Are there NFL games today? What to know about upcoming preseason schedule, Week 2 slate originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The NFL season isn't quite here yet, but the last few days offered the surest sign that football is coming back.
The preseason kicked off for 30 teams after the Panthers and Cardinals got it started in the Hall of Fame Game a week earlier, with Fernando Mendoza, Ty Simpson, Jeremiyah Love and more all putting on an NFL uniform for the first time in a game.
Wins and losses don't matter much in the preseason, but seeing rookies get their first taste of experience and unheralded players fight hard for roster spots makes for compelling action.
Here's what you need to know about the NFL preseason schedule going forward.
MORE:NFL rookie debut grades from preseason Week 1
Are there NFL games today?
While the NFL owns Sunday during the regular season, this Sunday doesn't belong to football.
There are no NFL preseason games scheduled for Sunday, as every team already played either Thursday, Friday or Saturday. Unlike the regular season, the NFL spreads games out across three or four days during each weekend of the preseason rather than focusing on Sunday.
The preseason will resume on Thursday night, when Fernando Mendoza and the Raiders face the Texans and the 49ers battle the Chargers. The preseason Week 2 schedule does feature one Sunday game, as the Seahawks will battle the Titans in prime-time, but the majority of games across the league will take place either Friday or Saturday.
Here's the full preseason Week 2 schedule around the NFL.
MORE:Complete stats behind Ty Simpson's stellar preseason debut
NFL preseason Week 2 schedule
| Date | Game | Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|
| Thu., Aug. 20 | Texans vs. Raiders | 8 p.m. |
| Chargers vs. 49ers | 10 p.m. | |
| Fri., Aug. 21 | Steelers vs. Jets | 7 p.m. |
| Jaguars vs. Panthers | 7:30 p.m. | |
| Broncos vs. Packers | 9 p.m. | |
| Sat., Aug. 22 | Lions vs. Commanders | 12 p.m. |
| Browns vs. Bills | 1 p.m. | |
| Colts vs. Falcons | 1 p.m. | |
| Vikings vs. Ravens | 1 p.m. | |
| Rams vs. Saints | 4 p.m. | |
| Dolphins vs. Giants | 4 p.m. | |
| Bengals vs. Bears | 7 p.m. | |
| Patriots vs. Eagles | 7 p.m. | |
| Buccaneers vs. Chiefs | 7:30 p.m. | |
| Cardinals vs. Cowboys | 10 p.m. | |
| Sun., Aug. 23 | Titans vs. Seahawks | 8 p.m. |
All 32 teams will be in action during Week 2 of the preseason, with 13 games on either Friday or Saturday. The action starts on Thursday with Fernando Mendoza and the Raiders in action and finishes with a Sunday night prime-time matchup between the Titans and Seahawks on Fox.