Week 1 of the 2026 NFL preseason is upon us. After a tremendous Hall of Fame Game matchup between the Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers, the other 30 teams get to join in on the fun with their preseason debuts over the next few days.
Can’t decide which NFL matchups to watch this weekend? Want to know which other games besides your own team’s games to keep an eye out for? We’ve got you covered. This is Pro Football Network’s ranking of the 16 preseason games in Week 1.
16) Los Angeles Chargers vs. Houston Texans
Game Time: Thursday, Aug. 13 at 8 p.m. ET
During the NFL regular season, a matchup between the Los Angeles Chargers and Houston Texans would rank a lot higher. Both teams were AFC playoff teams last year, but because of their success in the regular season, they don’t have as much young talent to watch in the preseason.
The big storyline here is the performance of each team’s first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Chargers edge rusher Akheem Mesidor is a polished, physical player who should factor into their defensive rotation right away. Texans center Keylan Rutledge might benefit more from a larger preseason workload, seeing as though he’s changing positions from guard upon his jump to the league.
15) Philadelphia Eagles vs. Baltimore Ravens
Game Time: Saturday, Aug. 15 at 7 p.m. ET
Similar to the previous entry, both the Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens are typically seen as two of the best teams in the NFL. The 2025 season didn’t quite go Baltimore’s way, but if new head coach Jesse Minter can get them back on track, there’s reason to believe these two teams could each make a serious playoff run.
With the success of each team, there’s not much blue-chip young talent to watch, but it’s worth noting that both the Eagles and Ravens have new offensive coordinators. Sean Mannion steps into the role for Philadelphia in just his third year coaching in the NFL, while Declan Doyle jumped ship from Chicago’s OC role for the chance to call plays for the Ravens in 2026.
14) Jacksonville Jaguars vs. New Orleans Saints
Game Time: Saturday, Aug. 15 at 4 p.m. ET
Both the Jacksonville Jaguars and New Orleans Saints are teams with young, offensive-minded coaches who saw significant improvement in 2025 compared to the year before. If all goes well, there’s a chance both of these teams will end up winning their respective divisions in 2026.
The reason this game doesn’t rank higher is because of a lack of early-round talent in the mix. The Jaguars didn’t have a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and their draft class isn’t exactly loaded with star power. On the other end, the Saints could be without first-round wide receiver Jordyn Tyson, who exited practice on Thursday with an injury.
13) Dallas Cowboys vs. Seattle Seahawks
Game Time: Saturday, Aug. 15 at 8 p.m. ET
This Saturday matchup is another example of “if this game were played in the regular season, it would be a great matchup.” It’s the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, who had the best defense in the NFL by PFN Defense Impact Scoring last year, against the Dallas Cowboys, who had the worst defense by the same metric but have since aggressively added talent on that side of the ball.
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Unfortunately, most of those star players for Seattle and new defensive additions for Dallas won’t be playing in this preseason bout. That said, keep an eye on the Cowboys’ two first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft: safety Caleb Downs and edge rusher Malachi Lawrence. Both players should see some playing time in this game.
12) Detroit Lions vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Game Time: Thursday, Aug. 13 at 7 p.m. ET
The Detroit Lions and Cincinnati Bengals are two teams that didn’t have the 2025 seasons they expected. Both teams missed the playoffs in disappointing fashion, but both of them are retooling to make it back to the postseason on the backs of explosive offenses.
Keep an eye on two of Cincinnati’s young defensive draft picks: edge rusher Cashius Howell and cornerback Tacario Davis. Neither is expected to start in 2026, but they both have NFL starting upside and should contribute as rookies. Though Lions edge rusher and second-round pick Derrick Moore is dealing with injuries, first-round tackle Blake Miller will have a debut worth watching.
11) Miami Dolphins vs. Washington Commanders
Game Time: Friday, Aug. 14 at 7 p.m. ET
Both the Miami Dolphins and Washington Commanders have their fair share of talented rookies to keep an eye on in this preseason matchup on Friday. Neither team was all that great in 2025, but they’re going in different directions; the Dolphins are in the early stages of a rebuild, while the Commanders are looking to bounce back to their 2024 form after a down year.
