With Pro Football Hall of Fame Weekend concluding in Canton, Ohio, NFL fans checking broadcast schedules for a Monday Night Football exhibition matchup will find an empty evening slate.
The 2026 NFL preseason started last Thursday, with the Carolina Panthers defeating the Arizona Cardinals in the ceremonial exhibition opener. However, regular Monday Night Football broadcasts remain reserved exclusively for the regular season, which begins in September.
For the immediate future, all 32 franchises are shifting focus toward high-intensity practice windows and joint team practices before launching the full 16-game Preseason Week 1 slate later this week.
Are There Any Preseason NFL Games Today on Monday Night Football?
No, there are no NFL preseason games scheduled for tonight. Monday Night Football will not air an exhibition contest during this phase of the preseason calendar, as the league maintains a game-free window of several days following Hall of Fame Weekend
Teams across the league are ramping up joint practice sessions this week. A total of 28 franchises are scheduled to participate in joint practices during training camp, utilizing these controlled scrimmage sessions to evaluate starting units before live exhibition games begin.
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Full 2026 NFL Preseason Schedule, Dates & Streaming Details
The primary 2026 NFL preseason schedule officially opens with Preseason Week 1 on Thursday, August 13. Running from Thursday, August 13, through Saturday, August 15, Week 1 features all 32 teams taking the field across three consecutive days.
NFL Network will carry six nationally televised games during the Week 1 window, with remaining matchups airing on local television affiliates and regional streaming platforms, including NFL+, Peacock, FuboTV, and YouTube TV.
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Thursday, August 13
- Detroit Lions at Cincinnati Bengals, 7:00 p.m. ET (Local TV)
- Green Bay Packers at Pittsburgh Steelers, 7:00 p.m. ET (NFL Network)
- Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots, 7:30 p.m. ET (Local TV)
- Los Angeles Chargers at Houston Texans, 8:00 p.m. ET (Local TV)
- Arizona Cardinals at Las Vegas Raiders, 8:00 p.m. ET (Local TV, ESPN App)
- Tennessee Titans at San Francisco 49ers, 9:00 p.m. ET (NFL Network)
Friday, August 14
- Denver Broncos at Atlanta Falcons, 7:00 p.m. ET (Local TV, ESPN App)
- Miami Dolphins at Washington Commanders, 7:00 p.m. ET (Local TV)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New York Jets, 7:00 p.m. ET (NFL Network)
Saturday, August 15
- Carolina Panthers at Buffalo Bills, 1:00 p.m. ET (Local TV)
- Cleveland Browns at Chicago Bears, 1:00 p.m. ET (NFL Network)
- Minnesota Vikings at New York Giants, 1:00 p.m. ET (Local TV, ESPN App)
- Los Angeles Rams at Kansas City Chiefs, 4:00 p.m. ET (NFL Network)
- Jacksonville Jaguars at New Orleans Saints, 4:00 p.m. ET (Local TV)
- Philadelphia Eagles at Baltimore Ravens, 7:00 p.m. ET (Local TV, ESPN App)
- Dallas Cowboys at Seattle Seahawks, 8:00 p.m. ET (NFL Network)
If you’re looking for a convenient way to keep the 2026 NFL schedule handy, check out PFN’s free printable 2026 NFL schedule here.
Key Roster Cutdown Deadlines and Preseason Stakes
Preseason Week 1 serves as an essential evaluation window for fringe roster candidates. Under the NFL’s roster reduction rules, teams will not execute incremental weekly cuts.
Instead, all 32 organizations must maintain 90-player offseason rosters until the single mandatory cutdown deadline on Sunday, August 30, at 6:00 p.m. ET — two days earlier than the traditional Tuesday deadline — when rosters must be trimmed directly to 53 active players.
