NFL Preseason Schedule 2015: Dates and Ticket Info for Week 3 Slate

The realest batch of football the NFL will offer before the regular season begins this weekend with the arrival of the 2015 preseason's Week 3 schedule.

Just days after watching Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie quarterback Jameis Winston lead the team to a victory against a former playoff team in the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football, each team gets ready to play starters for a significant portion of a contest.

For teams, the third week of the preseason is the final tuneup before a week of rest ahead of the real thing. The results may not matter, but what goes on inside each contest does in a big way.

Here's a look at how to catch the action.

2015 NFL Preseason Week 3 Schedule

Date	Game	Time (ET)
Aug. 28	New England at Carolina	7:30 p.m.
Aug. 28	Tennessee at Kansas City	8 p.m.
Aug. 28	Detroit at Jacksonville	8 p.m.
Aug. 29	Pittsburgh at Buffalo	4 p.m.
Aug. 29	Atlanta at Miami	7 p.m.
Aug. 29	N.Y. Jets at N.Y. Giants	7 p.m.
Aug. 29	Minnesota at Dallas	7 p.m.
Aug. 29	Cleveland at Tampa Bay	7 p.m.
Aug. 29	Chicago at Cincinnati	7:30 p.m.
Aug. 29	Washington at Baltimore	7:30 p.m.
Aug. 29	Indianapolis at St. Louis	8 p.m.
Aug. 29	Seattle at San Diego	8 p.m.
Aug. 29	Philadelphia at Green Bay	8 p.m.
Aug. 29	San Francisco at Denver	9 p.m.
Aug. 30	Houston at New Orleans	4 p.m.
Aug. 30	Arizona at Oakland	8 p.m.

Tickets: ScoreBig.com

Top Matchups to Watch

Minnesota at Dallas

It's the preseason, sure, but the Minnesota Vikings look like they will prove many folks right by becoming one of this year's most improved teams.

Under the watchful eye of second-year coach Mike Zimmer, quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and a deep roster continue to churn out wins. The third came against the Oakland Raiders in 20-12 fashion as the former Louisville star threw for 89 yards and a score before making his exit.

He touched on the attitude change around the franchise after, per the team on Twitter:

There's a winning attitude in Dallas, but it hasn't shined through so far in what has been a losing preseason, the latest a 23-6 loss to San Francisco.

Most expect the Cowboys to make noise in the NFC East and push for another postseason bid, but it's a new look this year with DeMarco Murray gone.

The new backfield tandem behind Tony Romo looks iffy as of late, with Darren McFadden rushing three times for four yards and Joseph Randle seven times for 30 in their last outing.

Saturday will prove interesting to see which of these two would-be NFC powers can win the first half and perhaps beyond. Zimmer got a coaching gig due to his defensive prowess, and the Cowboys have some issues to iron out, so it seems those in charge of making the schedule hit this one out of the park.

Philadelphia at Green Bay

With coach Chip Kelly running things, the Philadelphia Eagles are always a team to watch.

Each contest, even exhibitions, seems to promise fireworks from the Philadelphia offense. This includes the last time the team took the field, a 40-17 win against Baltimore.

The beauty of the Philadelphia offense is everyone gets involved, even someone such as rookie wideout Nelson Agholor, who has seven catches for 106 yards and a score through his first two games.

Saturday, the Eagles and new quarterback Sam Bradford get to go to work again, this time in a potential shootout against the Green Bay Packers. Remember, they do so with the aforementioned Murray in the backfield.

Don Wright/Associated Press

Things aren't as rosy for the hosts, as Aaron Rodgers and Co. just lost top wideout Jordy Nelson for the season, per ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky. In other words, the offense enters the third week of the preseason against a potent opponent looking to figure out a way to replace 98 catches, 1,519 yards and 13 touchdowns from last year.

"It's difficult to lose a guy like that in a meaningless game," Rodgers said, per Demovsky.

Even without the interesting storylines, this would stand tall as one to watch between a pair of NFC heavyweights with enough firepower to go the distance, at least on paper. Keep a close eye on this one as the Packers attempt to pick up the pieces and the Eagles look to keep the ball rolling with new faces in key places.

Stats courtesy of NFL.com and are accurate as of Aug. 25. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.