NFL Preseason Week 1: Everything fans need to know for each game

The preseason is here. It doesn’t have the panache or the juice of the regular season, but this is the first time that we’re going to be able to spend a good part of the weekend watching football since February … And that’s awesome. 

But when is everyone playing, and what should you be looking for in every game? I’m here to help you sort all of that out. 

NFL Preseason Week 1 Schedule

Detroit Lions at Cincinnati Bengals

Lions

Dan Campbell hired John Morton as his offensive coordinator last year, and it was a disaster. This year it’s Drew Petzing, who was the OC in Arizona for the last two years. There’s an argument to be made that the Lions’ preseason offense could be better executed than the Cardinals' offense from 2023 to 2025 … But we’ll have to wait and see on that.

Bengals

Last season, Zac Taylor said that he wanted his starters to play in the preseason so the team didn’t start slow in the actual season. Then, in Week 1, the offense scored 17 points against the Browns. For some reason, Taylor decided that he was going to roll with his starters in the first preseason game this year too. He didn’t say how long they were going to play, but he did say they were going to play. That means we get to watch some snaps of a superpowered offense against the backup to the backups of a terrible defense. That’s must-watch TV.

Green Bay Packers at Pittsburgh Steelers

Steelers

The Steelers drafted one of the most interesting players in the sixth round: Eli Heidenreich, the running back from Navy. I don’t know how much of this dude we’re going to get to see from September to January … So getting a glimpse of a rookie from a service academy playing football in an NFL uniform is a rarity you’re not going to want to miss. 

Packers

The Packers are in a boatload of trouble with their running back room. Josh Jacobs is still dealing with legal stuff and could be looking at a suspension, so there’s some real intrigue at the depth at that position. It was just a few years ago that Jacobs himself was playing in the Raiders' first preseason game before he went on to lead the league with 1,653 rushing yards in 2022. There's a real chance that one of the guys we see on Thursday night is going to be a real piece of that offense this year. 

Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots

Colts

Remember how the Colts drafted Anthony Richardson fourth overall in the 2023 draft? Remember how he stunk, and then they chose not to try to develop him after only two seasons? He’s going to be playing football in the preseason. The dude is a freak athlete, and there’s a real chance that he’ll end up being a preseason hero of yore. If that’s the case, he could be a real trade candidate and possibly go to a team that wants to spend time on him.

Patriots

During the Hall of Fame game, NBC’s desk people (including Mike Tomlin) decided to dive headfirst into the Mike Vrabel/Dianna Russini story. You have to think that the Colts’ preseason broadcast crew is going to really lay into the head coach of a team they don’t care about. That’s going to be fun. Other than that, it’s the Patriots … The fun pieces they added to the team probably aren’t going to be playing in the first preseason game. 

Arizona Cardinals at Las Vegas Raiders

Cardinals

Carson Beck lit the world on fire during the Hall of Fame game when he went 15-of-19 for 188 yards and a touchdown. However, he didn’t play in the fourth quarter or in any type of crunch time. I’ve watched enough Carson Beck over the last three years to know that late-game situations are where he chokes. We, as a football society, need to see crunch-time-Beck before we believe in him. Maybe we’ll get that, but I doubt it … It’ll probably be more Kedon Slovis. 

Raiders

Klint Kubiak said that Fernando Mendoza is going to get “plenty of snaps” this week. He was the first-overall pick in the draft. If everything goes right for Vegas, Mendoza will ride the bench, learn, and grow during the season. So any snaps that we do get to see from him will hopefully be a rarity. All that to say: use these preseason games to fuel hope … or something corny like that. 

Los Angeles Chargers at Houston Texans

Chargers

There’s one huge benefit of drafting a 25-year-old in the first round: They should be ready to play. The Chargers drafted Akheem Messidor, the 25-year-old edge rusher from Miami (Florida), in the first round. The preseason games are going to be relatively telling on whether or not this dude is going to be there right off the bat. They also drafted Jake Slaughter in the second round, and it sounds like they want him to play guard … But he never took a snap at guard in college (only center), so this will be his first go at it. 

Texans

I don't think anything the Texans do in the preseason is going to be interesting … However, there is a high bar for players to make it onto that defense. It’ll be fun to watch guys compete for depth spots on the best and most violent defense in football. When they’re on offense, I’m watching the offensive line. They’ve been rebuilding and reshaping it for the past couple of years, and I imagine parts of that depth chart are going to be shifting and changing from now until January.

