NFL Preseason Schedule 2017: Intriguing Games, Dates and Ticket Info

After getting a taste of football at the Hall of Fame Game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Dallas Cowboys, the NFL preseason gets underway in full this week.

To diehard football fans, there is nothing better. There will be football every weekend between now and the Super Bowl in February, and that's especially soothing after a long offseason.

Preseason football is looked at as a poor substitute for what takes place in the regular season, and that is often the case from an aesthetic perspective. However, to those players fighting for spots at the bottom of the roster, one or two excellent showings in the preseason could mean the difference between a career in the NFL or not.

Here's a look at the full preseason schedule, courtesy of NFL.com.

We also present several of the more intriguing preseason games, along with a breakdown of three of the games from the first full week of action.

Preseason Week 1 (All times ET)

Wednesday, Aug. 9

Texans at Panthers, 7:30 p.m. 

Thursday, Aug. 10

Falcons at Dolphins, 7 p.m. 

Friday, Aug. 11

Steelers at Giants, 7 p.m. 

Saturday, Aug. 12

Cowboys at Rams, 9 p.m. 

Sunday, Aug. 13

Seahawks at Chargers, 8 p.m. 

Preseason Week 2

Thursday, Aug. 17

Buccaneers at Jaguars, 8 p.m. 

Friday, Aug. 18

Vikings at Seahawks, 10 p.m. 

Saturday, Aug. 19

Colts at Cowboys, 7 p.m. 

Packers at Redskins, 7:30 p.m.

Patriots at Texans, 8 p.m. 

Sunday, Aug. 20

Falcons at Steelers, 4 p.m. 

Saints at Chargers, 8 p.m. 

Monday, Aug. 21

Giants at Browns, 8 p.m. 

Preseason Week 3

Thursday, Aug. 24

Dolphins at Eagles, 7 p.m. 

Friday, Aug. 25

Chiefs at Seahawks, 8 p.m. 

Saturday, Aug. 26

Chargers at Rams, 8 p.m. 

Sunday, Aug. 27

Bears at Titans, 1 p.m. 

Bengals at Redskins, 4:30 p.m. 

49ers at Vikings, 8 p.m.

Preseason Week 4

Thursday, Aug. 31

Giants at Patriots, 7:30 p.m.

Seahawks at Raiders, 10 p.m. 

Tickets available via ScoreBig.com.

Chuck Burton/Associated Press

The action kicks off Wednesday night with the Houston Texans traveling to Charlotte to play the Carolina Panthers at the Bank of America Stadium. It will be the first opportunity for Texans fans to see their new quarterback, Deshaun Watson, whom they selected in the first round of this year's draft. 

Watson should get an opportunity to put his skills on display, and he could be in for a test against the Panthers. 

Carolina went to the Super Bowl in the 2015 season, but last year was a disaster for head coach Ron Rivera's team. The first steps toward turning things back around for the Panthers should come in the preseason, and the Panthers can take the first steps here.

The Carolina fans will be anxious to see their own rookie Christian McCaffrey. The Panthers drafted him as a running back and he is skilled in that area, but he is also an excellent receiver and should see some action on the return teams. McCaffrey has speed, the ability to change directions while running at close to full speed and he can also provide a thump when he has to run with power.

On Thursday night NFC champions Atlanta Falcons take on the Miami Dolphins at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. After Ryan Tannehill went down with a knee injury last week, the Dolphins signed former Chicago Bear Jay Cutler to step in at the position.

Cutler had retired at the end of last season and was set to take over as the analyst on Fox's No. 2 broadcast team, but his familiarity with head coach Adam Gase's offensive system drew him out of the broadcast booth. Gase and Cutler worked together on the Bears in 2015, which was one of Cutler's most successful seasons.

Cutler just signed with the Dolphins, so he is likely to be limited in this game. The Falcons will have much to prove during the season when they have to overcome the Super Bowl hangover, but the preseason games are about getting game-ready for Dan Quinn's team.

Still, after hearing about the Super Bowl hangover throughout the offseason, there would be nothing wrong with the Panthers getting off on the right foot with a winning preseason.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants are both teams with large aspirations for the coming season.

The Giants will host the Steelers Friday night. Don't expect Ben Roethlisberger or Eli Manning to get off the bench in the preseason opener, but the Giants will have an explosive receiving crew this year with Odell Beckham Jr., Brandon Marshall and Sterling Shepard.

The Giants made the playoffs last year even though Beckham was not always at his best. If he can work well with Marshall, who is usually a good citizen in his first year with a team, and Shepard continues to progress after catching 65 passes for 683 yards and eight TDs as a rookie, the Giants could have one of the best WR trios in the league.

The Steelers usually don't have to take a back seat to anybody in the WR department because they lead with Antonio Brown. He has the speed, agility, athleticism, skill and desire to be a game-changing receiver every week.