NFL Preseason Schedule 2016: Dates, Times, TV Coverage and Live Stream Info
The good news: The NFL is back. The bad news: The NFL regular season doesn't start for another month.
Even the most ardent football diehard can struggle to find much to get worked up about in the preseason. Every team is just hoping to avoid a catastrophic injury to a key player.
While almost everybody has their focus fixated on the start of the 2016 regular season, there will be a few storylines to follow in the coming weeks that should provide some intrigue until the real action begins.
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| 1 | Thursday, Aug. 11 | Washington Redskins at Atlanta Falcons | 7 p.m. | RSN |
| 1 | Thursday, Aug. 11 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Philadelphia Eagles | 7 p.m. | RSN |
| 1 | Thursday, Aug. 11 | Carolina Panthers at Baltimore Ravens | 7:30 p.m. | RSN |
| 1 | Thursday, Aug. 11 | New Orleans Saints at New England Patriots | 7:30 p.m. | RSN |
| 1 | Thursday, Aug. 11 | Jacksonville Jaguars at New York Jets | 7:30 p.m. | RSN |
| 1 | Thursday, Aug. 11 | Denver Broncos at Chicago Bears | 8 p.m. | RSN |
| 1 | Friday, Aug. 12 | Miami Dolphins at New York Giants | 7 p.m. | RSN |
| 1 | Friday, Aug. 12 | Detroit Lions at Pittsburgh Steelers | 7 p.m. | RSN |
| 1 | Friday, Aug. 12 | Minnesota Vikings at Cincinnati Bengals | 7:30 p.m. | RSN |
| 1 | Friday, Aug. 12 | Cleveland Browns at Green Bay Packers | 8 p.m. | RSN |
| 1 | Friday, Aug. 12 | Oakland Raiders at Arizona Cardinals | 10 p.m. | RSN |
| 1 | Saturday, Aug. 13 | Seattle Seahawks at Kansas City Chiefs | 4:30 p.m. | RSN |
| 1 | Saturday, Aug. 13 | Indianapolis Colts at Buffalo Bills | 7 p.m. | RSN |
| 1 | Saturday, Aug. 13 | Dallas Cowboys at Los Angeles Rams | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
| 1 | Saturday, Aug. 13 | San Diego Chargers at Tennessee Titans | 8 p.m. | RSN |
| 1 | Sunday, Aug. 14 | Houston Texans at San Francisco 49ers | 7 p.m. | RSN |
| 2 | Thursday, Aug. 18 | Philadelphia Eagles at Pittsburgh Steelers | 7 p.m. | RSN |
| 2 | Thursday, Aug. 18 | Cincinnati Bengals at Detroit Lions | 7:30 p.m. | RSN |
| 2 | Thursday, Aug. 18 | Atlanta Falcons at Cleveland Browns | 8 p.m. | RSN |
| 2 | Thursday, Aug. 18 | Oakland Raiders at Green Bay Packers | 8 p.m. | RSN |
| 2 | Thursday, Aug. 18 | Chicago Bears at New England Patriots | 8 p.m. | RSN |
| 2 | Thursday, Aug. 18 | Minnesota Vikings at Seattle Seahawks | 10 p.m. | RSN |
| 2 | Friday, Aug. 19 | New York Jets at Washington Redskins | 7:30 p.m. | RSN |
| 2 | Friday, Aug. 19 | Miami Dolphins at Dallas Cowboys | 8 p.m. | RSN |
| 2 | Friday, Aug. 19 | Arizona Cardinals at San Diego Chargers | 9 p.m. | RSN |
| 2 | Saturday, Aug. 20 | Carolina Panthers at Tennessee Titans | 3 p.m. | RSN |
| 2 | Saturday, Aug. 20 | New York Giants at Buffalo Bills | 4 p.m. | RSN |
| 2 | Saturday, Aug. 20 | Baltimore Ravens at Indianapolis Colts | 7 p.m. | RSN |
| 2 | Saturday, Aug. 20 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Jacksonville Jaguars | 7:30 p.m. | RSN |
