NFL Preseason Weekend Preview: Games, Times, Channel Info, Players To Watch

There are several big NFL preseason games to watch this weekend as Week 2 comes to an end, and here is everything you need to know.

NFL Preseason Week 2 Preview

Twelve games will be held in total: five on Friday and seven on Saturday.

Here is who will play on Friday:

Chiefs at Falcons, 7 p.m. EST: Perhaps one of this game’s most closely watched players will be Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who was a first-round (No. 10 overall) draft pick in 2017. Last season, Mahomes completed 22 of 35 pass attempts for 284 yards and threw one interception.

Giants at Lions, 7 p.m. EST: Saquon Barkley impressed in the Giants’ preseason opener last week, a 20-10 loss to the Cleveland Browns. The rookie running back out of Penn State — who was the second overall draft pick this year — sprinted for 39 yards on his first-ever run as a pro player, just moments into the game. The Lions have their own rookie rusher, second-round draft pick and Auburn product Kerryon Johnson, who could also be worth paying close attention to. Johnson was the SEC Player of the Year in 2017.

Bills at Browns, 7:30 p.m. EST, NFL Network: Perhaps the only truly interesting aspect of this matchup will be to see how the pair of rookie QBs, Cleveland’s Baker Mayfield and Buffalo’s Josh Allen (both first-round draft picks) perform relative to each other. This will be the only one of Friday’s games to be televised.

Dolphins at Panthers, 7:30 p.m. EST: There’s not really any specific player to watch closely here, but rather what will be interesting to see is how much Carolina’s receiving corps and cornerbacks can deliver.

Cardinals at Saints, 8 p.m. EST: The chemistry between Arizona QB Sam Bradford and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald will likely be the most interesting thing to watch. Bradford’s short passes and Fitzgerald’s consistent catching helped lead the Cardinals to a 24-17 win over the Los Angeles Chargers in last week’s opener.

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Here are the games set for Saturday:

Jaguars at Vikings, 1 p.m. EST (NFL Network): Jacksonville cornerback Jalen Ramsey criticized several NFL quarterbacks in a new interview with GQ that was published this week, but Minnesota’s Kirk Cousins wasn’t one of the QBs he slammed. This contest between last season’s AFC and NFC runner-ups (respectively) will surely be exciting.

Raiders at Rams, 4 p.m. EST (NFL Network): Two of the most noteworthy players in this matchup are both defenders: Oakland defensive end Khalil Mack and Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald. 

Bengals at Cowboys, 7 p.m. EST (NFL Network): One question regarding this matchup will be whether Dallas decides to give greater playing time to rookie receiver Michael Gallup — a third-round draft pick out of Colorado State — who excelled in his debut last week, a 24-21 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

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Buccaneers at Titans, 8 p.m. EST: The Bucs will be missing starting quarterback Jameis Winston, who was suspended three games earlier this year for misconduct after he groped a female Uber driver in 2016.

49ers at Texans, 8 p.m. EST: 49ers defensive back Jimmie Ward and Texans receiver DeAndre Hopkins got into mild scuffles with each other at joint camp practices, so their interaction on the field this weekend will surely be closely watched.

Bears at Broncos, 9:05 p.m. EST: The Broncos could start newly-acquired linebacker A.J. Johnson, who was acquitted of rape last month and has not played in the NFL since 2015.

Seahawks at Chargers, 10 p.m. EST (NFL Network): Chargers QB Philip Rivers will make his preseason debut this week.