The NFL preseason got started off with the Hall of Fame game back before last Sunday with the Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins playing in Canton and now that the first week is over in the preseason, the second week gets into full swing with another group of teams playing, including the Philadelphia Eagles, San Diego Chargers, Atlanta Falcons, Detroit Lions and Baltimore Ravens in action.
The Week 2 Schedule includes: Lions against the Browns at 7:30 on Thursday, Panthers and Eagles at the same time as well as the Falcons taking on the Ravens in what could be a Super Bowl matchup. The final game is the Monday Night Football matchup on ESPN on Thursday at 8:30 with the San Diego Chargers and Chicago Bears.
Here is some info on Week 1:
Some of the top matchups of the nigh include the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles, as well as the New York Jets and the Detroit Lions as both teams try to rebound from tough seasons in 2012. The Cardinals have a new coach and a new quarterback with Bruce Arians and Carson Palmer and they are facing possibly the best QB in the league with Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. The Dolphins will get their second taste of the preseason with an in-state game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, while the Texans and Vikings will also face off.
One of the most interesting matchups is one with two classic franchises in the Dallas Cowboys and the Oakland Raiders and another interesting game is the Kansas City Chiefs and New Orleans Saints, as both are expected to have high-powered offenses this season. The Giants and Steelers are the lone game on Saturday and the Cowboys will travel out to Oakland to play the Raiders in the late game on Friday night.
The Raiders are coming into the season with very high expectations after going just 4-12 last season and the team traded for a new quarterback in Matt Flynn, who will get his first real action with the team on Friday. The team is hoping for big things from running back Darren McFadden as he enters a contract year and the Raiders also drafted Latavius Murray and signed Rashad Jennings to bolster the rushing attack. The team also added Charles Woodson, Tracy Porter and Mike Jenkins in the secondary as well as Sio Moore, Menelik Watson and DJ Hayden in the draft along with Brice Butler and Nick Kasa.
The Cowboys are coming back after losing to the Redskins in Week 17 to get eliminated from the NFC East in the final game for the second year in a row and now the team will go into things without Tony Romo most likely as he recovers from surgery. The Bears have a new head coach in Marc Trestman, while the Saints will get Sean Payton back and the Chiefs are working with Andy Reid as head coach for the first time. The Texans have Super Bowl aspirations and will try to get back into things after being defeated by the Patriots last year.