NFL preseason schedule and live updates (2024)

Check out scores and coverage from the weekend's preseason games as well as what's on tap for Sunday.

Thursday's games

Patriots 17, Panthers 3 — FINAL

• With Panthers starters sitting, some players help themselves, others don’t
• Patriots stock report

Giants 14, Lions 3 — FINAL

• Takeaways from Brian Daboll’s 2024 debut as play caller
• Lions stock report

Friday's games

Dolphins 20, Falcons 13 — FINAL

Texans 20, Steelers 12 — FINAL

Eagles 16, Ravens 13 — FINAL

Saturday's games

Jets 20, Commanders 17 — FINAL

Bears 33, Bills 6 — FINAL

Vikings 24, Raiders 23 — FINAL

Packers 23, Browns 10 — FINAL

Jaguars 26, Chiefs 13 — FINAL

Titans 17, 49ers 13 — FINAL

Buccaneers 17, Bengals 14 — FINAL

Seahawks 16, Chargers 3 — FINAL

Saints 16, Cardinals, 14 — FINAL

Sunday's games

Broncos 34, Colts 30 — FINAL

Rams 13, Cowboys 12 — FINAL

FULL PRESEASON WEEK 1 SCHEDULE

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Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said Sunday that he hopes to name a starting quarterback a week from now.

“The goal would be to hopefully make a decision after this game this Saturday,” Pierce said. “We’ve got to get ready to play football. We’ve got enough film and we'll have two games here to evaluate both quarterbacks to see how they'll play.”

Gardner Minshew was 6-of-12 for 117 yards and a touchdown, playing the second quarter, in the 24-23 loss to the Vikings on Saturday. Aidan O’Connell started the game and was 7-of-9 for 76 yards in his lone drive (that resulted in a field goal) in the first quarter.

“I thought both guys were efficient,” Pierce said. “I thought there were some opportunities that Minshew made down the field that were really good. But I thought both quarterbacks – obviously, when it's a clean pocket, man, you can see what this offense could be with both guys.”

Pierce said both quarterbacks will again play one quarter against the Cowboys on Saturday night.

Receiver Davante Adams returned to the team Sunday after the birth of his son.

After throwing four interceptions, Stetson Bennett connected Sunday when it mattered most. With 4 seconds left, he hit tight end Miller Forristall for a 6-yard score. Josh Karty's extra point put the Rams ahead 13-12 for the preseason win against the Dallas Cowboys at SoFi Stadium.

Bennett had struggled a good bit. He completed 24-of-38 passes for 224 yards with the four picks.

Meanwhile, the Cowboys failed to reach the end zone as they relied on four Brandon Aubrey field goals.

The San Francisco 49ers canceled joint practices with the New Orleans Saints due to injuries. Kyle Shanahan said Saturday night that 23 players were missing from the team's most recent practice.

Read more here.

Bo Nix was staring at a quick end to his debut drive with the Denver Broncos on Sunday afternoon.

The rookie quarterback entered the preseason opener against the Indianapolis Colts late in the first quarter and fired incomplete on his first two passes, setting up a third-and-10 near midfield. Just after the snap, Nix appeared to be in trouble as pressure arrived from the right side. But if his first two throws showcased some understandable nerves for a player making his professional debut, the third showcased many of the traits that made him an appealing choice for the Broncos’ with the No. 12 overall pick in April’s NFL Draft.

Nix scooted to his left, bought enough time to turn his shoulders, fired a pass across his body and hit Courtland Sutton for a 22-yard gain. In one play, the 24-year-old rookie showcased the combination of poise, athleticism and arm strength that helped Broncos decision-makers become enamored with him during the pre-draft process. More importantly, the play seemed to center the rookie quarterback after his nervy start.

“It’s always good when you look up and see an open guy,” Nix said. “It’s just about getting it to him from there.”

Read more from Nix's debut here.

Owings MIlls, Md. - The Ravens breathed a sigh of relief Saturday after they learned that first-round rookie corner Nate Wiggins did not sustain a significant shoulder injury. They also are optimistic that they'll get good news from further testing on the left leg of star safety Kyle Hamilton.

