We've Got A Full Slate Of Football Tonight, Folks. It's Finally Here.
The best time of the year is almost officially back.
The only reason that I say ‘almost’ is that the preseason is not that exciting. It can be pretty sloppy football. You’re not going to see the marquee guys for more than a series or two (if at all) in week 1. FWIW, I’m ok with the star guys sitting out for most of the preseason. I think risking long-term injury in games that don’t matter is needlessly stupid. I hate to bring up old shit, but see: Julian Edelman last year.
But for the rookies, the younger guys and fringe roster players, it obviously serves a big purpose. And story lines do emerge. Plus, we’ve all done enough bitching through the off-season to be stoked about tonight. It’s finally happening. NFL football is back on TV and that’s the best news of all.
There are a lot of games on tonight. I don’t work for a certain four letter network anymore, so I’m not going to bore you with long in-depth previews. But in case you’re sitting at work and are counting down the minutes until you’re in front of a TV for the rest of the night, allow me to help pass the time.
The slate for tonight:
Saints/Jags (7 EST)
Panthers/Bills (7 EST)
Steelers/Eagles (7 EST)
Bears/Bengals (7 EST)
Browns/Giants (7 EST) – NFL Network
Bucs/Dolphins (7 EST)
Rams/Ravens (7:30 EST)
Redskins/Pats (7:30 EST)
Titans/Packers (8 EST)
Texans/Chiefs (8:30 EST)
Colts/Seahawks (10 EST)
Cowboys/49ers (10 EST) – NFL Network
The “best” game: Browns/Giants
It’s not even close. Even as anti-climactic as the preseason can be, this one is a must watch. You have the #1 and #2 picks in the 2018 NFL draft going against each other. Plus, both teams have every sports writer’s favorite buzz term happening: a quarterback battle… -ish. They were also horrendously bad last year. It’ll be the first look at Baker Mayfield and Saquon Barkley. That alone makes it worth it.
The game that’s most exciting on paper, but won’t be in real life: Steelers/Eagles
If it was a regular season, this would be a monster. But, alas, there’s little to no chance that we’ll see Carson Wentz, Big Ben, Nick Foles, Antonio Brown… etc, etc. And unless Le’Veon Bell miraculously decides to end his hold out (he won’t), he’s not playing either. Mason Rudolph will make his NFL debut and we’ll see the Super Bowl 52 winners for the first time since February. Womp, womp. That’s about it.
The holy shit, it’s actually happening game: Colts/Seahawks
Enough said.
The battle of the young hyped QBs game: Cowboys/49ers
Can Dak Prescott prove he just had a ‘sophomore slump’? Are the Cowboys actually going to be better at WR without Dez Bryant? Is super rich Jimmy G slamming a porn star going to make him even better for the probably one series he will play? TBD.
The least exciting, but it’s still football game: Bucs/Dolphins
No Jameis Winston, so I guess we’ll see who the backup QB will be for the first four games of the season. Ryan Tannehill is back after tearing his ACL, but it’s not likely we will see much of him. Here’s to hoping they show his wife in the stands more than the game itself.
Happy Thursday, football fans. The regular season is right around the corner.