Among the key storylines are the debuts of three first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft: guard Kadyn Proctor and cornerback Chris Johnson from Miami, and linebacker Sonny Styles from Washington. Both teams have some intriguing rookie wide receivers, too. Antonio Williams could be a contributor for the Commanders this year, while the Dolphins have a logjam after drafting Caleb Douglas, Kevin Coleman Jr., and the injured Chris Bell.
10) Green Bay Packers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Game Time: Thursday, Aug. 13 at 7 p.m. ET
Though it won’t be at Lambeau Field, Aaron Rodgers will be facing off against the Green Bay Packers for the first time in his NFL career. Well, not really. Rodgers won’t be suiting up on Thursday, though he will be on the sidelines against the Packers as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Instead, the Steelers’ young quarterback room will be the biggest thing to watch out for in this matchup. They’ve drafted Will Howard and Drew Allar in consecutive seasons, so we’ll see if either one of them can look the part as potential successors to Rodgers in the starting role next year. Packers rookie cornerback Brandon Cisse is a talented young prospect worth watching on the other side.
9) Carolina Panthers vs. Buffalo Bills
Game Time: Saturday, Aug. 15 at 1 p.m. ET
Both the Carolina Panthers and Buffalo Bills made the postseason last year, though admittedly under very different circumstances. The Panthers are hoping that Bryce Young takes that big leap going into Year 4 of his NFL career, while the Bills are hoping that making Joe Brady their new head coach will get them over the hump, giving them that Super Bowl appearance that Sean McDermott couldn’t reach in that role.
As far as the preseason goes, there’s a lot of trench warfare to watch in this match. Monroe Freeling should get some reps at right tackle for Carolina, while Lee Hunter is a name with serious starting upside at defensive tackle. On the other end, Bills’ second-round pick TJ Parker could push Bradley Chubb and Michael Hoecht for starting reps off the edge during the season with a strong preseason performance.
8) Denver Broncos vs. Atlanta Falcons
Game Time: Friday, Aug. 14 at 7 p.m. ET
Tua Tagovailoa will be making his debut as a member of the Atlanta Falcons on Friday. With Michael Penix Jr. still not cleared due to the ACL injury he suffered late last year, Tagovailoa will have the chance to help his case for Atlanta’s starting quarterback job when he takes on the Denver Broncos in the team’s preseason opener.
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The Broncos didn’t have a pick in the first two rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft, though running back Jonah Coleman should be fun to watch. The Falcons also didn’t have a first-round pick this year, but wide receiver Zachariah Branch and cornerback Avieon Terrell both have the potential to be long-term starters in Atlanta.
7) Tennessee Titans vs. San Francisco 49ers
Game Time: Thursday, Aug. 13 at 9 p.m. ET
Robert Saleh will be making his unofficial debut as the head coach of the Tennessee Titans against the team he served as the defensive coordinator for last year, the San Francisco 49ers. It’s a nice homecoming for Saleh to be back at Levi’s Stadium, having served as the 49ers’ defensive coordinator from 2017 to 2020 before his one-year stint in 2025.
On the Titans’ side, young players like Keldric Faulk, Anthony Hill Jr., Nicholas Singleton, and maybe even Carnell Tate should have some opportunities to shine in the team’s preseason opener. The 49ers have been battling through injuries (thanks to the substation, depending on who you ask) but have a few rookies worth monitoring like Romello Height and De’Zhaun Stribling, the latter of whom has been a topic of discussion in training camp.
6) Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. New York Jets
Game Time: Friday, Aug. 14 at 7 p.m. ET
This game should be exciting almost solely because of the NFL debuts of two first-round edge rushers. David Bailey was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and figures to be a building block for the New York Jets going forward, while Rueben Bain Jr. will be out to prove that he was the biggest steal of the first round when he suits up for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Since the Jets had two other first-round picks and an early second-round pick this year, the likes of Kenyon Sadiq, Omar Cooper Jr., and D’Angelo Ponds will all be exciting to see in NFL action on Friday. Tampa Bay isn’t without its intriguing rookie talent, though; linebacker Josiah Trotter and defensive back Keionte Scott could both see plenty of playing time in 2026.
