Week 3 of the NFL preseason is usually the one that fans most look forward to, and that is because it is when they’ll see the starters play the most. Things kicked off the third week of preseason action with the Cleveland Browns shut out of the Philadelphia Eagles by a score of 5-0. Now, the Giants and Jets are leading the charge in a battle of New York in this preview of all the NFL action coming your way this weekend.
It is the preseason and that usually means coaches and staff members are analyzing rookies, new team members, and others to see if they deserve a regular season roster spot. The preseason is also time for NFL veterans to shake off the gameday rust and be ready for September.
Week 3 will showcase the most time that the majority of the starters will play, and even then, it will likely only be a quarter or two per game. That doesn’t mean these games are any less exciting or should be missed as you may end up seeing the next big NFL star in action.
Thursday night’s game may have ended with a score more commonly seen in baseball, but it was an interesting one. Sure, people will say it is just preseason, but the Browns did come out and manhandle the Super Bowl champs for a shutout victory.
The Browns shut out the Eagles to hand Philadelphia their third loss of the preseason. pic.twitter.com/Bed00fJCjR
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) August 24, 2018
The full Week 3 preseason schedule has been released by NFL.com and Friday night’s action is headlined by the New York Giants vs. the New York Jets. No matter when this game takes place, the rowdy fans from New York are going to make it a lot of fun and really heated.
It’s going to technically be a home game for the Jets in Metlife Stadium, and that means the majority of what you will see in the stands will be green or Jets’ green. Expect Eli Manning to play extended minutes for the Giants, but rookie Saquon Barkley and wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. won’t play much or even at all.
The weekend is full of great action, though, and here is the full schedule:
Friday, August 24, 2018
- New England Patriots @ Carolina Panthers – 7:30 p.m. ET
- New York Giants @ New York Jets – 7:30 p.m. ET
- Denver Broncos @ Washington Redskins – 7:30 p.m. ET
- Seattle Seahawks @ Minnesota Vikings – 8 p.m. ET
- Detroit Lions @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 8 p.m. ET
- Green Bay Packers @ Oakland Raiders – 10:30 p.m. ET
Saturday, August 25, 2018
- Kansas City Chiefs @ Chicago Bears – 1 p.m. ET
- Houston Texans @ Los Angeles Rams – 4 p.m. ET
- Tennessee Titans @ Pittsburgh Steelers – 4 p.m. ET
- San Francisco 49ers @ Indianapolis Colts – 4:30 p.m. ET
- Atlanta Falcons @ Jacksonville Jaguars – 7 p.m. ET
- Baltimore Ravens @ Miami Dolphins – 7 p.m. ET
- New Orleans Saints @ Los Angeles Chargers – 8 p.m. ET
Sunday, August 26, 2018
- Cincinnati Bengals @ Buffalo Bills – 4 p.m. ET
- Arizona Cardinals @ Dallas Cowboys 8 p.m. ET
Again, the preseason isn’t always a very clear indication of how the regular season will end up going, but it’s still fun to watch. Week 3 has a lot of great games on tap with the battle in New York, Saints vs. Chargers, and Packers vs. Raiders, but there are plenty of others too. The 2018 NFL regular season is just around the corner and it is almost time for teams to make sure they know that every game counts.