Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

When Does the NFL Preseason Start? NFL Preseason 2025 Start Date, Week-Wise Matchups and Important Questions Answered

Explore the full 2025 NFL preseason schedule, key dates, and what it all means ahead of kickoff.

Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The NFL preseason might not carry the weight of regular season drama, but it remains one of the most crucial stretches on the league calendar. From roster battles and playbook experiments to the quiet grind of players earning paychecks well before the spotlight hits, the preseason is where groundwork gets laid.

As the 2025 season approaches, here’s a breakdown of when it starts, what’s at stake, and why these three weeks matter more than you might think.

NFL Preseason 2025 Start Date

The 2025 NFL preseason kicks off on Thursday, July 31, with the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio, featuring the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Chargers. This is technically week 0, and week 1 will begin on August 7 and run through August 23, as per USA Today.

Chargers and Lions kick off the NFL preseason in the Hall of Fame Game one week from today 🍿 pic.twitter.com/4pcsQKafw5
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) July 24, 2025

How Many Preseason Games Are in the NFL in 2025?

A total of 49 games will be played during the 2025 NFL preseason. All 32 teams participate, but 30 of them follow the standard three-game format, totaling 45 games. The Los Angeles Chargers and Detroit Lions each play an additional fourth game as part of the Hall of Fame Game, bringing the overall total to 49 preseason matchups.

Can't wait to see what Mahomes shows us this preseason 😏@PatrickMahomes | @Chiefs pic.twitter.com/GxaWEGyS74
— NFL (@NFL) July 27, 2025

NFL Preseason Weekly Schedule

The 2025 NFL preseason week-wise schedule is as follows:

Date	Match	Week	Time (E.T.)	Network
Thursday, July 31	LA Chargers vs. Detroit (Canton)	Week 0	8:00 pm	NBC / Peacock
Thursday, August 7	Indianapolis at Baltimore	Week 1	7:00 pm	NFLN / Local
	Cincinnati at Philadelphia	Week 1	7:30 pm	Local
	Las Vegas at Seattle	Week 1	10:00 pm	NFLN / Local
Friday, August 8	Cleveland at Carolina	Week 1	7:00 pm	NFLN / Local
	Detroit at Atlanta	Week 1	7:00 pm	Local
	Washington at New England	Week 1	7:30 pm	Local
Saturday, August 9	NY Giants at Buffalo	Week 1	1:00 pm	NFLN / Local
	Houston at Minnesota	Week 1	4:00 pm	NFLN / Local
	Dallas at LA Rams	Week 1	7:00 pm	Local
	Pittsburgh at Jacksonville	Week 1	7:00 pm	Local
	Tennessee at Tampa Bay	Week 1	7:30 pm	Local
	Kansas City at Arizona	Week 1	8:00 pm	Local
	NY Jets at Green Bay	Week 1	8:00 pm	NFLN / Local
	Denver at San Francisco	Week 1	8:30 pm	Local
Sunday, August 10	Miami at Chicago	Week 1	1:00 pm	NFLN / Local
Sunday, August 10	New Orleans at LA Chargers	Week 1	4:05 pm	NFLN / Local

Friday, August 15	Tennessee at Atlanta	Week 2	7:00 pm	NFLN / Local
Friday, August 15	Kansas City at Seattle	Week 2	10:00 pm	NFLN / Local
Saturday, August 16	Carolina at Houston	Week 2	1:00 pm	Local
	Cleveland at Philadelphia	Week 2	1:00 pm	NFLN / Local
	Green Bay at Indianapolis	Week 2	1:00 pm	Local
	Miami at Detroit	Week 2	1:00 pm	Local
	New England at Minnesota	Week 2	1:00 pm	Local
	San Francisco at Las Vegas	Week 2	4:00 pm	NFLN / Local
	Baltimore at Dallas	Week 2	7:00 pm	Local
	LA Chargers at LA Rams	Week 2	7:00 pm	Local
	NY Jets at NY Giants	Week 2	7:00 pm	NFLN / Local
	Tampa Bay at Pittsburgh	Week 2	7:00 pm	Local
	Arizona at Denver	Week 2	9:30 pm	NFLN / Local
Sunday, August 17	Jacksonville at New Orleans	Week 2	1:00 pm	NFLN / Local
Sunday, August 17	Buffalo at Chicago	Week 2	8:00 pm	FOX
Monday, August 18	Cincinnati at Washington	Week 2	8:00 pm	ESPN

