NFL Preseason 2015: Week 2 Schedule, Ticket Info and More

Training camp is well underway and the NFL head coaches are starting to have an idea of the kind of talent they have on their teams this year.

As the league heads into the second week of preseason games, the time for practice has started to grow short. It's still not a matter of winning or else, but it is a matter of seeing progress from individual players—particularly unproven rookies and second-year players—so coaches can begin the process of making specific plans for games at the start of the regular season.

Additionally, it's time for veteran players to demonstrate that they are in shape and ready to contribute for the upcoming season. That does not mean that all superstars will participate in Week 2 preseason games.

For example, running back Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings has a bruised thigh, and while he returned to practice Monday, per ESPN's Ben Goessling, head coach Mike Zimmer has no plans to play the powerful running back when the Vikings host the Oakland Raiders Saturday night.

It's unlikely that Peterson will play at all in the preseason. Peterson is a dominant superstar who is capable of carrying his team to a win in nearly any game, so there's no reason for Zimmer to take a chance with this known commodity.

In this piece, we look at a few of this week's games that could be interesting from a spectator's point of view. Tickets can be purchased for preseason games at ScoreBig.

Date	Game	Time (ET)	Tickets
Aug. 20	Detroit at Washington	8 p.m.	ScoreBig.com
Aug. 20	Buffalo at Cleveland	8 p.m.	ScoreBig.com
Aug. 21	Atlanta at N.Y. Jets	7:30 p.m.	ScoreBig.com
Aug. 21	Seattle at Kansas City	8 p.m.	ScoreBig.com
Aug. 22	Miami at Carolina	7 p.m.	ScoreBig.com
Aug. 22	Baltimore at Philadelphia	7 p.m.	ScoreBig.com
Aug. 22	Chicago at Indianapolis	7:30 p.m.	ScoreBig.com
Aug. 22	New England at New Orleans	7:30 p.m.	ScoreBig.com
Aug. 22	Jacksonville at N.Y. Giants	7:30 p.m.	ScoreBig.com
Aug. 22	Oakland at Minnesota	8 p.m.	ScoreBig.com
Aug. 22	Denver at Houston	8 p.m.	ScoreBig.com
Aug. 22	San Diego at Arizona	10 p.m.	ScoreBig.com
Aug. 23	Green Bay at Pittsburgh	1 p.m.	ScoreBig.com
Aug. 23	Dallas at San Francisco	8 p.m.	ScoreBig.com
Aug. 23	St. Louis at Tennessee	8 p.m.	ScoreBig.com
Aug. 24	Cincinnati at Tampa Bay	8 p.m.	ScoreBig.com

Seattle Seahawks at Kansas City Chiefs, August 21, 8 p.m. ET, NFL Network

These two teams used to go at it twice every season when the Seahawks were an AFC West team, and while the nastiness between these two teams have long since disappeared, this game has some real appeal.

The Seahawks have been to the Super Bowl two seasons in a row and were one play away from winning it for a second-straight year. While quarterback Russell Wilson is an excellent leader and a clutch performer, and running back Marshawn Lynch is a punishing between-the-tackles runner, the Seahawks are known for their physical and effective brand of defense. They ranked first against the pass and third against the run last season.

The Chiefs upgraded their defense quite a bit last year, as they were the second-ranked unit against the pass thanks in large part to the performance of linebacker Justin Houston, who led the league with 22.0 sacks and also four forced fumbles. While there was still quite a bit of weakness against the run, the Chiefs appear to be on the upswing because of their defense.

While neither team is going to play this like it's a regular-season game, don't expect the Seahawks to let this opportunity pass without laying at least a few big hits on their opponents. The Chiefs should respond in kind.

Charles Krupa/Associated Press

New England Patriots at New Orleans Saints, Aug. 22, 7:30 p.m. ET

There's a certain amount of importance that will go along with each of the Patriots' preseason games this year that goes far beyond the usual, and it has nothing to do with their status as Super Bowl champions.

Despite all the indignation coming from New England as a result of Deflategate, the truth of the matter is that Bill Belichick does not know if Tom Brady will be in the lineup for the season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers or any of the first four games of the regular season.

If he's not, Jimmy Garoppolo is the backup quarterback and should be under center. The former Eastern Illinois quarterback completed 20-of-30 passes for 159 yards against the Green Bay Packers, but he did not throw a touchdown pass, and the interception he threw was the result of a misread on his part.

It's important for Garoppolo to show some improvement here.

The Saints were one of the most disappointing teams in the league last year, and they have made some big changes on defense by adding cornerback Brandon Browner, outside linebacker Dannell Ellerbe, outside linebacker Anthony Spencer and cornerback Kyle Wilson. Browner and Ellerbe were both injured in the Saints' preseason opener against the Baltimore Ravens.

Head coach Sean Payton needs to see some improvement quickly from a defense that ranked 25th against the pass and 29th against the run last year.

Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press

Cincinnati Bengals at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Aug. 24, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN)

This game should hold more appeal than most Week 2 preseason games because No. 1 draft pick Jameis Winston will have a chance to show how much (or how little) progress he has made in his first training camp with the Bucs.

The expectations for this former Florida State star are off the charts, but there have been many top choices who have failed to live up to the hype over the years. Winston had some early struggles in his first preseason game, but he appeared to get better as it went on. Winston was 9-of-19 for 131 yards with no touchdowns and an interception in a 26-16 loss to the Vikings.

The big issue for Winston may be his offensive line. The Bucs appear to have several holes up front, and if they can't give Winston adequate protection, he will be on the run all season.

The Bengals are not going to reveal much during the preseason, but Marvin Lewis would like to see more from a defense that ranked 20th against the pass and the run last season. If outside linebacker Vontaze Burfict can stay healthy this year—he played just five games last year and had microfracture knee surgery—the Bengals should be much more effective this year. Burfict is not expected to play until the last week of August.