NFL Preseason Schedule 2016: Dates, Ticket Info and More for Early Showdowns

Football season officially gets underway Sunday, with the 2016 Hall of Fame Game paving the way for the next seven months of action.

Last week was the last Sunday until February without football.

The NFL preseason rarely resembles the sport we know and love; OK, it borders on a total train wreck on most weeks. Stars are just hoping to go through the motions and get out of the games unscathed; desperate players at the end of rosters are playing with such intensity they might hurt those stars; and the guys in the middle are looking to stay off the chopping block. 

"I think one thing we can all agree on is the quality of play in the preseason is not good. And players don't need game time, they don't need preseason games to get ready for the season. Certainly not four," Green Bay Packers president Mark Murphy said, per Jason Wilde of ESPN.com.

That said, the preseason is at least more entertaining than talking to your 54-year-old neighbor about this dang heat wave. 

Date	Matchup	Time (ET)	Network
Sunday, Aug. 7	Green Bay Packers vs. Indianapolis Colts	8 p.m.	ESPN
Saturday, Aug. 13	Dallas Cowboys at Los Angeles Rams	8 p.m.	ESPN
Thursday, Aug. 25	Atlanta Falcons at Miami Dolphins	8 p.m.	NBC
Friday, Aug. 26	Cleveland Browns at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	8 p.m.	CBS
Saturday, Aug. 27	Tennessee Titans at Oakland Raiders	8 p.m.	CBS
Sunday, Aug. 28	San Diego Chargers at Minnesota Vikings	1 p.m.	Fox
Sunday, Aug. 28	Arizona Cardinals at Houston Texans	4 p.m.	Fox
Sunday, Aug. 28	Cincinnati Bengals at Jacksonville Jaguars	8 p.m.	NBC

It's also fans' first opportunity to see whether new acquisitions—draftees or signees brought in from other teams—are their team's next star or the scourge of their livelihood. Remember, there was a time when Johnny Manziel was the Cleveland Browns' next great hope.

Now? It's Robert Griffin III! Uh, OK, perhaps it is not best to talk about hope in regard to Cleveland sports unless it's about the Cavaliers.

However, there is real hope to be found in Los Angeles, where the sport is returning for the first time in two decades. The Rams backed up a Brinks truck of assets to acquire top overall pick Jared Goff, who will, for better or worse, instantly become one of the most recognizable faces in L.A. sports. 

“I’m not naive to the fact that I need to be able to play well and win if I want to enjoy this city and whatever comes with it,” Goff said, per Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times.

Goff's debut will be a nationally televised contest against the Dallas Cowboys on Aug. 13. It's the only game being broadcast for a wide audience on the formal Week 1 or Week 2 schedule.

Second overall pick Carson Wentz won't be featured on any nationally televised contests. The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback is part of an intriguing and oddly expensive three-way battle with Sam Bradford and Chase Daniel.

Fans will, however, get a chance to see the top two quarterbacks of last year's draft on the national slate. Jameis Winston's Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face off against the aforementioned Griffin-led Browns on Aug. 26. Marcus Mariota leads his Tennessee Titans into Oakland for a matchup against the Raiders a day later.

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press/Associated Press

Both are coming off promising rookie campaigns in which they looked like potential franchise cornerstones.

"When they show commercials of the Bucs, they're not showing Gerald—they're showing Jameis," defensive tackle Gerald McCoy said, per Jenna Laine of ESPN.com. "That's for a reason, and I'm happy about that because if your quarterback is the face of your franchise, usually that tags to winning, or going in a positive direction. I'm excited about it."

Mostly, though, the preseason's focus remains the same: finding those few diamonds in the rough that will make an impact in the regular season and hoping to the high heavens no one gets hurt.

Find preseason tickets at ScoreBig.com.