There are only two weeks left in the NFL preseason, so teams are making their final adjustments before the regular season starts.
The third week of the preseason kicks off with Thursday Night Football on August 21, at 7:30 PM. ET.
The Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles start the slate of games with their annual preseason game, the Eagles offense struggled to get going in their first preseason game, but head coach Chip Kelly isn’t too worried, and expects his squad to perform better as they continue forward. The Steelers struggled against the run in their first preseason game, allowing 171 yards against the New York Giants, they will be trying to fix their defense before the start of the season.
There are five games scheduled for Friday, August 22.
The Carolina Panthers will play the New England Patriots at 7:30 PM. ET.
The Patriots will have their hands full with the Panthers running game, after allowing 177 yards against the Washington Redskins, they will have Tom Brady in the lineup, so they should be able to put up some points. The Panthers will have to be more careful with the ball, after turning the ball over three times against the Buffalo Bills.
New York Giants vs. New York Jets, at 7:30 PM. ET.
This annual rivalry game has had some very interesting moments in recent years, Geno Smith will need to continue playing well in the preseason, to avoid fans calling for him to be benched in favor of the more experienced Michael Vick. Eli Manning will have some help in the running game this season, but will need to cut down the turnovers for the team to have some success this season.
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Detroit Lions, at 7:30 PM. ET.
Rookie quarterback Blake Bortles showed some promise in his first game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which is making the coaches rethink their earlier decision to sit him for the year. Detroit didn’t look too good offensively in their game against the Browns, and will try to improve their offensive execution.
Oakland Raiders vs. Green Bay Packers, at 8 PM. ET.
The Raiders are hoping Derek Carr can learn how to play at the NFL level by being the backup this year, and learning from Matt Schaub. The Packers spent a lot of money trying to improve their defense in the offseason, but they got off to a slow start against the Titans. Look for them to improve as the preseason progresses.
Chicago Bears vs. Seattle Seahawks, at 10 PM. ET.
The Seahawks lost their Super Bowl rematch to the Broncos in their first game, and will try to bounce back against Chicago. The Bears are healthy on defense this year, and are hoping that will continue when the season starts, giving them a good chance of making the playoffs.
There are eight games scheduled for Saturday, August 23.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Buffalo Bills, at 4:30 PM. ET.
The Buccaneers need to get their running game going before the season starts, so the pressure won’t be on Josh McCown to make things happen. The Bills have looked good offensively with the addition of Sammy Watkins, but still have some work to do on the defensive end.
Dallas Cowboys vs. Miami Dolphins, at 7 PM. ET.
The Cowboys are dealing with a lot of injuries on the defensive end, but need to find a way to be competitive on the defensive end, or they will be in for a long season. The Dolphins need to address their ineffective running game that gained only 52 yards against the Atlanta Falcons.
Early Bird Specials are available for the NFL Preseason at www.skybook.ag