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We’re in the midst of the second full week of preseason football. With three weeks remaining before the regular-season opener, expect more starters and names you know to be playing this week.

Things started off Thursday with the New England Patriots rolling past the host Philadelphia Eagles, a game in which Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was scratched late because of illness.

On Friday, the meeting between the Kansas City Chiefs and Arizona Cardinals was a college reunion, with Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes taking on his college coach at Texas Tech, Kliff Kingsbury. But neither Mahomes nor Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray showed much in a quarter of work, and Mahomes was intercepted on his final pass.

Saturday will see the bulk of the action with 10 games scheduled. The day started with an afternoon showdown between the Buffalo Bills and Chicago Bears, followed by the New York Jets facing the Green Bay Packers. We might get to see Jets rookie QB Zach Wilson fanboying Packers legend Aaron Rodgers in real time. The night slate features a Texas-sized battle between the Houston Texans and Dallas Cowboys in “Jerry World” and the Las Vegas Raiders (arguably the most popular team in Los Angeles) taking on the Los Angeles Rams (who want that title).

The Odell Beckham Jr. bowl between the New York Giants and Cleveland Browns is one of two contests on Sunday, while Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars visit the New Orleans Saints on Monday.

Quick links:
Full schedule | Depth charts | PickCenter

Jump to a matchup:
NE-PHI | KC-ARI | CIN-WAS| BUF-CHI

NFL preseason Week 2 schedule

Saturday’s games

Standout performers: Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky, 220 yards, TD

Going into Saturday’s game, one could have argued the Bills’ defensive line was their most improved group this offseason. After their blowout win over the Bears, however, that honor might go to the quarterback room. Mitchell Trubisky torched his former team, leading four straight touchdown drives to start the game while completing 20 of 28 passes for 220 yards and a touchdown in the first half. If Josh Allen should ever miss time this season, the Bills’ offense appears to be in good hands. — Marcel Louis-Jacques

Next game: vs. Packers (1 p.m. ET, Aug. 28)

There is no reason to overreact in the preseason, but veteran Andy Dalton failed to silence fans screaming for Chicago to start rookie quarterback Justin Fields when the regular season opens. After the offense went three-and-out in both of Dalton’s series last week, the offense looked even worse on Saturday against Buffalo until Dalton connected with Rodney Adams for a 73-yard touchdown late in the second quarter. Dalton’s numbers were OK (11-of-17 for 146 yards, one touchdown, one interception), but outside of that one exciting TD pass, the Bears’ offense was unproductive and out of sorts virtually the entire first half. Dalton’s interception at the end of the second quarter — when the intended target clearly slipped on his route — further infuriated a fan base already calling for Fields to take over. With starters unlikely to play in the preseason finale, the Bears’ offense will open the regular season without having accomplished much of anything during preseason games. — Jeff Dickerson

Next game: at Titans (7 p.m. ET, Aug. 28)

New York Jets at Green Bay, 4:25 p.m. ET, NFL Network

Atlanta at Miami, 7 p.m. ET

Baltimore at Carolina, 7 p.m. ET

Detroit at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m. ET, NFL Network

Tennessee at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. ET

Houston at Dallas, 8 p.m. ET

Indianapolis at Minnesota, 8 p.m. ET

Las Vegas at Los Angeles Rams, 10 p.m. ET, NFL Network

Denver at Seattle, 10 p.m. ET

Sunday’s games

New York Giants at Cleveland, 1 p.m. ET, NFL Network

San Francisco at Los Angeles Chargers, 7:30 p.m. ET, NFL Network

Monday’s game

Jacksonville at New Orleans, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN

Standout performer: Chiefs receiver Bryon Pringle: 4 receptions, 63 yards

Chris Jones continues to look like he’s primed for a big season. Jones had a sack against the Cardinals, giving him two in roughly three quarters of preseason play, and also deflected a pass and forced a fumble. The Chiefs need not worry about his position change to defensive end, particularly because his replacement at defensive tackle, Jarran Reed, also had a sack. — Adam Teicher

Next game: vs. Vikings (8 p.m. ET, Aug. 27)

