NFL Preseason Schedule 2014: Complete Dates, TV Info and More

With training camps commencing around the league, hype around the 2014 NFL season has grown exponentially of late. Even though players have yet to dress in full pads, the chance to watch top-tier veterans mix it up with promising rookies during 11-on-11 drills gives NFL fans a much-needed taste of football.

Of course, with training camp comes the preseason.

Starting with the Hall of Fame game in Canton, Ohio, 65 exhibitions over five weeks will serve as a great prelude to the kickoff of the 2014 NFL season.

Each year, the league tinkers with the idea of making adjustments to in-game rules. Well, this year is no different, as spectators will witness extra points being kicked from the 20-yard line—equivalent to a 38-yard field goal—in an effort to make those kicks more enticing to watch.

We'll see how that goes, but for now, here's a look at the dates and times—along with any released TV information—for each preseason game this year.

Date	Matchup	TV Info (ET)
Hall of Fame Game
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Sun., August 3	NY Giants vs. Buffalo	8 p.m., NBC
Thu., August 7	Indianapolis at NY Jets	7 p.m.
Thu., August 7	San Francisco at Baltimore	7:30 p.m.
Thu., August 7	New England at Washington	7:30 p.m.
Thu., August 7	Cincinnati at Kansas City	8 p.m.
Thu., August 7	Seattle at Denver	9 p.m.
Thu., August 7	Dallas at San Diego	10 p.m.
Fri., August 8	Miami at Atlanta	7 p.m.
Fri., August 8	Buffalo at Carolina	7:30 p.m.
Fri., August 8	Tampa Bay at Jacksonville	7:30 p.m.
Fri., August 8	Philadelphia at Chicago	8 p.m.
Fri., August 8	Oakland at Minnesota	8 p.m.
Fri., August 8	New Orleans at St. Louis	8 p.m.
Sat., August 9	Cleveland at Detroit	7:30 p.m.
Sat., August 9	Pittsburgh at NY Giants	7:30 p.m.
Sat., August 9	Green Bay at Tennessee	8 p.m.
Sat., August 9	Houston at Arizona	8:30 p.m.
Thu., August 14	Jacksonville at Chicago	8 p.m., ESPN
Fri., August 15	Philadelphia at New England	7:30 p.m.
Fri., August 15	Tennessee at New Orleans	8 p.m.
Fri., August 15	Detroit at Oakland	10 p.m.
Fri., August 15	San Diego at Seattle	10 p.m.
Sat., August 16	Green Bay at St. Louis	4 p.m.
Sat., August 16	NY Jets at Cincinnati	7 p.m.
Sat., August 16	Baltimore at Dallas	7 p.m.
Sat., August 16	NY Giants at Indianapolis	7 p.m.
Sat., August 16	Buffalo at Pittsburgh	7:30 p.m.
Sat., August 16	Miami at Tampa Bay	7:30 p.m.
Sat., August 16	Atlanta at Houston	8 p.m.
Sat., August 16	Arizona at Minnesota	8:30 p.m.
Sun., August 17	Denver at San Francisco	4 p.m.
Sun., August 17	Kansas City at Carolina	8 p.m., Fox
Mon., August 18	Cleveland at Washington	8 p.m., ESPN
Thu., August 21	Pittsburgh at Philadelphia	7:30 p.m.
Fri., August 22	Oakland at Green Bay	8 p.m., CBS
Fri., August 22	Jacksonville at Detroit	7:30 p.m.
Fri., August 22	Carolina at New England	7:30 p.m.
Fri., August 22	NY Giants at NY Jets	7:30 p.m.
Fri., August 22	Chicago at Seattle	10 p.m.
Sat., August 23	Tampa Bay at Buffalo	4:30 p.m.
Sat., August 23	Dallas at Miami	7 p.m.
Sat., August 23	Tennessee at Atlanta	7 p.m.
Sat., August 23	Washington at Baltimore	7:30 p.m.
Sat., August 23	New Orleans at Indianapolis	8 p.m., CBS
Sat., August 23	St. Louis at Cleveland	8 p.m.
Sat., August 23	Minnesota at Kansas City	8 p.m.
Sat., August 23	Houston at Denver	9 p.m.
Sun., August 24	San Diego at San Francisco	4 p.m., Fox
Sun., August 24	Cincinnati at Arizona	8 p.m., NBC
Thu., August 28	Atlanta at Jacksonville	6 p.m.
Thu., August 28	Detroit at Buffalo	7 p.m.
Thu., August 28	Indianapolis at Cincinnati	7 p.m.
Thu., August 28	Kansas City at Green Bay	7 p.m.
Thu., August 28	St. Louis at Miami	7 p.m.
Thu., August 28	NY Jets at Philadelphia	7 p.m.
Thu., August 28	New England at NY Giants	7:30 p.m.
Thu., August 28	Carolina at Pittsburgh	7:30 p.m.
Thu., August 28	Washington at Tampa Bay	7:30 p.m.
Thu., August 28	Chicago at Cleveland	8 p.m.
Thu., August 28	Denver at Dallas	8 p.m.
Thu., August 28	San Francisco at Houston	8 p.m.
Thu., August 28	Baltimore at New Orleans	8 p.m.
Thu., August 28	Minnesota at Tennessee	8 p.m.
Thu., August 28	Seattle at Oakland	10 p.m.
Thu., August 28	Arizona at San Diego	10 p.m.

