.5 by 4.5 inches. If you need an exception for medical supplies or dietary needs, including breast pumps, email the stadium at least 48 hours ahead.
  • Re-entry: There are two separate bans worth knowing. There's no stadium re-entry at Patriots and Revolution games, and for every stadium event, there's no parking lot re-entry either. Rules for other events can vary.
  • Prohibited items: Banned items include umbrellas of any kind, selfie sticks or any stick or pole, seat cushions with pockets or zippers, portable folding or standalone chairs, GoPros, video cameras, tripods and monopods, strollers (except at Revolution games), outside food or drinks, coolers, cans and bottles, noisemakers, bullhorns, air horns, vuvuzelas, balloons and beach balls.

Touring the stadium

Checked at the source
Gillette does not run stadium tours at all, on game days or any other day. The official A-Z guide says so directly and points visitors to the Patriots Hall of Fame instead.

After the final whistle

From a specialist guide
The train takes 30 minutes; driving takes 90 to 180 minutes. The train is the whole reason to go carless here. The first return train leaves Foxboro 30 minutes after the game ends, and on games that run a second Boston train, it leaves about 15 minutes after that, though not every game gets a second train. The event trains run on a set schedule rather than on demand, so you can't take your time leaving. By road it's much worse. Gillette empties onto US Route 1 with state police running contraflow, and a parking guide records waits of 1.5 to 3 hours when the whole crowd leaves at once, with the free lots across Route 1 hit hardest. Fans often wait out an hour in the lot on purpose rather than sit in that line.

One thing to avoid

From a specialist guide
Don't assume a hotel labeled 'Boston' is near the stadium. Foxborough is 22 miles out and there's no subway there. Booking a hotel in the northern or western Boston suburbs gives you the worst of both worlds: no city, no stadium, and no train. If you can't get into Patriot Place, stay in downtown Boston near South Station or in Providence, not somewhere in between.

Bars near the stadium

Checked at the source

  • The Harp

    200 Patriot Place, Foxborough, MA 02035

    The Foxborough Harp is the country cousin of a Boston institution. The original opened on Causeway Street across from what is now TD Garden in 1993 and has been run by the Briar Group for three decades.

    Away fans: mixed

  • Six String Grill & Stage

    275 Patriot Place, Foxborough, MA 02035

    The Briar Group, the same people behind The Harp, opened this place in May 2019, and they built it on a totally different scale. It has a 19,400 square foot dining room with a large patio, plus event spaces that can hold anywhere from 15 to 1,200 people, making it the only venue in the district that can take a full coach party.

    Away fans: mixed, a concert venue as much as a bar

  • Mass Appeal Draught House & Grille

    250 Patriot Place, Foxborough, MA 02035

    This is the newest spot in the district. It opened in June 2026 in the old Wormtown Brewery taproom, and the whole idea is Massachusetts craft beer with New England food, so it's the best choice if you want something local instead of a national domestic beer.

What to eat

The local food this city is known for: clam chowder and lobster rolls.

Inside the stadium, 2026 season

  • Legal Sea Foods is the official chowder for 2026, with chowder and lobster rolls on the 100 and 300 levels. Source

Stand line-ups change every season.

Sidequests in Foxborough

Listed in the order they happen. Each one earns points.

  1. Landmark65 points

    The Lighthouse observation deck

    Take the elevator up to the 360-degree deck 22 stories above the field, where you can see all the way to the Boston and Providence skylines. It's $5 for adults and free for kids 10 and under, but it closes for ticketed events, so go the day before.

    $. The day before

  2. Outing40 points

    The Patriots Hall of Fame presented by RTX

    This team museum next to the stadium has the Super Bowl trophies, rings and interactive exhibits. It's open daily 10 AM to 5 PM, $10 for adults and $5 for ages 5 to 12 with kids under 5 free, though hours can change on game day.

    $. The day before

  3. Eat65 points

    Dinner at Lafayette House, a 1784 tavern

    This Foxborough restaurant on Route 1 south of the stadium has run as a tavern and inn since 1784. It has dining rooms with fireplaces and a pub, serving dinner Tuesday to Saturday from 4 PM and Sunday from noon.

    $$$. 19 hours before kickoff

  4. Drink25 points

    The Greatest Bar, official Patriots fan club bar

    This multi-floor sports bar sits near TD Garden and North Station in Boston, and the team lists it as the official home of its Patriots fan club. It's good for the night before if you're staying in Boston.

    $$. 18 hours before kickoff

  5. Eat65 points

    Breakfast at The Commons Neighborhood Eatery

    This diner-style breakfast spot sits in Foxborough center, about two miles from the stadium. Get omelets, Belgian waffles, corned beef hash or eggs Benedict; it's open until 2 PM, from 7 AM on Sundays.

    $. 5 hours before kickoff

  6. Landmark65 points

    Nature Trail and Ocean Spray Cranberry Bog

    This half-mile trail loops around a working seven-acre cranberry bog planted in 1929, behind Bass Pro Shops at Patriot Place. It's free and open dawn to dusk with signs explaining how cranberries grow, and the bogs turn red in fall.

    Free. 4 hours before kickoff

  7. Eat65 points

    Lunch at Davio's Northern Italian Steakhouse

    This Boston-based steakhouse sits at Patriot Place, a few minutes' walk from the gates. Get the handmade gnocchi or a steak; it opens 11:30 AM daily with Sunday brunch 11 AM to 1:30 PM, so book ahead on game days.

    $$$. 3 hours before kickoff

  8. Tailgate65 points

    Patriot Place outdoor refreshment zones

    These are two open-container zones in the Patriot Place North Marketplace, one from Bar Louie to the Grand Staircase and one by the hotels to Six String Grill. You can carry takeout drinks in sealed cups with food, daily noon to 9:30 PM.

    $$. 2 hours 30 minutes before kickoff

  9. Photo25 points

    Tom Brady statue in the Patriot Place plaza

    There's a twelve-foot bronze of Brady with his fist raised, unveiled August 8, 2025 in the plaza outside the Patriots Hall of Fame at the base of the Lighthouse. It's free to visit, but expect a line on game days.

    Free. 2 hours before kickoff

  10. Ritual25 points

    Ride the MBTA event train to Foxboro station

    Special event trains run from South Station, Back Bay, Dedham and Providence for $20 round trip on the mTicket app. They get in about an hour before the event, and from there it's a quarter-mile walk to the stadium.

    $. 1 hour 30 minutes before kickoff

Seats and views

Where each part of Gillette Stadium sits, and what you see from it.

What kind of game day do you want?

Pick one and Scout shows you where to sit.

100 Level, end zone100 Level, corner, home side100 Level, home sideline100 Level, corner, home side100 Level, end zone100 Level, corner, visitor side100 Level, visitor sideline100 Level, corner, visitor side200 Level and Cross Insurance Club, end zone200 Level and Cross Insurance Club, corner, home side200 Level and Cross Insurance Club, home sideline200 Level and Cross Insurance Club, corner, home side200 Level and Cross Insurance Club, end zone200 Level and Cross Insurance Club, corner, visitor side200 Level and Cross Insurance Club, visitor sideline200 Level and Cross Insurance Club, corner, visitor side300 Level, end zone300 Level, corner, home side300 Level, home sideline300 Level, corner, home side300 Level, end zone300 Level, corner, visitor side300 Level, visitor sideline300 Level, corner, visitor sideHomeVisitors
100 Level101 to 143200 Level and Cross Insurance Club201 to 240, club sections CL6 to CL13300 Level301 to 340Tap any part of the stadium to see its view.