It’s easy to say “it’s the preseason, it doesn’t count,” but there were a couple of specific plays Friday night that could be of some concern for the Cardinals. In the first half, there was some sort of miscommunication between quarterback Kyler Murray and wide receiver Rondale Moore on one play and A.J. Green on another. Maybe it was just a kink that needs to be ironed out, but to be experiencing those types of mistakes this close to the regular season isn’t something to dismiss. The Cardinals’ first-team offense struggled. Murray completed just 1 of 4 passes for 2 yards and had one run for 8 yards. It might not matter, but it wasn’t pretty. — Josh Weinfuss

Next game: at Saints (8 p.m. ET, Aug. 28)


Standout performer: Washington RB Jaret Patterson: 16 carries, 71 yards, TD

Bengals rookie wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase will chalk the past 72 hours up as a learning experience. Bengals cornerback Chidobe Awuzie got the better of the 2021 fifth overall pick during Wednesday’s practice. On Friday night against Washington, Chase dropped three targets — with all of them coming on third downs. Chase has struggled with drops throughout training camp. However, in his breakout 2019 season at LSU, he had a mere six drops on just 124 targets, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. Chase’s struggles could be attributed to getting back into football rhythm after opting out of 2020 or just a rough couple of days. Either way, it’ll be something Chase will be looking to correct before the start of the regular season. — Ben Baby

Next game: vs. Dolphins (4 p.m. ET, Aug. 29)

Washington’s offense should be better this season, but it did not have a consistent showing against the Bengals. Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for 96 yards but completed only 7 of 13 passes. The passing game lacked rhythm, though he did make a nice throw to Dyami Brown for 29 yards. The run game was inconsistent with Antonio Gibson; He’s a big back but is still learning to run using all of his power to be more effective in short-yardage situations. The back who stood out: undrafted rookie Jaret Patterson. He got some work with starters and also returned one kickoff for 37 yards. If Washington keeps four running backs, he’ll have to show he can help on special teams. But he continues to show he can run with patience and also some power, and he catches the ball well out of the backfield. They might have found a gem. — John Keim

Next game: at Ravens (6 p.m. ET, Aug. 28)


Thursday’s game

Standout performer: Patriots QB Cam Newton: 8-of-9 passing for 103 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT

Cam Newton made his most decisive statement yet that he isn’t giving up the starting quarterback job, finishing 8-of-9 for 103 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions over three drives. Newton looked as comfortable as he’s been as a Patriot, albeit against the Eagles’ second-string defense, with his 28-yard TD to receiver Jakobi Meyers coming after Meyers gave him a hand signal before the snap to declare his intentions. That reflects a QB and WR operating at peak efficiency from a pre-snap communication standpoint. Meanwhile, Mac Jones had some notable highlights in relief, with his first drive covering 91 yards in 17 plays and chewing up 9:04 of the clock. Jones finished 13-of-19 for 146 yards over four drives. — Mike Reiss

Next game: at Giants (6 p.m. ET, Aug. 29)

Rookie receiver DeVonta Smith made his preseason debut and finished with two catches for 19 yards on four targets in one half of work. Much more important than the stat line was the fact that Smith moved well and didn’t appear to be held back by the left MCL sprain that kept him out of practice for two weeks. On his second catch of the night, he started inside, hit the brakes, and cut back out to beat cornerback Michael Jackson for a 10-yard reception, showing shades of his Heisman Trophy-winning form. It took some time to knock the rust off, as Smith’s night started with a couple drops on a pair of imperfect passes from Joe Flacco (who started for an ill Jalen Hurts) but Smith smoothed out as the game progressed and sprang open pretty consistently. All in all, it was a successful warm-up for the regular-season opener against the Atlanta Falcons on Sept. 12. — Tim McManus

Next game: at Jets (7:30 p.m. ET, Aug. 27)


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NASCAR asks judge to dismiss antitrust lawsuit

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NASCAR asks judge to dismiss antitrust lawsuit

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — NASCAR went before a federal judge Wednesday and asked for the antitrust suit filed against the stock car series to be dismissed. Should it proceed, NASCAR asked that the two teams suing be ordered to post a bond to cover fees they would not be legally owed if they lose the case.