Hamilton, who was a first-team All-Pro last season, went down late in Sunday's practice while contesting a pass downfield. Members of the training staff rushed onto the field to check on him as he remained on the ground. Hamilton was helped to his feet and ultimately walked off the field under his own power. After getting checked out on the sideline, he then walked back inside with members of the team's medical staff trailing him. His limp was less pronounced by the time he reached the building.

"Looks stable, looks good.," said Ravens head coach John Harbaugh. "Obviously, we’ll continue to do some tests tonight and tomorrow to make sure, but first indications are that Kyle's fine.”

Harbaugh also provided a more detailed update on Wiggins, who left the team's preseason opener against the Philadelphia Eagles with a right shoulder injury. An MRI taken Saturday confirmed that Wiggins has a shoulder sprain. He could miss some practice time, but the Ravens are optimistic that he'll be ready to play in Week 1 against the Kansas City Chiefs.

"Wiggins is not a serious injury," Harbaugh said. "It’s the same one that I got last week on the water slide [drill]. Look at my movement – I would’ve been active for the game, so I think we’re good.”

Harbaugh acknowledged that he sustained an "AC (joint) sprain," when he jumped on a fumble last week in practice.

PHILADELPHIA — The rookie’s car had run out of gas.

Quinyon Mitchell steered it to the roadside. Cars whooshed past in the morning rush hour on Walt Whitman Bridge. The Philadelphia Eagles cornerback dug for his phone and dialed up one of his mentors. Avonte Maddox answered.

“What happened?” Maddox asked.

Mitchell at first said his car broke down.

“Broke down?

OK, too severe. Mitchell owned the potential embarrassment, but tried to explain: The digital fuel gauge had said he still had 50 miles left.

Maddox arrived not long after, and soon, he and Mitchell — the No. 22 overall pick with $14.8 million coming his way — were speeding off to their morning meeting.

“We got here right on time,” Maddox said after Sunday’s practice. “Just beat it. Right there, right on time. But I did some calling, so he was good. Just in case we didn’t make it.”

Rookies need veterans. They need them for guidance. They need them for counsel. They need them to help them out when their cars “break down” in the middle of a bridge. In a deeply competitive, and often cutthroat league, some veterans are open books. Others hoard their knowledge. The Eagles, who place a premium on player mentorship, have fostered a locker room in which the rookie-veteran relationship is a crucial tenet of their team-building strategy.

General manager Howie Roseman partly drafted Mitchell with the intention of having him learn from 12-year veteran Darius Slay. Mitchell has said he asks Slay a question “every day” and studies the six-time Pro Bowler’s work habits. Slay has embraced their relationship. Maddox, who’s entering his seventh season, is yet another established player who isn’t leaving the new kid stranded on the highway.

But theirs is a different dynamic. It’s not as guaranteed that Maddox, 28, will survive cut day. The Eagles already released Maddox in a cap-clearing move in March that freed up $2 million ahead of the free agency cycle. Maddox, whose injuries sidelined him during 21 regular-season games over the past two seasons, had been playing on a three-year extension that paid him $7.5 million annually. Maddox eventually re-signed with Philadelphia on a team-friendly, one-year, $2 million deal.

Mitchell also is now taking first-team reps as the defense’s nickel safety, the very position in which Maddox specializes. It may not be Mitchell’s final destination before the regular season begins Sept. 6. But the rookie’s progress warranted a spot in the secondary, and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, who is cross-training several defensive backs at different positions, is exploring whether the secondary’s best lineup configuration features Mitchell in the slot. Maddox, meanwhile, has taken first-team reps at safety while C.J. Gardner-Johnson nurses a shoulder injury.

“It doesn’t matter,” Maddox said. “Whenever (Mitchell) needs me, it’s never a battle between us in that way. It’s all about competition. It’s all about me helping him get better, because at some point, you know, I’ma be done playing football, and he’ll still be going, and I want him to be the best he can be.”

Read more from Eagles camp here.

