NFL Games Today: A Look Ahead to the Preseason Week 2 Schedule

The NFL preseason officially launched with a full slate of games this past week. Some of the highlights of the weekend were exceptional rookie quarterback performances, the debut of the new NFL kickoff rule, and even a head coach shining during an in-game interview that could signal a future in broadcasting.

After a fun weekend of football, fans are excitedly looking ahead to when Week 2 of the preseason will get underway.

Are There NFL Preseason Games Today?

The NFL plays preseason games pretty much any day of the week. However, Tuesday does not happen to be one of those days.

Week 2 of the 2024 NFL preseason will start on Thursday evening when the Philadelphia Eagles travel to New England to take on the Patriots and rookie quarterback Drake Maye. Will Maye make a better impression this time around or will head coach Jerod Mayo keep him on another short leash? Will Joe Milton III continue to ascend up the depth chart and potentially make a case for QB1? Time will tell.

Meanwhile, the Eagles decided at the very last second last week not to play any of their starters. Will that be the case again in Week 2 or will we finally see the premier of Saquon Barkley in a Philadelphia uniform?

Interestingly, there are no Friday games this week, either. The majority of games will be on Saturday, and then there are two contests on Sunday night.

MORE: Complete 2024 NFL Preseason Schedule

Week 2 Preseason Schedule

This week, there are six games that will be played in the national spotlight on NFL Network.

NFL Network Schedule

• Eagles at Patriots, Thursday, Aug. 15
  7 p.m. ET, NFL Network
• Bengals at Bears, Saturday, Aug. 17
  1 p.m. ET, NFL Network
• Lions at Chiefs, Saturday, Aug. 17
  4 p.m. ET, NFL Network
• Bills at Steelers, Saturday, Aug. 17
  7 p.m. ET, NFL Network
• Cowboys at Raiders, Saturday, Aug. 17
  10 p.m. ET, NFL Network
• Packers at Broncos, Sunday, Aug. 18
  8 p.m. ET, NFL Network

Additionally, the Saints and 49ers will face off on Sunday, Aug. 18, at 8 p.m. ET — and that game will air live on FOX.

Remaining NFL Preseason Games

Outside of the NFL Network games, there are an additional nine games that will be played on Saturday.

• Falcons at Ravens
  Noon ET
• Giants at Texans
  1 p.m. ET
• Vikings at Browns
  4:25 p.m. ET
• Seahawks at Titans
  7 p.m. ET
• Cardinals at Colts
  7 p.m. ET
• Commanders at Dolphins
  7 p.m. ET
• Jets at Panthers
  7 p.m. ET
• Rams at Chargers
  7:05 p.m. ET
• Buccaneers at Jaguars
  7:30 p.m. ET

The other Sunday game is a showdown between the Denver Broncos and Green Bay Packers, which will kick off at 8 p.m. ET from Empower Field at Mile High.

When Does the 2024 NFL Preseason End?

The NFL preseason concludes on Sunday, Aug. 25.

Ever since the NFL transitioned to a three-week preseason schedule, teams now receive a full week off before the regular season begins.

The 2024 regular-season opener will take place on Thursday, Sept. 5, with the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Baltimore Ravens in a rematch of last year’s AFC Championship Game.

MORE: Simulate the NFL Season With PFN’s Playoff Predictor

Once the preseason wraps up, NFL teams will have 48 hours to trim their roster to 53 players. This year, the NFL’s roster cutdown day is on Aug. 27, with a deadline of 4 p.m. ET.

For many years, the league had three cutdown dates: one deadline for teams to trim their roster from 90 to 85 players, a second deadline for teams to reduce their rosters to 80 players, and a final deadline for teams to reach the 53-man limit for the regular season.

Now, there’s only one roster cutdown deadline, meaning the majority of cuts happen at the same time, with many players hitting the free agent pool at the same time.

How Many Preseason NFL Games Are There?

After the NFL expanded the regular season to 17 games in 2021, the league reduced every team’s preseason schedule from four games to three.

The 2024 preseason slate will feature 49 games (including the Hall of Fame Game). The full NFL preseason schedule can be found here.