Tennessee Titans at San Francisco 49ers

Titans

A few days ago, Will Levis said that there aren’t 32 quarterbacks who are better than him … and we’re but mere hours away from watching that guy throw three of the silliest interceptions you’ll ever see ... So that’ll be fun. 

49ers

I like Adrian Martinez. After he was the UFL MVP in 2024, he went to hang out on the Jets’ practice squad for a season, and then he went to San Francisco in 2025. He’s going to get a decent chunk of snaps, and he plays a pretty fun brand of football. It’ll make this game watchable, and hopefully take Niners fans’ minds off of potential, yet impending season-ending injuries. 

Denver Broncos at Atlanta Falcons

Broncos

The most interesting thing about the Broncos is their new offensive coordinator, Davis Webb. He’s going to be calling plays for the first time ever this year. One thing I’m going to be paying attention to during the preseason is how much time is left on the play clock when the Broncos are breaking the huddle. They’re going to be calling a base-level offense, and Webb should be able to get those calls in quickly.

Falcons

The Falcons drafted Zachariah Branch, the wide receiver out of Georgia, in the third round. The whole thing with him is that his route running and his hands could be better, but the dude is awesome once he gets the ball in his hands. Atlanta’s going to be a much better team if Branch earns a WR2 or WR3 spot. Not only do I want to see him run with the ball, but I want to see how much he’s grown since we saw him back in January. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New York Jets

Buccaneers

The Buccaneers made two really fun picks at the beginning of the draft. With the 15th pick, they got Reuben Bain Jr., the short-armed edge rusher from Miami. And with the 46th pick, they got Josiah Trotter (Jeremiah Trotter's son), the linebacker from Missouri. Both of those guys have been making some noise in training camp, and it’ll be fun to see how physical they are in their (probably) limited number of snaps. 

Jets

The Jets used a fourth-round draft pick on Cade Klubnik, the quarterback from Clemson. He’s a guy that had a lot of hype going into his final college season, but it ended up being kind of stinky. It sounds like he’s turned it around, and now he’s impressing people in training camp. I want to see that with my own eyes because I don’t believe it. 

Miami Dolphins at Washington Commanders

Dolphins

The Dolphins’ wide receiver room is completely void of real talent, so if anyone shows any flashes of anything during preseason games, they have a legitimate shot at getting playing time. That includes the perennial preseason stars like Jalen Reagor and Terrace Marshall Jr. 

Commanders

The only people that know what kind of offense David Blough is going to run are the Commanders. And to be fair, we’re not going to see all of the bells and whistles in a preseason game … But we are going to see a little bit of what he has in store, and that’s interesting. Also, there are jobs (starting or backup) on the offensive line that need to be filled. 

Carolina Panthers at Buffalo Bills

Panthers

Haynes King was absolutely dynamic in the Hall of Fame game, and he ended it with a (relative) statement when he ran for 31 yards and a touchdown on their game-winning drive. Was that just a flash, or does this cat really have that in his bag? We’ll see.

Bills

We all want to see the Bills’ new stadium … Especially coming off a week where they were getting absolutely shelled for selling season tickets for seats with obstructed views. It’s probably not going to happen during the game, but it’ll be fun to immerse yourself in Bills’ Twitter after the game to see what the Boots on the Ground report back. 

Cleveland Browns at Chicago Bears

Browns

Once again, the Browns are having quarterback competition … But that’s going to take a little bit of a backseat because of the rookies they brought in. We’ll get to see KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston for the first time. In reality, those guys are going to last longer than whoever gets the QB1 job. 

Bears

For Da Bears, the preseason is all about who’s going to win the position battles on defense. With Coby Bryant getting hurt and missing the next four to six months, there’s an opening at safety. It sounds like Cam Lewis is the frontrunner, but he’s dealing with his own injury right now. That spot is up for grabs, and good preseason showings will probably go a long way toward whoever wins it … or at least whoever the depth guys will be.

