Week 1 of the NFL preseason schedule will take place this week, and while the games may be meaningless on paper, fans are just glad that the NFL season has returned! Every squad will take the field this week at some point, as the Week 1 schedule has teams playing every day beginning tonight when the Houston Texans take on the Carolina Panthers. While most starters will see little to no playing time, the preseason is a great chance for rookies and walk-ons to show what they have.

Great Week 1 match-ups, even for the preseason

Sure, the preseason means nothing when it comes to stats and wins or losses, but there are a few intriguing match-ups taking place this week that would make great regular season battles.

The first one is the Pittsburgh Steelers taking on the New York Giants on Friday, August 11 from MetLife Stadium. While Big Ben and Eli Manning may only see the field for a series or two, if even that, just putting the Steelers and Giants on the same field is enough to get most NFL fans’ blood pumping!

Another game that should draw some attention will be the Oakland Raiders taking on the Arizona Cardinals. Could this be a possible Super Bowl 52 match-up? Don’t discount it. After all, when the 2016 season began, not many experts had predicted the Atlanta Falcons to be the NFC Super Bowl representative.

Oakland is heading into the 2017 season as the “sexy” pick to win the AFC by many NFL experts, and for good reason.

They are coming off of a great 2016 season and they have one of the best QB’s in the league in Derek Carr. Nevertheless, the Raiders will have to do something that not many teams have done over the past 15 years if they want to make it to the big game in February - take down the New England Patriots.

TV info and game odds

Many games will air live on the NFL Network this week, including tonight’s Texans vs Panthers match-up.

For all of you die-hard fans who just can’t wait for the NFL to return to the airwaves every Sunday, your wait is almost over. Week 1 of the NFL preseason will conclude this Sunday with a double-header when the Lions take on the Colts at 1:30 pm ET, followed by the Seahawks taking on the Chargers at 8:00 pm ET. Both games will be aired on the NFL Network.

Below is a look at the complete Week 1 schedule, along with the current Las Vegas odds and start times.

Wednesday Aug. 9

  • Texans at Panthers (-3) -- 7:30 pm ET -- NFLN

Thursday Aug. 10

  • Vikings (-1) at Bills -- 7:00 pm ET
  • Falcons at Dolphins (PICK) --7:00 pm ET
  • Redskins at Ravens (-1) -- 7:30 pm ET
  • Jaguars at Patriots (-5) -- 7:30 pm ET
  • Saints (PICK) at Browns -- 8:00 pm ET
  • Eagles at Packers (-1) -- 8:00 pm ET
  • Broncos (-1.5) at Bears -- 8:00 pm ET -- NFLN

Friday, Aug. 11

  • Steelers at Giants (-1) -- 7:00 pm -- NFLN
  • Buccaneers at Bengals (PICK) -- 7:30 pm
  • 49ers at Chiefs (-4) -- 9:00 pm -- NFLN

Saturday, Aug. 12

  • Titans at Jets (-1) -- 7:30 pm
  • Cowboys (-2) at Rams -- 9:00 pm -- NFLN
  • Raiders at Cardinals (-3) -- 10:00 pm

Sunday, Aug. 13

  • Lions (-1) at Colts -- 1:30 pm -- NFLN
  • Seahawks (-1.5) at Chargers -- 8:00 pm -- NFLN
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