The Browns have re-acquired center Nick Harris in a trade of late-round picks with the Seahawks.

Harris, a fifth-round pick of the Browns in 2020, was the backup center for three seasons in Cleveland before signing with Seattle in March. The Browns lost Luke Wypler to a broken ankle in Saturday's preseason opener, and with veteran interior lineman Michael Dunn also dealing with an injury, they moved to bring back Harris.

The Browns gave up a 2026 sixth-round pick in exchange for Harris and a 2026 seventh-round pick from the Seahawks, a sign that Harris wasn't really in the Seahawks' plans. The Browns have encountered a bit of an August emergency on the offensive line with tackles Jedrick Wills and Jack Conklin still rehabbing knee injuries and the new injuries suffered by Wypler and Dunn.

Harris was slated to be the starting center for the Browns in 2022 before he suffered a torn ACL in the preseason opener and was replaced by Ethan Pocic, a former Seahawk, Pocic got a contract extension after the 2022 season and is slated to be the Browns' starter for at least one more season.

Seattle signed C Connor Williams along with Sunday's trade.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is no stranger to making headlines.

He made one last Thursday when he was asked about the CeeDee Lamb contract situation and said, "“I just,” Jones said in Oxnard, Calif. “I went to high school. I went to college. I don’t know why I said it. I don’t have a sense of urgency about getting it done. Give any reason you want. I was at Nobu two days ago. Put that as a reason.”

Needless to say, that caused a stir, especially when Lamb responded to the quote on Twitter with "lol." Lamb, the Cowboys' top playmaker and one of the NFL's top receivers, is holding out of training camp while looking for a new contract.

On Sunday before Dallas played its first preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium, Jones had this to say on the team's pregame show.

Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said immediately after Friday night’s preseason game against the Dolphins that injuries to safety Demarcco Hellams and outside linebacker Bralen Trice “felt bad.”

In Trice’s case, that was right. The Falcons placed the rookie on reserve/injured list on Sunday. They also put defensive back Harrison Hand on the IR, released quarterback Nathan Rourke and signed wide receiver Jakeem Grant, quarterback John Paddock and running back Spencer Brown.

They did not make any roster moves with Hellams, which could be good news for the second-string safety.

“These preseason games are tough,” Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said. “You know, we talk about them every year. This is the reason why you try to play the least amount of people as you can. DeMarcco being a second-year player, you wanted to give him a little bit of action. He gets hurt really early and then having Trice as a rookie, you want to give him some action as an NFL professional player and those things come back to bite you at times,” Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said after the game. “It almost makes you not want to, but you know the cost of doing business. You've got to make those decisions and those are heavy on you, all the time, those types of injuries.”

The Falcons held 22 players out of Friday night’s game, including almost all of their offensive and defensive starters. Hellams and Trice were not expected to be starters but were expected to be major contributors.

Hellams was a seventh-round pick in 2023 who started four games at safety last season and came into camp competing with Richie Grant for a starting job. Grant appeared to have the lead in that competition two weeks into training camp, but the Falcons were hoping to get significant snaps out of Hellams.

Trice was Atlanta’s third-round pick this year, and the Falcons had hoped he would bolster their pass rush. Trice was working mostly as a rotational player with the second-team defense in practices prior to the game.

The Falcons held two joint practices against the Dolphins prior to Friday night’s game, and wide receiver Rondale Moore suffered a season-ending knee injury in the second of those sessions.

The Athletic's Paul Dehner Jr. on the five Cincinnati Bengals who impressed, four who didn’t and one who made you think in their opener against the Bucs.

Joe Burrow and Tee Higgins were superb in limited work, while there were major ups and downs for the talented rookie class.

Read more here.

Bo Nix led the Broncos offense to scores on four of his five drives during Sunday’s preseason opener, a promising debut for the rookie quarterback who is vying for the team’s starting job.