NASCAR also asked U.S. District Judge Kenneth Bell of the Western District of North Carolina to dismiss chairman Jim France as a defendant in the suit filed by 23XI Racing, a team co-owned by NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan, and Front Row Motorsports, which is owned by entrepreneur Bob Jenkins.

Bell promised a fast ruling but indicated he was unlikely to dismiss the suit when he closed the 90-minute hearing. The calendar he set when he received the case last month calls for a December trial.

“This case is going to be tried this year, and deserves to be tried this year,” Bell said.

Bell replaced Judge Frank Whitney, who heard the first round of arguments in early November. The teams went before Whitney and asked to be recognized as chartered teams this year as the suit progresses, but Whitney denied the motion.

The teams appealed and the case was transferred to Bell, who overruled Whitney and granted an injunction that allow 23XI and Front Row to compete with charter recognition throughout the 2025 season. That led NASCAR to request the teams post a bond to cover all the payouts they will receive as chartered teams as collateral should the teams lose the case.

NASCAR and the teams that compete in the top Cup Series operate with a franchise system that was implemented in 2016 in which 36 cars have “charters” that guarantee them a spot in the field at every race and financial incentives. There are four “open” spots earmarked for the field each week.

The teams banded together in negotiations on an improved charter system in a contentious battle with NASCAR for nearly two years. NASCAR in September finally had enough and presented the teams with a take-it-or-leave-it offer that had to be signed same day — just 48 hours before the start of the playoffs.

23XI and Front Row were the only two teams out of 15 who refused to sign the new charter agreement. They then teamed together to sue NASCAR and France, arguing as the only stock car entity in the United States, NASCAR has a monopoly and the teams are not getting their fair share of the pie.

Both organizations maintained they would still compete as open cars, but convinced Bell last month to give them chartered status by arguing they would suffer irreparable harm as open cars. Among the claims was that 23XI driver Tyler Reddick, last year’s regular season champion, would contractually become an immediate free agent if the team did not have him in a guaranteed chartered car.

Bell peppered both sides with questions regarding payout structures, what harm NASCAR would suffer if the teams were open cars and other issues.

“Why give a charter to anyone?” he at one point asked NASCAR.

Replied NASCAR attorney Christopher Yates, of Latham & Watkins: “NASCAR would be perfectly fine going back to that (pre-charter) model.”

Bell admitted he doesn’t normally hear motions to dismiss but did Wednesday because “we’ve got to get this case moving.” He later said he felt the hearing was beneficial as he was able to “size up” the attorneys and they could do the same with him.

Bell also warned both sides to work together to avoid disputes and promised the losing side will pay the fees for the discovery portion of the case.

With all indications that Bell is not going to dismiss the suit, it appears the only suspense will be if he orders the teams to post bond before the season begins next month. NASCAR argued Wednesday that it needs that money earmarked because it would be redistributed to the chartered teams if 23XI and Front Row lose.

Jeffery Kessler, considered the top antitrust lawyer in the country, argued that NASCAR has made no such promise to redistribute the funds to other teams. Kessler said NASCAR told teams it was up to NASCAR’s discretion how it would use the money and didn’t rule out spending some on its own legal fees.

Jordan and Jenkins attended the first hearing but were not present Wednesday. Only 23XI co-owner Denny Hamlin was present, along with his fiancee and mother. France and vice chairman Mike Helton were in the gallery with NASCAR’s in-house legal counsel and members of the communications team.

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Portal QB Van Dyke picks SMU for his third stop

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Portal QB Van Dyke picks SMU for his third stop

Former Wisconsin/Miami quarterback Tyler Van Dyke has committed to SMU, agent Shawn O’Dare of Rosenhaus Sports announced Wednesday.

The fifth-year quarterback entered the transfer portal after appearing in three games this fall during his debut season with the Badgers before sustaining a season-ending injury against Alabama on Sept. 14.

