NFL Preseason Schedule 2017: Dates, Ticket Info and More for Early Showdowns

If the Hall of Fame game is any sign, the 2017 NFL preseason will come as advertised while giving fans an early taste of the action set to unfold at the beginning of the regular season. 

Granted, the encounter in Canton between the Arizona Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys, a 20-18 triumph for the latter, turned into a staredown between Blaine Gabbert and Kellen Moore. 

Kidding aside, both teams tested the limits of their depth at various spots and unearthed some interesting performances, such as an Andre Ellington sighting in the form of a touchdown for the Cardinals and Brice Butler turning two catches into 78 yards for the Cowboys. 

As is always the case, the game foreshadowed where the biggest battles ahead of cut days resides for both teams, which is a similar theme for the entirety of the preseason's first week.

For those seeking out the entire preseason schedule, ESPN.com has it covered. Tickets are available at ScoreBig.com. Below, we'll outline the nationally televised Week 1 games and break down a few of the most important to watch.  

NFL Preseason Week 1

Wednesday, Aug. 9 2017

Texans vs. Panthers, 7:30 p.m. ET, NFL Network 

Thursday, Aug. 10

Broncos vs. Bears, 8 p.m. ET, NFL Network 

Friday, Aug. 11

Steelers vs. Giants, 7 p.m. ET, NFL Network 
49ers vs. Chiefs, 10 p.m. ET, NFL Network 

Saturday, Aug. 12

Cowboys vs. Rams, 9 p.m. ET, NFL Network 

Sunday, Aug. 13

Lions vs. Colts, 1:30 p.m. ET, NFL Network 
Seahawks vs. Chargers, 8 p.m. ET, NFL Network 

Games to Watch

Texans vs. Panthers

Chuck Burton/Associated Press

The NFL isolated a game between the Houston Texans and Carolina Panthers on a Wednesday night for good reason.  

Both teams made major splashes in the draft and have fans impatiently waiting to see marquee rookies take the field. Well, there's also the fact both teams view themselves as would-be playoff contenders, but in the preseason, the rookie angle reigns supreme. 

For the Texans, it's former Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson, the No. 12 pick in this year's draft who might win the starting gig outright if he outperforms names on the depth chart like Tom Savage and Brandon Weeden. 

Watson certainly has a way of garnering praise so far, based on comments from head coach Bill O'Brien, per the team: 

For the Panthers, it's all about the eighth pick, running back Christian McCaffrey out of Stanford. He's often pegged as one of the rookies with the guaranteed biggest workload in his debut season alongside Cam Newton, both because of the team's needs and his ability to elude as a rusher or go out and reliably catch passes. 

There are other angles, of course. The Texans will want to see notables such as Zach Cunningham on the defensive side of the ball. The Panthers have another big rookie weapon to test out in the form of second-round pick Curtis Samuel, provided he's healthy. 

To summarize, this is an ideal preseason contest to trot out early in the week, as it could foreshadow the strength of the weekend's schedule. 

Broncos vs. Bears

Nam Huh/Associated Press

A Thursday encounter between the Denver Broncos and Chicago Bears offers similar vibes to the contest a little more than 24 hours before it.

The visiting Broncos have an interesting quarterback situation to figure out, as last year's starter Trevor Siemian only completed 59.5 percent of his passes with 18 touchdowns against 10 interceptions over 14 games. 

But Siemian faces heat from not only 2016 No. 26 pick Paxton Lynch, but perhaps even 2017 seventh-round pick Chad Kelly as well. And according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the first two names both have shots at first-team reps in camp. 

Coming off a three-win season, the Bears don't seem like the most appetizing team for a night featuring a single game. But two new quarterbacks in the form of veteran Mike Glennon and No. 2 pick Mitchell Trubisky make the team intriguing, and from the sounds of a note by CBSChicago.com's Chris Emma, the rookie has at least turned a few heads in camp: 

The first week of the preseason doesn't always feature significant playing time for potential starting quarterbacks. The beauty of this matchup, though, is the fact both teams need to see big playing time from all involved to make a proper decision. 

And even if both names here don't see major playing time, these are two teams looking to make major respective turnarounds and have battles at premium positions, such as offensive tackle, to watch closely. 

Seahawks vs. Chargers

Elaine Thompson/Associated Press

As it stands now, the NFL might've indeed saved the best for last when it comes to the first week of the preseason. 

Where to start? Earlier this summer, the Seattle Seahawks flirted with the idea of signing free agent Colin Kaepernick to act as the backup behind Russell Wilson. Since, the camp battle between Trevone Boykin and Austin Davis hasn't exactly made headlines. 

No, said headlines have gone to drama surrounding a team with Super Bowl ambitions after defensive end Frank Clark got himself ejected from a recent practice due to a physical altercation with offensive lineman Germain Ifedi, according to USA Today.

Since, team leaders like Michael Bennett have needed to speak on the issue, as captured by Michael-Shawn Dugar of Seattlepi: 

Things haven't been nearly as dramatic around the Los Angeles Chargers—just unfortunate. 

The injury news has come swift and fast out of Los Angeles as of late. Rookie offensive lineman Forrest Lamp needed carted off the field recently, according to Jack Wang of the Los Angeles Daily News. Fellow rookie wideout Mike Williams has felt it necessary to come out and deny rumblings of his being shut down for the year, per Lakisha Jackson of NFL.com.

Those issues mean the contest against the Seahawks is the beginning of a serious depth test for the Chargers—exhibitions usually allow these tests for most teams, but usually not in such dramatic fashion.

Stats courtesy of NFL.com.