| 2 | Saturday, Aug. 20 | New Orleans Saints at Houston Texans | 8 p.m. | RSN |
| 2 | Saturday, Aug. 20 | San Francisco 49ers at Denver Broncos | 9 p.m. | RSN |
| 2 | Saturday, Aug. 20 | Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Rams | 10 p.m. | RSN |
| 3 | Thursday, Aug. 25 | Atlanta Falcons at Miami Dolphins | 8 p.m. | NBC |
| 3 | Thursday, Aug. 25 | Dallas Cowboys at Seattle Seahawks | 10 p.m. | RSN |
| 3 | Friday, Aug. 26 | New England Patriots at Carolina Panthers | 7:30 p.m. | RSN |
| 3 | Friday, Aug. 26 | Buffalo Bills at Washington Redskins | 7:30 p.m. | RSN |
| 3 | Friday, Aug. 26 | Pittsburgh Steelers at New Orleans Saints | 8 p.m. | RSN |
| 3 | Friday, Aug. 26 | Cleveland Browns at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 8 p.m. | CBS |
| 3 | Friday, Aug. 26 | Green Bay Packers at San Francisco 49ers | 10 p.m. | RSN |
| 3 | Saturday, Aug. 27 | Kansas City Chiefs at Chicago Bears | 1 p.m. | RSN |
| 3 | Saturday, Aug. 27 | Detroit Lions at Baltimore Ravens | 7 p.m. | RSN |
| 3 | Saturday, Aug. 27 | Philadelphia Eagles at Indianapolis Colts | 7 p.m. | RSN |
| 3 | Saturday, Aug. 27 | New York Giants at New York Jets | 7:30 p.m. | RSN |
| 3 | Saturday, Aug. 27 | Tennessee Titans at Oakland Raiders | 8 p.m. | CBS |
| 3 | Saturday, Aug. 27 | Los Angeles Rams at Denver Broncos | 9 p.m. | RSN |
| 3 | Sunday, Aug. 28 | San Diego Chargers at Minnesota Vikings | 1 p.m. | Fox |
| 3 | Sunday, Aug. 28 | Arizona Cardinals at Houston Texans | 4 p.m. | Fox |
| 3 | Sunday, Aug. 28 | Cincinnati Bengals at Jacksonville Jaguars | 8 p.m. | NBC |
| 4 | Thursday, Sept. 1 | Jacksonville Jaguars at Atlanta Falcons | 7 p.m. | RSN |
| 4 | Thursday, Sept. 1 | Tennessee Titans at Miami Dolphins | 7 p.m. | RSN |
| 4 | Thursday, Sept. 1 | New England Patriots at New York Giants | 7 p.m. | RSN |
| 4 | Thursday, Sept. 1 | New York Jets at Philadelphia Eagles | 7 p.m. | RSN |
| 4 | Thursday, Sept. 1 | Pittsburgh Steelers at Carolina Panthers | 7:30 p.m. | RSN |
| 4 | Thursday, Sept. 1 | Indianapolis Colts at Cincinnati Bengals | 7:30 p.m. | RSN |
| 4 | Thursday, Sept. 1 | Buffalo Bills at Detroit Lions | 7:30 p.m. | RSN |
| 4 | Thursday, Sept. 1 | Washington at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 7:30 p.m. | RSN |
| 4 | Thursday, Sept. 1 | Chicago Bears at Cleveland Browns | 8 p.m. | RSN |
| 4 | Thursday, Sept. 1 | Houston Texans at Dallas Cowboys | 8 p.m. | RSN |
| 4 | Thursday, Sept. 1 | Green Bay Packers at Kansas City Chiefs | 8 p.m. | RSN |
| 4 | Thursday, Sept. 1 | Los Angeles Rams at Minnesota Vikings | 8 p.m. | RSN |
| 4 | Thursday, Sept. 1 | Baltimore Ravens at New Orleans Saints | 8 p.m. | RSN |
| 4 | Thursday, Sept. 1 | Denver Broncos at Arizona Cardinals | 9:30 p.m. | RSN |
| 4 | Thursday, Sept. 1 | Seattle Seahawks at Oakland Raiders | 10 p.m. | RSN |
| 4 | Thursday, Sept. 1 | San Francisco 49ers at San Diego Chargers | 10 p.m. | RSN |
Storylines to Watch
Who Wins the Eagles QB Job?
