NFL Preseason 2017: Week 2 Schedule, Ticket Info and Storylines to Watch

Positional storylines dominate the news cycle during the NFL preseason.  

These vary, but fans have seen a little bit of everything so far through one week and change. Quarterback battles, positional battles, injuries, holdouts and unexpected performances in both directions have peppered the headlines as everything surrounding the league kicks into gear. 

It's still too early in the process to come to any concrete conclusions on major battles or how teams might pan out during the regular season. Coaches, though seeking to trim down the roster, aren't throwing anything complicated on the field in terms of play calls and not letting starters run wild. 

For fans, though, the action is real and the optimistic vibes of free agency and the draft have bled into the preseason. Here's what to look for as its second week continues. 

NFL Preseason Week 2

Saturday, August 19

Carolina at Tennessee, 3 p.m. ET, NFL Network

Kansas City at Cincinnati, 7 p.m. ET 

Indianapolis at Dallas, 7 p.m. ET, NFL Network

N.Y. Jets at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. ET 

Green Bay at Washington, 7:30 p.m. ET

New England at Houston, 8 p.m. ET 

Denver at San Francisco, 10 p.m. ET, NFL Network

L.A. Rams at Oakland, 10 p.m. ET 

Chicago at Arizona, 10 p.m. ET

Sunday, August 20

Atlanta at Pittsburgh, 4 p.m. ET, NFL Network

New Orleans at L.A. Chargers, 8 p.m. ET, NFL Network

Monday, August 21

N.Y. Giants at Cleveland, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN 

Full schedule available at ESPN.com, live streaming at NFL.com. Tickets available at StubHub.com.

Storylines to Watch

Injuries, Injuries and Injuries

It seems like fans can't go a day without reading about a new injury.  

These things happen during the preseason as guys get their legs back under them in mostly rough summer camps before going out and taking hits again for the first time.  

The biggest injury impact so far resides in Los Angeles, where the Chargers almost seem cursed. A bevy of reports have surrounded rookie wide receiver Mike Williams. Linebacker Denzel Perryman will miss time. Second-round pick Forrest Lamp will miss the season. 

Elsewhere, the New England Patriots lost rookie defensive end Derek Rivers for the year due to a new injury, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The Baltimore Ravens still have to hope Joe Flacco can make it back under center in a respectable amount of time. 

It goes on and on, yet fans get the point—keep an eye on the injury tracker as the week's slate of games continues. No season is lost in Week 2 of the preseason, but a domino effect can certainly begin. 

Jacksonville and Buffalo's QB Problem 

Over the course of the past few years, the Jacksonville Jaguars haven't received a ton of airspace on their lonesome when it comes to national storylines. 

So let's throw them a bone here, albeit for the all the wrong reasons—the Jaguars have a quarterback problem. 

Really, most of the NFL has a quarterback problem. But Jacksonville manages to stand out because it spent a No. 3 pick in the 2014 NFL draft on Blake Bortles, a guy who hasn't progressed but rather managed to regress in some mechanical areas. 

Bortles went 3-of-5 for 16 yards in Jacksonville's first preseason game then turned around and went 8-of-13 for 65 yards in the second.

After, John Oehser of Jaguars.com captured the reaction of head coach Doug Marrone: 

The Jaguars could end up with Bortles or 32-year-old Chad Henne as the starter in 2017. This should upset casual fans of the league, as the Jaguars have an interesting ceiling with guys like Leonard Fournette and Allen Robinson on offense and Malik Jackson, Calais Campbell, Myles Jack and Jalen Ramsey on defense. 

It's a similar story in Buffalo, where the Bills need to figure out what to do with Tyrod Taylor. The veteran threw for 17 touchdowns against 16 interceptions a year go and added another six on the ground, but a promotion to the second team for Nathan Peterman has some asking questions. 

Per Joe Buscaglia of 7 News in Buffalo, a change isn't in the plans: 

Like the Jaguars, the Bills still have some interesting pieces like LeSean McCoy and Marcell Dareus, so it'd be a shame if the team doesn't let the best possible quarterback play. 

For these two notable quarterback-centric storylines, fans can expect news and rumblings to come up before and after games.

The Young Quarterbacks 

The preseason is always a time to hype rookie signal-callers, though this year the threat of a handful of them actually stealing starting gigs seems almost guaranteed.  

Look at Mitchell Trubisky with the Chicago Bears—this year's No. 2 pick seemed destined to sit behind Mike Glennon for a year. But it was impossible to ignore his 18-of-25 line for 166 yards and a touchdown in the team's first preseason game. He'll likely get more run this week on the road in Arizona. 

Or consider Patrick Mahomes II of the Kansas City Chiefs, the No. 10 pick who tossed a score on an efficient day his first time out. He's looking at a date on the road against a game Cincinnati defense. 

Then there is Deshaun Watson of the Houston Texans. He came off the board two picks after Mahomes, yet he shined brighter in the first week of the preseason on a 15-of-25 mark for 170 yards, not to mention another three rushes for 24 yards and a score. He'll next take the field against Tom Brady when the Patriots come to town. 

Though only surprising to some, DeShone Kizer of the Cleveland Browns—who fell all the way to No. 52—went 11-of-18 for 184 yards and a touchdown. He's suddenly pushing Brock Osweiler for a job and will take the same field as Eli Manning against the New York Giants. 

It's not overly unexpected for rookies to have strong showings in their first week as pros against exploitable vanilla defenses. But so many at this pace seemed unlikely and has more than a few rebuilding teams starting to think about the future ahead of schedule. 

The trick, of course, is getting the first-year players to repeat the performances, if not improve. Each of the names faces a tough test over the course of the weekend, so don't blink. 

Stats courtesy of NFL.com.