Thursday, August 21	Pittsburgh at Carolina	Week 3	7:00 pm	NFLN / Local
Thursday, August 21	New England at NY Giants	Week 3	8:00 pm	Prime Video
Friday, August 22	Philadelphia at NY Jets	Week 3	7:30 pm	Local
	Atlanta at Dallas	Week 3	8:00 pm	NFLN / Local
	Minnesota at Tennessee	Week 3	8:00 pm	CBS / Paramount+
	Chicago at Kansas City	Week 3	8:20 pm	Local
Saturday, August 23	Baltimore at Washington	Week 3	12:00 pm	Local
	Denver at New Orleans	Week 3	1:00 pm	Local
	Houston at Detroit	Week 3	1:00 pm	Local
	Indianapolis at Cincinnati	Week 3	1:00 pm	Local
	LA Rams at Cleveland	Week 3	1:00 pm	NFLN / Local
	Seattle at Green Bay	Week 3	4:00 pm	NFLN / Local
	Jacksonville at Miami	Week 3	7:00 pm	NFLN / Local
	Buffalo at Tampa Bay	Week 3	7:30 pm	Local
	LA Chargers at San Francisco	Week 3	8:30 pm	Local
	Las Vegas at Arizona	Week 3	10:00 pm	NFLN / Local

What Is the Point of the NFL Preseason?

The NFL preseason plays a crucial role in helping teams finalize their rosters, assess their starters, and fine-tune game plans before the real action begins. These exhibition games may not match the excitement of the regular season, since no fans would enjoy watching their starting quarterback sit while backups take the field, though that’s not always the case.

Still, the goal isn’t to entertain the audience. It’s to help teams evaluate themselves. The preseason is a necessary bridge between training camp and the regular season, offering one last opportunity to make adjustments before the games start to count.

Can’t wait for more preseason chaos 🔜 pic.twitter.com/FIUgK097qO
— NFL (@NFL) July 22, 2025

Do NFL Players Get Paid During Preseason?

Yes, for the 2025 preseason, players are paid a weekly per diem of $3,500 for veterans and $2,000 for first-year players without a credited season. Unlike the regular season, where player contracts kick in, NFL preseason is a different financial ballgame, one dictated by the league’s collective bargaining agreement (CBA), not team salary caps.

These fixed stipends, which have gradually increased under the CBA’s built-in raises every two years, are uniform across all teams and independent of position, performance, or profile. The preseason pay period covers every day from the opening of training camp through the final Sunday before the regular season kicks off.

NFL Network to carry 21 live games during 2025 preseason pic.twitter.com/IMlJOIXioO
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) June 4, 2025

How Long Is the NFL Preseason?

The 2025 NFL preseason will span three weeks, kicking off on August 7 and wrapping up by August 23.

Mandatory Image Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

2025 NFL Preseason

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Rudra Dubey

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I’m an academic turned sports writer from Raipur, India, specializing in the NFL, MMA, and tennis at The Playoffs. I previously wrote for Sportskeeda and hold a B.A. and M.A. in History. My journey into sports media began far from the field, rooted in the arts and sciences. Funny enough, I didn’t grow up a sports fan; I used to see it all as just noise. But a fateful writing job introduced me to the world of sports, and what began as a gig quickly became a passion. I understood those voices aren’t noise; they’re emotions of true sports fans, and now I am one of them, writing with the same energy I once questioned.