Each preseason game can be streamed with NFL Preseason Live.

Top Televised Games

New York Giants vs. Buffalo Bills

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

The Hall of Fame game marks the first time we'll see two NFL teams square off against each other in full pads. While it isn't much of a contest—starters play on a very limited basis—it's still a great way to evaluate young players, and it signifies the start of football, after all.

Both of these teams come into the season looking to get the proper pieces in place to right the ship from lackluster showings last year.

For the Bills, all eyes will be on second-year quarterback EJ Manuel and rookie wide receiver Sammy Watkins.

Manuel is expected to take significant steps forward this season, and Watkins should be instrumental in that process. Early in training camp, talk about Watkins has been extremely positive.

Check out this incredible grab by the first-year wide receiver, courtesy of Bleacher Report:

As for the Giants, Eli Manning and Co. will be looking to rebound from a dismal offensive showing last season.

Manning will see a big change at wide receiver this season, as Hakeem Nicks departed to Indianapolis, Mario Manningham returned from San Francisco and rookie Odell Beckham Jr. was added in the first round of this year's draft.

Unfortunately, Beckham hasn't practiced much yet due to a tweaked hamstring, but Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network seems to be expecting big things:

We'll see if these promising rookies can kick off the preseason with some showstopping grabs.

Kansas City Chiefs at Carolina Panthers

Chuck Burton/Associated Press

Week 2 of the preseason features a matchup between two teams looking to return to the postseason again this year.

Kansas City ended its playoff run last season after allowing the Indianapolis Colts to come back from a severe deficit late in the game, while the Panthers couldn't keep up with the San Francisco 49ers.

The Chiefs will be looking to keep pace with Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos once more this season, and the team will rely on explosive offensive firepower to do so.

All-Pro running back Jamaal Charles was locked up with a contract extension, and speedster De'Anthony Thomas was added in the 2014 NFL draft.

Terez A. Paylor of The Kansas City Star has already been impressed by the rookie:

Quarterback Cam Newton isn't in an entirely favorable situation entering the new season.

The Panthers lost wide receivers Steve Smith, Brandon LaFell and Ted Ginn Jr. during the offseason and replaced them with veterans Jerricho Cotchery and Jason Avant, along with rookie Kelvin Benjamin.

While Cotchery and Avant feature solid hands and Benjamin is an enormous target, there will be far less speed on this offense than in years past. Although, Tom Sorensen of The Charlotte Observer has big expectations:

This contest will give us a glimpse of how these teams have begun to adjust since departing early from the playoffs.

New Orleans Saints at Indianapolis Colts

Gerald Herbert/Associated Press

This matchup should be full of fireworks.

Week 3 of the preseason is widely heralded as the dress rehearsal for the regular season. Starters from both sides generally play at least the first half of the game in a regular season-esque simulation.

It just so happens this game features two of the most exciting quarterbacks in the NFL—Drew Brees and Andrew Luck.

While Brees has the reliable Marques Colston lined up on the outside and Jimmy Graham sticking around after signing a lucrative contract, the quarterback will see some changes this year.

The speedy Kenny Stills has one year of experience under his belt and should be expected to take a larger role in the offense. Darren Sproles has departed to Philadelphia, and first-round pick Brandin Cooks should see a fair amount of reps in his place.

According to the Saints' official Twitter account, Cooks is already lighting it up in training camp:

Luck is in the same situation with the Colts.

He will have the exciting T.Y. Hilton back on the field once more this season, but the big news from Colts camp is the return of a now-healthy Reggie Wayne.

Wayne made his presence felt at training camp immediately, via Fox Sports Live:

Luck will also have Da'Rick Rogers in the fold with another year of experience under his belt, and the addition of Hakeem Nicks should go a long way to nicely round out this wide receiver corps.

Expect a high-flying aerial attack in what promises to be an exhilarating preseason showdown.