Generally, teams trading up in the first round to select a quarterback intend to start him right away. The Philadelphia Eagles, on the other hand, can be a little more patient with Carson Wentz's development. The question is whether they'll actually slowly transition Wentz into the starting job.
On July 25, Eagles head coach Doug Pederson opened the door for the rookie to eventually unseat Sam Bradford in 2016.
"Well, we don't know it will be his entire rookie year; we can't speculate that far out," Pederson said when asked about Wentz essentially redshirting his first season in the league, per Philly.com's Jonathan Tannenwald. "But going into the season, there is a good chance it starts that way."
Philadelphia's best move is using Bradford right away and maybe even for all of 2016. When he's healthy, the 28-year-old is a slightly above-average quarterback. He gives the Eagles their strongest chance of winning in the short term.
A strong preseason may not be enough for Wentz to overtake Bradford by Week 1, but his performance could sway Pederson to pull the trigger a little earlier than he otherwise would've planned to.
How Does Gordon Perform Following Lengthy Absence?
The NFL reinstated Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon from what had been an indefinite suspension. While Gordon will be out for the first four games of the regular season, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport noted he'll be available to play in the preseason for Cleveland.
Gordon was one of the league's most dynamic wideouts in 2013. In just 14 games, he caught 87 passes for 1,646 yards and nine touchdowns. He earned a trip to the Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors. The NFL offered a reminder of his skills:
Still only 25, the Browns' star is entering the physical prime of his career. He's capable of being a Pro Bowl-caliber pass-catcher once again, but he'll have a major adjustment early on as he becomes accustomed once again to the NFL.
Although the game speed and stakes won't be quite the same as in the regular season, the preseason will be a great time for Cleveland to get Gordon back into the swing of things. He's bound to miss some time, though, while recovering from a quad injury.
Having Gordon back to his peak would be a massive boost to the Browns offense. The team's quarterback situation remains as unpredictable as ever, with neither Josh McCown nor Robert Griffin III looking like a safe bet.
Gordon helped Jason Campbell and Brandon Weeden combine to throw for 3,746 yards in 2013, so imagine the impact he'd have on McCown or RG3.
What Does 49ers Offense Look Like Under Kelly?
Part of what made the Chip Kelly era so underwhelming in Philadelphia was the fact the Eagles offense eventually morphed into a more uptempo version of almost every other NFL offense. Almost all of the identifying features of Kelly's Oregon Ducks teams were stripped away.
As ESPN.com's Nick Wagoner argued, the San Francisco 49ers' dearth of offensive talent might force Kelly to get creative:
"Looking at the Niners' depth chart on offense probably doesn't inspire much in the way of confidence among the faithful. Sometimes, a way to make up for a lack of talent is to lean on scheme. That's why you see so many college teams running spread systems, because it can give them a chance to make up for what they might lack athletically. In this case, adding Kelly should help San Francisco's offense improve over what it did last season.
"
With little to lose this year, Kelly might as well experiment with his team. San Francisco will start either Colin Kaepernick or Blaine Gabbert at quarterback, while Bruce Ellington and Torrey Smith are two of the team's best receivers.
Coming up with something a little different than the norm could help the Niners keep opponents on their toes. It's not like running a more traditional pro-style attack is going to yield much in the way of results. And nobody expects San Francisco to do too much in 2016. This season is about laying the groundwork for the future.
The preseason should be an early indication of how Kelly intends on running his team.
Note: Every preseason game is available to live stream through NFL Game Pass.
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