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NFL Preseason 2025–26 Week 1 Schedule – Top Teams and Games To Watch Out For!

NFL preseason week 1 to begin on Thursday, August 7!

Mandatory Credit: Imagn Images

The 2025 NFL preseason finally got underway after months of no action for football fans. The Los Angeles Chargers ran riot over the Detroit Lions in the 2025 NFL Hall of Fame game to kick off the first football action ahead of the upcoming regular season.

As teams continue their training camps, they will also have one eye on the upcoming games, which will give them a chance to see what is working and what needs more attention. It will also be the last chance for fringe players to stake their claim for a chance at making the final 53-man roster.

FINAL: The @chargers with the first win of the preseason ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/AQ4wab1MOH
— NFL (@NFL) August 1, 2025

NFL Preseason Schedule for Week 1

Preseason games for week 1 will start on Thursday, August 7, and run through Sunday, August 10. Games held on Thursday and Friday will commence specifically late evening, while Saturday will have games from the afternoon onwards. The final two games will be held on Sunday in the afternoon window.

Here is the complete schedule of all preseason games for week 1

Day and Date	Matchup	Time (ET)
Thursday, August 7	Indianapolis Colts at Baltimore Ravens	7:00 PM
Thursday, August 7	Cincinnati Bengals at Philadelphia Eagles	7:30 PM
Thursday, August 7	Las Vegas Raiders at Seattle Seahawks	10:00 PM
Friday, August 8	Cleveland Browns at Carolina Panthers	7:00 PM
Friday, August 8	Detroit Lions at Atlanta Falcons	7:00 PM
Friday, August 8	Washington Commanders at New England Patriots	7:30 PM
Saturday, August 9	New York Giants at Buffalo Bills	1:00 PM
Saturday, August 9	Houston Texans at Minnesota Vikings	4:00 PM
Saturday, August 9	Pittsburgh Steelers at Jacksonville Jaguars	7:00 PM
Saturday, August 9	Dallas Cowboys at Los Angeles Rams	7:00 PM
Saturday, August 9	Tennessee Titans at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	7:30 PM
Saturday, August 9	New York Jets at Green Bay Packers	8:00 PM
Saturday, August 9	Kansas City Chiefs at Arizona Cardinals	8:00 PM
Saturday, August 9	Denver Broncos at San Francisco 49ers	8:30 PM
Sunday, August 10	Miami Dolphins at Chicago Bears	1:00 PM
Sunday, August 10	New Orleans Saints at Los Angeles Chargers	4:05 PM

Top Games To Watch in Week 1

Since these are all preseason games, almost all teams will be resting most of their starters to avoid any unfortunate injuries before the regular season gets underway.

And while starters may take the field in the final week of preseason, week 1 games will mainly feature backup players, fringe players, and rookies looking to integrate within the system. Having said that, here are a few potential clashes worth watching.

Cincinnati Bengals vs Philadelphia Eagles

No, we won’t get to see Joe Burrow up against Jalen Hurts, or Ja’Marr Chase against the likes of Quinyon Mitchell, but these are two of the top teams in the league currently. It will be interesting to see how the Bengals’ defense holds up against the reigning Champions, even though it will be mostly backups going against one another.

Cleveland Browns vs Carolina Panthers

Neither of these two teams is expected to take the league by storm this season, but the intriguing aspect here will be the battle of the quarterbacks for Cleveland. Will week 1 provide a better picture of what the Browns’ plans will be heading into the regular season? Currently, Joe Flacco is in pole position, but Cleveland has a three-way battle for the backup spot with Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders.

Rookie QB ratings for #Madden26 are here! 🎮

Which of these players will have the best season? pic.twitter.com/tnHdAd4IhJ
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) July 31, 2025

New York Giants vs Buffalo Bills

Again, most of the stars will not take the field. But what could be interesting is to see Abdul Carter wreak havoc if he does play. The Bills’ backups could face a tough time going up against the top pass rusher in this year’s draft class.

Jacksonville Jaguars vs Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers had one of their busiest offseasons in recent history, making a bunch of moves to improve the overall roster. While Aaron Rodgers will definitely not play in week 1, it will be interesting to see if some of the Steelers’ new additions take the field. On the Jaguars’ side, the big question will be whether or not number two overall pick Travis Hunter will play, and if he does, will he get snaps on both sides of the ball?

The excitement over the upcoming season is building slowly. With just a little over a month left for regular season action, fans will have to make do with preseason games. Irrespective, football season is back, and it’s time to gear up for the exhilarating months ahead.

Mandatory Credit: Imagn Images

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NFL Preseason 2025-26 week 1 schedule

Devavrat Kulkarni

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I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!