Minnesota Vikings at New York Giants

Vikings

We all need to see what J.J. McCarthy looks like. He already lost the starting quarterback job to Kyler Murray, and if there’s a trade market for him, these preseason games are going to be mega-important. The guy could be checked out, which would be rough. However, if he puts his “Nine” face on … Well … It’ll still be rough, but at least there will be juice.

Giants

Let’s not forget that at a point in time, John Harbaugh’s Ravens had a 24-game preseason winning streak (2015 to 2023). Right now, he’s on a three-game streak, but now he’s with the Giants. In the grand scheme of things, these streaks mean absolutely nothing. But there’s something to be said for the culture that Harbaugh brings to the table, and how he gets his guys ready to play no matter what … It’s kind of the thing that makes him a floor raiser. This game is a real vibe check for New York. 

Los Angeles Rams at Kansas City Chiefs

Rams

Everyone in the world is kissing the Rams' feet and talking about how great of an offseason they’ve had … except for the part where they drafted Ty Simpson, the quarterback from Alabama, with the 13th overall pick. We’re going to get to see him play on Saturday, and if he looks even a little bit sloppy (which he will), there’s going to be blood in the water and it’ll be a feeding frenzy.

Chiefs

Andy Reid notoriously (famously?) plays his starters in preseason games. Maybe Patrick Mahomes will take a snap or two at some point, but I seriously doubt that’ll be this weekend. Instead, we’ll be seeing some amount of Garrett Nussmeier. He’s the quarterback from LSU with second-round talent, but he slipped to the seventh round of the draft because of health stuff. We’ll also get our first look at R Mason Thomas, their second-round pass rusher. He gets off the ball very quickly, but he can get locked up when an offensive lineman gets their hands on him. If that happens consistently during the preseason, it’s not going to be a great sign.

Jacksonville Jaguars at New Orleans Saints

Jaguars

Offensive line diehards will have a look at the reps with Anton Harrison and Walker Little, especially with the latter involved in some offseason trade speculation. However, the bigger story is going to be the revamped rushing attack. With Travis Etienne Jr. now in, incidentally, New Orleans, it'll be second-year speedster Bhayshul Tuten leading the charge out of the backfield. That's a stark change, and one that should have Jaguars' fans attention.

Saints

Much of the attention on Saturday night in New Orleans will be on the home team's wide receivers. Yes, we'll be hoping to catch a glimpse of first-round pick Jordyn Tyson, who has continued to steal headlines. But we'll also be looking at a couple of Day 3 selections in Bryce Lance and Barion Brown. The Saints are trying to fill out a deeper receiver room this season around Tyler Shough, and this game could give fans a better idea of the pecking order.

Philadelphia Eagles at Baltimore Ravens

Eagles

The preseason means one thing: It’s Tanner McKee time. The difference is that this year, he’s competing for a QB2 job (with Andy Dalton), and he’s also probably on the trading block. He’s a good quarterback; he’s accurate, patient, and pretty cerebral … He’s also on the last year of his rookie contract, so if a team had quarterback problems going into the season, he’d be a good and cheap option to go after. If he can stack good preseason games (which he will), it’ll help erase the doubt he created from his rough showing in Week 18 last year. 

Ravens

There have been three or four guys across the NFL who have been training camp stars, and one of them is the Ravens’ third-round wide receiver out of USC, Ja’Kobi Lane. Contested catches were his calling card in college, and it sounds like he brought that to training camp. He’s apparently making some pretty impressive catches too. I think I speak for everyone: “Let’s see it then, hoss.”

Dallas Cowboys at Seattle Seahawks

Cowboys

Jaishawn Barham is another one of those national training camp darlings, and just like with the Ravens and Ja’Kobi Lane, we all want to see it. It’s a little different for the Cowboys, though. They’re coming off a season where their defense was historically terrible, and if they struck gold with a third-round linebacker, it’s going to add a whole lot to that team. 

Seahawks

There’s been a lot of talk coming from Seattle about how Brian Fleury, their new offensive coordinator, is doing a good job. This is his first time ever being an OC, and it’ll be his first time calling plays. He’s not going to get deep into his bag or anything like that, but just like with Davis Webb and the Broncos, it’s probably a good idea to keep tabs on how fast the Seahawks’ offense is breaking the huddle. Also, their running back situation is going to be pretty important, fantasy-wise. If they roll out with a bunch of heavy personnel, it’ll impact Jadarian Price’s value come draft time.

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