Nix finished 15-of-21 for 125 yards and one touchdown. He completed 10 of 16 passes for 83 yards and one touchdown across three series in the first half, and he demonstrated a mobility that could add another element to coach Sean Payton’s offense. Nix saw more action in starting the second half of Sunday's game,

Nix entered the game late in the first quarter after Jarrett Stidham started an played the first two series. The rookie’s first two passes were incomplete, but a 22-yard pass to Courtland Sutton on third-and-10 seemed to settle him down. Nix evaded pressure from his right and then threw across his body on the run to find Sutton, showcasing the athleticism that made him a dual-threat weapon during record 61 college starts.

Nix led the Broncos to a field goal on his first possession, then sparked a touchdown drive during his second run by rushing for two first downs. The first came on a third-and-3 as he found space on the left side and escaped the Indianapolis pass rush. He also gained 11 yards on a designed run and finished the drive by hitting Marvin Mims Jr. for a 1-yard touchdown.

Nix’s third drive began at his own 16-yard line with just 1:19 left in the second quarter. He pushed Denver 75 yards in seven plays — he was aided by a 34-yard pass-interference penalty — and led the Broncos to a field goal that gave them a 13-10 halftime lead.

Colts QB Anthony Richardson's day was over after two series against the Broncos in both teams' preseason opener.

Richardson, appearing in his first NFL game in 308 days after sustaining a season-ending shoulder injury last year, finished 2-of-4 passing for 25 yards. He connected with tight end Mo Alie-Cox for a 19-yard gain on Indy's second drive. Richardson also scrambled and ran out of bounds.

It was only a 1-yard gain, but the Colts are likely very pleased that their dual-threat QB was wise enough not to take an unnecessary hit. Richardson's decision-making and how well he protects himself will remain a big topic of discussion during his second NFL season.

Which quarterbacks make the Patriots roster in our latest 53-man projection?

In: Jacoby Brissett, Drake Maye, Joe Milton

Out: Bailey Zappe

The quarterback position is probably the most set in stone. Barring injury, this is almost certainly how it will look. Milton gets the nod for the No. 3 quarterback job over Zappe, and he’s earned it even setting aside that his potential is much higher. The more interesting question is how much Maye plays in the coming days and whether he gets a chance with the first-team offense. Coach Jerod Mayo said this is a massive week for Maye and others as the Philadelphia Eagles visit for a joint practice Tuesday. The teams then face off in a preseason game Thursday in which, Mayo said, Maye will play more than one series.

What about the safeties?

In: Kyle Dugger, Jabrill Peppers, Jaylinn Hawkins, Marte Mapu, Brenden Schooler

Out: Dell Pettus, Joshuah Bledsoe, A.J. Thomas

This is the Patriots’ deepest and best position group, so the decisions are extra difficult. Schooler needs to make the team given his special teams prowess. That leaves you with four safeties assuming Mapu is healthy (though perhaps they could start him on the PUP list, which would open up another spot). That makes for tough math for Hawkins, Pettus and Bledsoe, all of whom have played well. Probably only one will make it, though, and I have Hawkins ahead.

Read more Patriots roster projections here.

-The good from the offense: A deep TD pass from Daniel Jones to WR Malik Nabers (before he left with an ankle injury) running a post that split safeties Jason Pinnock and Dane Belton. A deep TD pass from Jones to WR Jalin Hyatt on a fade route against CB Deonte Banks.

The bad from the offense: Everything else. It was one of the sloppiest practices of camp. Jones threw a pass into a crowd over the middle that was intercepted by S Jason Pinnock (his third interception of camp). A forced pass to Nabers on a curl was nearly intercepted by LB Bobby Okereke.

Some of the misses from Jones were way off target. He had WR Darius Slayton running wide open in the back of the end zone in a red-zone period and the throw wasn't close. And it wasn't even a day with a ton of downfield passes. RB Devin Singletary led the starting offense with four catches.

Jones fumbled a shotgun snap while trying to run a QB draw on the offense's last rep of practice. Just not a sharp day at all.

-There was a lot of rotating with the center/right guard spots. Greg Van Roten started at C with Aaron Stinnie at RG. In the middle of some periods, Austin Schlottmann would come in at C and Van Roten would shift to RG. In other periods, Schlottmann would come in at C and Stinnie would stay at RG.

