Week 1 of the NFL preseason is in the books, and now we move on to Week 2. The good thing is that we should see more starters as we move forward in Weeks 2 and 3 of the games that don’t count. There were only four Week 1 preseason nationally televised games, but that amps up to eight this upcoming session. Nationally televised games were only on NFL Network this past week, but every major television partner except NBC will be airing at least one game in Week 2. Per usual, everyone will have in-market games on local stations and everyone will be able to watch the remaining national preseason games next week. All times are Eastern Time Zone, and the home team is listed second.
Thursday, August 15th
8:00 p.m.
Oakland Raiders v. Arizona Cardinals, ESPN
The Raiders are a nationally televised team again and the only reason that makes sense is that they will draw viewers who also watch “Hard Knocks.” There could be an interesting backup QB battle in Oakland. Mike Glennon did not play very well in his time in the first preseason game. Nathan Peterman set social media on fire with his 50-yard scamper and played well in his time under center. There was a lot of Brett Hundley for the Cardinals in the first game. We should see No. 1 pick Kyler Murray for a more extended time in this game.
Friday, August 16th
7:30 p.m.
Chicago Bears v. New York Giants, NFL Network
We go back to NFL Network for some Friday football this upcoming weekend. There are two major storylines to focus on in this game: the Bears kicking competition and Daniel Jones. It looks like Elliott Fry has the inside track on the kicking job seeing he didn’t miss a field goal in the first preseason game. Eddy Pineiro did miss a kick. As for Daniel Jones, he looked good in his first action with the Giants, but it’s Week 1 in the preseason. Let’s not overreact. Of course, if Jones does do well in Week 2, then let’s totally overreact.
Saturday, August 17th
4:00 p.m.
Cleveland Browns v. Indianapolis Colts, NFL Network
We have three games on NFL Network on Saturday. The Browns and Colts are the first matchup and it pits two offseason darling teams against each other. The Colts will not have Andrew Luck unless his calf is healed by some higher power. The Browns should have everyone and they were fun to watch in their first preseason game. That should definitely tamper the hype that’s continuing to form around Cleveland.
7:30 p.m.
Kansas City Chiefs v. Pittsburgh Steelers, NFL Network
This will be an emotional game as the Steelers wide receivers coach Darryl Drake recently passed away. The Steelers canceled their workouts on Sunday so they might not be totally prepared for this game — as would be expected when losing a team member.
As for the Chiefs, well their offense was scary — much like last year — in their first preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals. There was some thought that the offense could regress since opponents have more tape on the Mahomes led offense, but that might not be the case.
10:00 p.m.
Dallas Cowboys v. Los Angeles Rams, NFL Network
The battle of the Valley. Both teams have their training camp north of Los Angeles in the sweltering heat that is Summer north of Sepulveda Pass. Now they head down to the Coliseum located near Downtown Los Angeles to face off in a preseason game that should have most starters getting some reps.
Ezekiel Elliott will not be there and Todd Gurley should be protected by bubble wrap so the big-name running backs most likely won’t see time in this game. Blake Bortles started for the Rams in Week 1. We should see Jared Goff in Week 2.
Sunday, August 18th
4:00 p.m.
New Orleans Saints v. Los Angeles Chargers, CBS
CBS will air its first game of the preseason on Sunday afternoon. The Saints travel to Los Angeles to face the Chargers. The question is whether we will see any Michael Thomas, Alvin Kamara or Drew Brees for the Saints. The Chargers stuck with Tyrod Taylor in their first game — followed by Cardale Jones who didn’t look great — but we should see some Philip Rivers in the Chargers’ preseason home opener. If CBS goes with their main crew, this will be fans’ opportunity to reunite with Jim Nantz and Tony Romo.
8:00 p.m.
Seattle Seahawks v. Minnesota Vikings, FOX
After the first game of the year on CBS, we get the first national game on Fox. The Seahawks go to Minnesota where two solid defenses should play at least the first quarter. We also get the first national look at DK Metcalf. Metcalf basically broke the combine and had a ton of draft hype, but he fell to the second round where the Seahawks grabbed him. Seattle doesn’t have a ton of depth at wide receiver so they’ll need Metcalf to show he can perform in the preseason so he will be trusted in the real season.
Monday, August 18th
8:00 p.m.
San Francisco 49ers v. Denver Broncos, ESPN
We go back to ESPN to round out Week 2 which stretched into Monday of the next week. That means we have five straight days of NFL preseason. That should be a good enough fix for anyone who enjoys watching football. The Niners still have a lot to prove this year. They need to start winning games now. Kyle Shanahan is loved by almost everyone on NFL Twitter, but his genius has to turn into wins at some point. We’ve already seen two Broncos games. They’ve done nothing to disprove that they will be a team that will rely on their defense this season.
