NFL preseason schedule 2018: Games on TV, start times, week-by-week matchups

Tadd Haislop

NFL preseason schedule 2018: Games on TV, start times, week-by-week matchups image

The 2018 NFL preseason schedule began Aug. 2 with the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio, between the Bears and Ravens. It ends Thursday with 16 games. That's more than four weeks coaches, players and officials had to prepare for the NFL season.

Including that Bears-Ravens game, only eight games on the preseason schedule would be shown on national TV, with NBC, ESPN, FOX and CBS each getting two games. The Jets, Ravens, Browns, Bills and Cardinals — the five teams that selected quarterbacks in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft — are featured in some of those national TV games.

MORE: Full NFL schedule, including preseason

In addition to the national TV preseason schedule, NFL Network was set to carry 15 games live throughout the four weeks. NFL Network also would show replays of games throughout the preseason.

Though blackout restrictions apply, out-of-market NFL preseason games can be streamed live with NFL Game Pass.

Below is the full NFL preseason schedule for 2018.

NFL preseason schedule 2018

National TV games

Date Game TV network (Kickoff time)
Aug. 2 Chicago Bears vs. Baltimore Ravens NBC (8 p.m.)
Aug. 16 New York Jets at Washington Redskins ESPN (8 p.m.)
Aug. 20 Baltimore Ravens at Indianapolis Colts ESPN (8 p.m.)
Aug. 23 Philadelphia Eagles at Cleveland Browns FOX (8 p.m.)
Aug. 24 Detroit Lions at Tampa Bay Buccaneers CBS (8 p.m.)
Aug. 25 New Orleans Saints at Los Angeles Chargers CBS (8 p.m.)
Aug. 26 Cincinnati Bengals at Buffalo Bills FOX (4 p.m.)
Aug. 26 Arizona Cardinals at Dallas Cowboys NBC (8 p.m.)

NFL preseason schedule 2018

NFL Network live preseason schedule

Date Game Time (ET)
Aug. 9 Cleveland Browns vs. New York Giants 7 p.m.
Aug. 9 Dallas Cowboys vs. San Francisco 49ers 10 p.m.
Aug. 10 Atlanta Falcons vs. New York Jets 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 10 Detroit Lions vs. Oakland Raiders 10:30 p.m.
Aug. 11 Minnesota Vikings vs. Denver Broncos 9 p.m.
Aug. 17 Buffalo Bills vs. Cleveland Browns 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 18 Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Minnesota Vikings 1 p.m.
Aug. 18 Oakland Raiders vs. Los Angeles Rams 4 p.m.
Aug. 18 Cincinnati Bengals vs. Dallas Cowboys 7 p.m.
Aug. 18 Seattle Seahawks vs. Los Angeles Chargers 10 p.m.
Aug. 24 Green Bay Packers vs. Oakland Raiders 10:30 p.m.
Aug. 25 Kansas City Chiefs vs. Chicago Bears 1 p.m.
Aug. 25 Tennessee Titans vs. Pittsburgh Steelers 4 p.m.
Aug. 30 Cleveland Browns vs. Detroit Lions 7 p.m.
Aug. 30 Denver Broncos vs. Arizona Cardinals 10 p.m.

NFL preseason schedule 2018

Week-by-week matchups

Week 1: Aug. 9-13

LA Chargers at Arizona
LA Rams at Baltimore
Carolina at Buffalo
Chicago at Cincinnati
Minnesota at Denver
Tennessee at Green Bay
New Orleans at Jacksonville
Houston at Kansas City
Tampa Bay at Miami
Washington at New England
Cleveland at NY Giants
Atlanta at NY Jets
Detroit at Oakland
Pittsburgh at Philadelphia
Dallas at San Francisco
Indianapolis at Seattle

MORE: Preseason game dates, kickoff times

Week 2: Aug. 16-20

Kansas City at Atlanta
Miami at Carolina
Buffalo at Cleveland
Cincinnati at Dallas
Chicago at Denver
NY Giants at Detroit
Pittsburgh at Green Bay
San Francisco at Houston
Baltimore at Indianapolis (ESPN, 8/20)
Seattle at LA Chargers
Oakland at LA Rams
Jacksonville at Minnesota
Philadelphia at New England
Arizona at New Orleans
Tampa Bay at Tennessee
NY Jets at Washington (ESPN, 8/16)

Week 3: Aug. 23-26

Cincinnati at Buffalo (FOX, 8/26)
New England at Carolina
Kansas City at Chicago
Philadelphia at Cleveland (FOX, 8/23)
Arizona at Dallas (NBC, 8/26)
San Francisco at Indianapolis
Atlanta at Jacksonville
New Orleans at LA Chargers (CBS, 8/25)
Houston at LA Rams
Baltimore at Miami
Seattle at Minnesota
NY Giants at NY Jets
Green Bay at Oakland
Tennessee at Pittsburgh
Detroit at Tampa Bay (CBS, 8/24)
Denver at Washington

Week 4: Aug. 30-31

Denver at Arizona
Miami at Atlanta
Washington at Baltimore
Buffalo at Chicago
Indianapolis at Cincinnati
Cleveland at Detroit
Dallas at Houston
Green Bay at Kansas City
LA Rams at New Orleans
New England at NY Giants
NY Jets at Philadelphia
Carolina at Pittsburgh
LA Chargers at San Francisco
Oakland at Seattle
Jacksonville at Tampa Bay
Minnesota at Tennessee

Tadd Haislop

Tadd Haislop is the Associate NFL Editor at SportingNews.com.