2026 NFL Preseason Week 1 Schedule: Dates, Times, TV

The first full week of the 2026 NFL preseason begins Thursday, August 13, with all 32 teams scheduled across three days. For fans searching for the complete slate, the practical challenge is not finding one game. It is knowing which matchups are national, which require a local broadcast or NFL+, and which storylines deserve attention before kickoff.

The schedule and viewing information below are confirmed by the NFL’s official preseason guide and the NFL Media and ESPN network announcement. Matchup priorities, roster implications and fantasy takeaways are Football Nation analysis.

How to watch 2026 NFL preseason Week 1

NFL Network carries six live Week 1 games: Packers–Steelers and Titans–49ers on Thursday; Buccaneers–Jets on Friday; and Browns–Bears, Rams–Chiefs and Cowboys–Seahawks on Saturday. The ESPN App carries Cardinals–Raiders, Broncos–Falcons, Vikings–Giants, Jaguars–Saints and Eagles–Ravens.

Other games are primarily available through local team broadcasts. The NFL says NFL+ streams live out-of-market preseason games on supported devices and offers replays through NFL+ Premium. Blackout restrictions can apply, so a viewer’s location and local affiliate remain important. Every kickoff below is listed in Eastern Time.

Thursday, August 13: six games open the full slate

Detroit visits Cincinnati at 7 p.m. ET, while Green Bay visits Pittsburgh at the same time on NFL Network. Indianapolis plays New England at 7:30 p.m. Arizona visits Las Vegas and the Chargers visit Houston at 8 p.m. The night closes with Tennessee at San Francisco at 9 p.m. on NFL Network.

The national opener in Pittsburgh has built-in familiarity. NFL Media’s official release highlights new Steelers coach Mike McCarthy and quarterback Aaron Rodgers facing their former Green Bay team. The preseason result will not settle whether Pittsburgh’s offense works, but operation matters: clean substitutions, manageable play-clock usage and protection communication are more revealing than a single scoring drive.

Tennessee–San Francisco provides another coaching connection because Titans coach Robert Saleh returns to face the organization where he previously coordinated the defense. Football Nation’s Titans–49ers joint-practice preview identifies the protection and quarterback decisions that can carry from practice into the exhibition opener.

Friday, August 14: three simultaneous 7 p.m. kickoffs

Denver visits Atlanta, Tampa Bay visits the New York Jets, and Miami visits Washington. All three begin at 7 p.m. ET. Broncos–Falcons is available on the ESPN App, Buccaneers–Jets is on NFL Network, and Dolphins–Commanders depends on local coverage or NFL+ availability outside the participating markets.

The best way to watch this cluster is to choose one position battle rather than chase every score. Backup quarterbacks, return specialists and the final two or three spots in a defensive rotation will receive more meaningful work than established stars. Watch whether a player can execute assignments across multiple drives, not merely whether one highlight reaches social media.

Saturday, August 15: the deepest viewing window

Saturday begins with three 1 p.m. games: Carolina at Buffalo, Minnesota at the New York Giants and Cleveland at Chicago. Vikings–Giants is on the ESPN App; Browns–Bears is on NFL Network. Carolina–Buffalo is a local-broadcast and NFL+ game, subject to location rules.

The 4 p.m. window features the Rams at Kansas City on NFL Network and Jacksonville at New Orleans on the ESPN App. Philadelphia visits Baltimore at 7 p.m. on the ESPN App. Dallas closes the week at defending champion Seattle at 8 p.m. on NFL Network.

Football Nation’s Panthers–Bills starter preview explains why Carolina’s first-unit plan matters. Our Giants–Vikings preseason breakdown focuses on the offensive continuity and depth questions that make the early Saturday window more useful than the final score suggests.

What preseason Week 1 can actually tell us

Preseason football is valuable when the question is narrow. A rookie quarterback’s command of the huddle, an offensive line’s response to pressure, a returner’s decision-making or a defender’s ability to communicate through motion can translate beyond August. A team’s final score often cannot.

Snap context matters too. A receiver beating a starting corner is different from producing against a late-game reserve. A running back creating yards after contact is more informative than running untouched through a missed fit. Fantasy managers should record roles—first-team usage, third-down work, goal-line snaps and return duties—before reacting to raw box-score totals.

The official Steelers video below shows a current August 10 training-camp competition rep as Pittsburgh prepares for the Packers opener. It confirms the work underway in the featured matchup, but it does not predict who will play, how long the starters will remain on the field or what the final score will be.

Football Nation viewing plan

Start Thursday with Packers–Steelers for the coaching and quarterback reunion, then move to Titans–49ers for the late-window scheme test. On Saturday, use Panthers–Bills or Vikings–Giants to study early depth decisions, Rams–Chiefs for two high-profile rosters, and Cowboys–Seahawks for the national finale.

Before each kickoff, confirm the local listing because preseason distribution differs from the regular season. National windows are straightforward, but local rights and NFL+ blackout rules can change what appears on a specific device. The official NFL schedule page remains the best final check close to game time.

Sources

Schedule data comes from the official NFL Week 1 schedule, the league’s official preseason viewing guide and the NFL Media/ESPN carriage announcement.