Countdown to August 9: Here’s The NFL Preseason Schedule

nfl preseason
Written by Rodney Campbell

Yes, we are ready for some football. Here’s the NFL preseason schedule. We can’t wait for August 9 and a game that doesn’t count. We love football that much. Plan for your August viewing here.

aNewDomain — Are you ready for some football?

Okay, that’s a rhetorical question. We are all ready for some football. Actually, we are ready for lots of it.

Some of us entered our deep football funk during the second half of the Super Bowl. It was a good game, but we serious NFL fans could not help but think that it was also our last view of football for several months.

When the NFL released the preseason schedules Thursday, we diehards were immediately warmed by the fact that we could circle Aug. 9 on our calendars. That is the night football returns.

Here is a week-by-week look at the preseason along with games that you should go ahead and circle on your calendar. While these games do not count, any one of them beats summer reruns and horrible reality shows. Horrible reality shows. Sorry for the redundancy.

Hall of Fame Game

Aug. 9, 2015

Minnesota vs. Pittsburgh, 8 p.m. (EST), NBC

In keeping with tradition, this is the only game of the week. It will be interesting to see how Vikings’ quarterback Teddy Bridgewater starts his second NFL season and almost equally as curious to watch the Steelers defense without longtime coordinator Dick LeBeau. He and the team parted ways, and the veteran coach landed with the Tennessee Titans.

Week 1 (Aug. 13-17)

Game of the Week: Green Bay at New England: Super Bowl preview? Well, it might not be much of one since the starters only last a series or two in the preseason. But it is always fun to see Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady match skills, even if it is only for the first quarter at most.

Other games …

Carolina at Buffalo

Dallas at San Diego

Denver at Seattle

Indianapolis at Philadelphia

Kansas City at Arizona

Miami at Chicago

New Orleans at Baltimore

New York Giants at Cincinnati

New York Jets at Detroit

Pittsburgh at Jacksonville

San Francisco at Houston

St. Louis at Oakland

Tampa Bay at Minnesota

Tennessee at Atlanta

Washington at Cleveland

Week 2 (Aug. 20-24)

Game of the Week

Chicago at Indianapolis: Both teams are making their share of moves on the offensive side of the ball, so this game will give us a sneak preview of what 2015 has to offer. Bears quarterback Jay Cutler looked awful most of last season and the Colts’ running game was non-existent. Both areas will have to improve if either team wants to make a mark in the postseason.

Other games…

Buffalo at Cleveland, Aug. 20, ESPN

St. Louis at Tennessee, Aug. 23, FOX

Cincinnati at Tampa Bay, Aug. 24, ESPN

Atlanta at New York Jets

Baltimore at Philadelphia

Dallas at San Francisco

Denver at Houston

Detroit at Washington

Green Bay at Pittsburgh

Jacksonville at New York Giants

Miami at Carolina

New England at New Orleans

Oakland at Minnesota

San Diego at Arizona

Seattle at Kansas City

Week 3 (Aug. 27-30)

Game of the Week

San Francisco at Denver: It is always fun to watch Peyton Manning play quarterback, even at age 39. The 49ers are coming off an absolute clunker of a season, one that proved to be Jim Harbaugh’s final one as coach. When these teams met in the 2014 regular season, the Broncos won 42-17.

Other games…

Detroit at Jacksonville, Aug. 28, CBS

Seattle at San Diego, Aug. 29, CBS

Houston at New Orleans, Aug. 30, FOX

Arizona at Oakland, Aug. 30, NBC

Atlanta at Miami

Chicago at Cincinnati

Cleveland at Tampa Bay

Indianapolis at St. Louis

Minnesota at Dallas

New England at Carolina

New York Jets at New York Giants

Philadelphia at Green Bay

Pittsburgh at Buffalo

Tennessee at Kansas City

Washington at Baltimore

Week 4 (Sept. 3-4)

 Game of the Week

Jacksonville at Washington: Since the last weekend of the preseason is basically a joke – no team wants to see a starter go down with an injury at this point – this game qualifies as the pick of the litter. It could set the pace for deciding which team will have the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.

Other games …

Arizona at Denver

Baltimore at Atlanta

Buffalo at Detroit

Carolina at Pittsburgh

Cincinnati at Indianapolis

Cleveland at Chicago

Houston at Dallas

Kansas City at St. Louis

Minnesota at Tennessee

New Orleans at Green Bay

New York Giants at New England

Oakland at Seattle

Philadelphia at New York Jets

San Diego at San Francisco

Tampa Bay at Miami

Once the preseason starts, we will not be able to wait for the regular season to begin. That will have to wait until Sept. 10 when the champion Patriots open things at home. My guess is the opponent will be the Eagles or Steelers, outside shot at the Bills.

Unfortunately, that day will have to wait for several months. For now, we are looking forward to Aug. 9, for a game that does not count.

Football means that much to us.

For aNewDomain, I’m Rodney Campbell.