5) Indianapolis Colts vs. New England Patriots
Game Time: Thursday, Aug. 13 at 7:30 p.m. ET
Despite not having a first-round pick, the Indianapolis Colts’ A- grade in the PFN NFL Draft HQ was the fourth-best class of the 2026 NFL Draft. The New England Patriots weren’t too far behind with a B+ grade, so there’s no shortage of rookie talent to watch in this matchup.
The Colts acquired two potential defensive starters on Day 2 in the form of linebacker CJ Allen and A.J. Haulcy, while the Patriots boosted both sides of the trenches, with their first two picks being offensive tackle Caleb Lomu and edge rusher Gabe Jacas. It’ll also be worth monitoring how the Patriots’ backup wide receiver roster spots play out; there’s a lot of rosterable talent in that bunch, and someone has to be on the chopping block.
4) Minnesota Vikings vs. New York Giants
Game Time: Saturday, Aug. 15 at 1 p.m. ET
How will J.J. McCarthy respond after losing the Minnesota Vikings’ quarterback battle before the preseason even starts? That’s what the biggest storyline out of this matchup will be heading into Saturday, though the New York Giants have stories of their own to look out for.
The Giants have two first-round picks in linebacker Arvell Reese and guard Francis Mauigoa making their unofficial NFL debuts this week, while their offense has reportedly struggled out of the gate in training camp. They’ll be tasked with competing against a Brian Flores-led Vikings defense, which is never an easy task, even if they’ll have backups in the game.
3) Cleveland Browns vs. Chicago Bears
Game Time: Saturday, Aug. 15 at 1 p.m. ET
The big storyline in this matchup is the Cleveland Browns’ ongoing quarterback battle between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders. Though Watson will be starting in the Browns’ matchup against the Chicago Bears, Sanders will see plenty of playing time.
In addition to the quarterback battle, Cleveland will be trotting out two early-round draft picks at wide receiver in KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston. The Bears will hope that first-round safety Dillon Thieneman can help slow them down, though don’t sleep on sixth-round defensive tackle Jordan van den Berg, who has been making waves in training camp.
2) Los Angeles Rams vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Game Time: Saturday, Aug. 15 at 4 p.m. ET
Many people will think of the high-scoring game from 2018 when they think about the Los Angeles Rams and Kansas City Chiefs facing off. Saturday’s preseason matchup between the two teams will also be exciting to watch, though for a very different reason: each team has a rookie quarterback taking the stage.
On one end, you have Ty Simpson: the Rams’ first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and the heir apparent to Matthew Stafford. On the other end, you have Garrett Nussmeier, who was at one point viewed as a first-round prospect but fell to Kansas City in the sixth round. These are two teams that have typically been near the top of the NFL in recent years, but this should be an exciting battle between two young quarterbacks that’s fun to watch.
1) Arizona Cardinals vs. Las Vegas Raiders
Game Time: Thursday, Aug. 13 at 8 p.m. ET
The Arizona Cardinals were one half of the captivating Hall of Fame Game that took NFL fans by storm last week. Their rookie quarterback, third-round pick Carson Beck, made a statement in the form of a 78.9% completion rate, 188 yards, a touchdown, and no interceptions. Unfortunately, Beck won’t be playing in this game, but there are a number of notable rookies who will be suiting up, including the No. 1 overall pick.
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Fernando Mendoza will be suiting up for the Las Vegas Raiders for the first time on Thursday. Though he likely won’t be their Week 1 starter at quarterback, it’s clear he’ll be given the keys to the kingdom eventually. Both teams have other rookie talent worth watching: Jeremiyah Love will be suiting up for Arizona, while defensive backs Treydan Stukes and Jermod McCoy are players with starting-caliber upside for Las Vegas.