John Michael Schmitz, who participated in his first practice since injuring his shoulder early in camp, took some reps at C in a walk-through install period. Can see where things are headed with Van Roten eventually displacing Stinnie at RG.

-TE Theo Johnson looked like a rookie today. He had multiple passes fall incomplete that hit his hands. A mix of drops and inability to catch inaccurate passes.

-It was equally shaky for Tommy DeVito pulling double duty as the QB for the second and third teams with Drew Lock sidelined by a hip injury. Like Jones, some of DeVito's misses were way off the mark.

-It's surprising to see LT Andrew Thomas give up a sack in practice because it never happened the past few years. But OLB Brian Burns beat him twice today. One was on a screen, but Burns was on Jones so fast he likely would have blown up the play in a game.

-Tre Hawkins got some first-team reps at outside CB with Nick McCloud shifting into the Dime LB spot at times. Tre Herndon was the first-team slot corner with Dru Phillips apparently getting a day off.

-Injury updates beyond Nabers: LB Dyontae Johnson (ankle) and S Elijah Riley (concussion) weren't spotted. Lock (hip), CB Cor'Dale Flott (quad), S Gervarrius Owens (knee), LB Carter Coughlin (lower body) and Jalen Mills (NFI) worked on the side. WR Dennis Houston watched practice with his right hand in a cast.

In addition to Schmitz and Evan Neal, TE Lawrence Cager (hamstring) and OLB Tomon Fox (hamstring) returned after missing two weeks each. Fox would have had a sack of DeVito in the last team period.

The Athletic's Daniel Popper has more on Easton Stick and the Los Angeles Chargers' offense sputtering in Jim Harbaugh's preseason debut. Stick, the Chargers' backup QB, completed just 5 of 13 passes for 31 yards and an interception in the 16-3 loss.

Read more here.

He had the defensive play of the game for San Francisco late in the second quarter when he stonewalled Titans running back Hassan Haskins at the 2-yard line on fourth down.

The 49ers drafted Mustapha in the fourth round this year because they liked his combination of smarts and aggression, especially near the line of scrimmage. That’s what happened when the Titans tried to punch the ball in from two yards out. Mustapha, who was lined up six yards deep in the end zone, read the play, drove forward and hit the 228-pound Haskins so hard, he was knocked backward two yards.

Mustapha essentially has been the team’s third safety in training camp behind Ji’Ayir Brown and George Odum. Another safety, Talanoa Hufanga, might get worked into practices next week following his recovery from a Nov. 19 ACL tear. The 49ers also recently signed veteran Tracy Walker III, making safety one of the deeper units on the team.

Read more for other 49ers standouts here.

Fourth-round rookie safety Jaden Hicks has been one of the most consistent players among the seven-member rookie class throughout training camp. He has done well with first-team repetitions in camp, and he was rewarded Saturday by defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. Hicks was the lone rookie defensive starter.

Before halftime, Hicks produced several memorable moments. He led the Chiefs in the first half with three solo tackles, including one behind the line of scrimmage in a one-on-one matchup on the perimeter. C.J. Beathard completed a short pass to running back Tank Bigsby on third-and-10, and Hicks flashed his speed to tackle Bigsby for a 1-yard loss, forcing the Jaguars to kick a field goal.

“I thought Hicks stepped up and did a nice job in there,” Reid said. “I liked what I saw. He’s big and he’s fast, and he did a good job on special teams.”

Later in the second quarter, Hicks made a perfectly timed diving tackle on receiver Austin Trammell while on punt coverage. Trammell didn’t gain a yard after punter Matt Araiza’s 42-yard boot.

Hicks’ lone mistake was on a blitz in the final minute of the second quarter. He generated pressure on Beathard, but he committed a roughing-the-passer penalty by hitting the quarterback’s helmet with his left forearm. The play resulted in a 35-yard touchdown for the Jaguars, who accepted the penalty to move the ball to the 1-yard line for their two-point attempt, which was successful.

Read more from Chiefs preseason here.