NFL Preseason Schedule 2016: Dates and Ticket Info for Week 1 Slate

After a bit of a false start at the Hall of Fame game, the NFL preseason got underway Thursday with some showcases.

Those opening salvos were simply the beginning of a four-day stretch, though, where teams and coaching staffs will look to get starters a few reps here and there as they prepare for upcoming cut dates.

Like Thursday's six-game slate showed, starters won't get a ton of action, the meat of their duties always slotting into the third week of the preseason. It's still the return of football, though, and a chance to at least review the new faces in new places.

Local channels will have the games on tape delay as usual, with NFL.com handling the live streams and ScoreBig.com holding down the ticket realm. Here's a look at the remaining schedule and a few storylines to watch over the weekend.

2016 NFL Preseason Week 1 Schedule

Preseason Week	Date	Matchup	Time (ET)	National TV
1	Friday, Aug. 12	Miami Dolphins at New York Giants	7 p.m.
1	Friday, Aug. 12	Detroit Lions at Pittsburgh Steelers	7 p.m.
1	Friday, Aug. 12	Minnesota Vikings at Cincinnati Bengals	7:30 p.m.
1	Friday, Aug. 12	Cleveland Browns at Green Bay Packers	8 p.m.
1	Friday, Aug. 12	Oakland Raiders at Arizona Cardinals	10 p.m.
1	Saturday, Aug. 13	Seattle Seahawks at Kansas City Chiefs	4:30 p.m.
1	Saturday, Aug. 13	Indianapolis Colts at Buffalo Bills	7 p.m.
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.
1	Sunday, Aug. 14	Houston Texans at San Francisco 49ers	7 p.m.

Full dates and kickoff times for each week are available at NFL.com.

Preseason Week 1 Storylines to Watch

Reshaped Backfields

Running back is far from the most important position in the league these days, with the contents of the committee more important than any one individual (unless said individual is an Adrian Peterson or Jamaal Charles). 

This doesn't mean running backs aren't worth watching in the preseason, though, especially with so many new names in new places.

The Miami Dolphins are one of the first teams that come to mind. Gone is Lamar Miller, in is veteran Arian Foster to reinforce a committee also boasting Jay Ajayi and Kenyan Drake.

Miami's game against the New York Giants is a critical moment for both Ajayi and Drake, provided both play. Foster won't, per the Miami Herald's Armando Salguero. This means Ajayi could make major headway after last year only taking 49 carries for 187 yards and one score.

It's a similar story in Seattle, where the Seahawks lost Marshawn Lynch over the summer and now hope for the oft-theorized outbreak by Christine Michael.

By the sounds of what Seattle offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell told ESPN's Sheil Kapadia, this preseason might be the start:

Fellow backfield members Thomas Rawls and C.J. Prosise continue to battle injuries, so Seattle's encounter with the Kansas City Chiefs Saturday is a major chance for Michael to seize the opportunity.

Which, of course, is what the preseason is all about.

Jared Goff's Battle for the Gig 

Speaking of opportunity, Jared Goff of the Los Angeles Rams is the rookie quarterback under the biggest pressure this week, with his game a nationally televised affair against the Dallas Cowboys.

No pressure, right? Goff, the No. 1 pick in this year's draft, remains locked in a battle with veteran Case Keenum for the starting gig, though said veteran pulling ahead for job by the time the regular season rolls around wouldn't come as a shock based on a note by ESPN's Ed Werder:

Clearly, Goff has a chance to change the minds of his coaches. Keenum has thrown all of 15 touchdowns to nine interceptions over the course of his career and if a rookie shows he can elevate the talent on the roster around him better than the veteran, the staff won't have any qualms about rolling the dice.

Goff will be at home and needing to deal with the Cowboys, a team not known for their defense in recent years. That said, one has to wonder how much time Goff will get when Los Angeles can just lean on running back Todd Gurley.

Los Angeles, from a postseason standpoint, is still a few years out if everything goes as planned. If Goff wants to start now, Saturday is quite important.

Big Changes in Houston and San Francisco

A Houston-San Francisco encounter is a dream preseason matchup. 

Chip Kelly is the new head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, but is he the guy to save Colin Kaepernick's career?

It's hard to say, especially considering there hasn't been much headway gained by either quarterback in the battle between Kaepernick and Blaine Gabbert. The former seems like the usual versatile Kelly quarterback considering he averages six yards per carry on his career, but Gabbert completed a strong 63.1 percent of his passes last year over eight games.

The Texans, arguably, are even more interesting. The aforementioned Miller now suits up for the Texans and there's a sense of hype for his arrival considering he averages 4.6 yards per carry but never seemed to get the touches he deserved.

Eric Christian Smith/Associated Press

It's quarterback Brock Osweiler who generates the most intrigue, though. He surprised many by leaving the Denver Broncos this past offseason after throwing 10 touchdowns to six interceptions in relief of Peyton Manning.

Osweiler finding success with head coach Bill O'Brien, something of a quarterback guru, wouldn't come as a shock. It's a marriage already seemingly working well.

“The thing about coach O’Brien is that every single day I’m learning,” Osweiler said, according to Sporting News' Alex Marvez. “I’m getting better by him. He makes it a lot of fun to come to work.”

With weapons like Miller, DeAndre Hopkins and Jaelen Strong, Osweiler has a chance to lead one of the league's most explosive offenses. The pursuit starts Sunday.

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