The NFL announced its 2015 pre-season schedule, which will include plenty of match-ups between 2014 postseason teams to get fans excited to watch back-ups fight for their jobs. It also means that football is back in early August.
The schedule kicks off on Sunday, Aug. 9 on NBC at 8 p.m. with the NFL Hall of Fame Game in Canton between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings.
After that, the full slate of games begins on Aug. 13-17, although none of these games will be nationally televised. Highlights that week include Green Bay at New England and Denver at Seattle.
Week 2 (Aug. 20-24) features three nationally televised games. On Aug. 20, the Buffalo Bills face the Cleveland Browns on ESPN. The St. Louis Rams play the Tennessee Titans on Fox on Aug. 23. And on Aug. 24, the Cincinnati Bengals play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While that sounds like a weak slate, keep in mind that many of these teams will be playing the top 2015 draft picks, so it will give the NFL a chance to show off potential young stars.
For Week 3 (Aug. 27-30) will have four nationally televised games, kicking off with Detroit at Jacksonville on Aug. 28 on CBS. Seattle faces San Diego the next day on CBS, while Houston is at New Orleans on Aug. 30 on Fox. Arizona plays Oakland on Aug. 30 on NBC.
Lastly, Week 4 (Sept. 3-4) won’t have any nationally televised games. Games that week include the Giants at New England, Baltimore at Atlanta, Houston at Dallas, New Orleans at Green Bay and San Diego at San Francisco.
You can check out the full schedule at NFL.com.
image courtesy of Dara Kushner/INFphoto.com