Van Dyke, a three-year starter at Miami from 2021 to 2023, has 7,891 career passing yards and 55 career touchdown passes and has one year of eligibility remaining. He was ranked by ESPN as the 25th best quarterback in the transfer portal.

With 33 career games played, the 6-foot-4, 225-pound passer was one of the most experienced quarterbacks available in the 2024 portal cycle.

Benched in his final season at Miami in 2023, Van Dyke arrived at Wisconsin last offseason and was named the Badgers’ starting quarterback on Aug. 14 after a camp competition with sophomore Braden Locke. Van Dyke completed 43 of 68 passes for 422 yards and a touchdown in three starts to open the 2024 season, but he was sidelined for the rest of the season after sustaining a knee injury on the opening drive of Wisconsin’s 42-10 loss to Alabama in Week 3.

The 2025 season will mark Van Dyke’s sixth in college football. He first burst onto the scene at Miami in 2021, taking over for injured D’Eriq King and throwing for 2,931 yards with 25 touchdowns and six interceptions on his way to ACC Rookie of the Year honors.

But Van Dyke’s next two seasons with the Hurricanes were marred by injury and turnover struggles, headlined by a 2023 campaign in which Van Dyke threw a career-high 12 interceptions and was benched in favor of backup Emory Williams before regaining the starting role after Williams sustained a season-ending injury.

ESPN’s Eli Lederman contributed to this report.

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Franklin jabs at ND, says CFP needs uniformity

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Franklin jabs at ND, says CFP needs uniformity

DANIA BEACH, Fla. — While discussing the opportunity that awaits Penn State in the College Football Playoff, coach James Franklin said Wednesday that the showdown against Notre Dame is about “representing our schools and our conferences.”

Franklin then caught himself, realizing Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman was sitting just to his right.

“Or our conference, excuse me,” Franklin said.

Penn State will be representing the Big Ten against FBS independent Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl on Thursday night (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) at Hard Rock Stadium.

The Nittany Lions reached the Big Ten championship game before earning a No. 6 seed in the first 12-team CFP, while the Fighting Irish made the playoff as an at-large and earned the No. 7 seed despite playing in one fewer game.

Franklin said he thinks a larger CFP ultimately requires more uniformity around college football, including every team to be part of a conference and playing the same number of league games. Notre Dame, one of three remaining FBS independents, sees its status as central to the school’s identity and has resisted chances to join the Big Ten and other conferences over the years. The Fighting Irish compete in the ACC for most of their other major sports, and they have a scheduling agreement with the ACC in football.

“It should be consistent across college football,” Franklin said. “This is no knock at [Freeman] or Notre Dame, but I think everybody should be in a conference. I think everybody should play a conference championship game, or nobody should play a conference champion championship game. I think everybody should play the same number of conference games.”

Penn State reached the CFP by playing nine conference games as well as the Big Ten championship game against No. 1 Oregon, which defeated the Nittany Lions 45-37 on Dec. 7. The Big 12 also has maintained a nine-game league slate, while the SEC and ACC have stayed at eight conference games.

Franklin, who coached at Vanderbilt before Penn State, praised the SEC for remaining at eight league games, which the league’s coaches wanted. The SEC has repeatedly considered going to nine league games during Franklin’s time in the Big Ten.

“I was not a math major at East Stroudsburg, but just the numbers are going to make things more challenging if you’re playing one more conference game,” he said.

Franklin also highlighted other areas of the sport that could be made more uniform, including starting the season a week earlier to ease the strain of playing more games with an expanded playoff. He reiterated his desire to appoint a college football commissioner unaffiliated with a school or a conference, and once again mentioned longtime coach and current ESPN analyst Nick Saban as an option, along with former Washington and Boise State coach Chris Petersen, now a Fox college football analyst, and Dave Clawson, who recently stepped down as Wake Forest’s coach.

“We need somebody that is looking at it from a big-picture perspective,” Franklin said.

Freeman acknowledged that Notre Dame prides itself on its independence. He said the team uses the weekend of conference championships, when they’re guaranteed not to be playing, as another open week for recovery and other priorities.

Notre Dame ended the regular season Nov. 30 and did not play again until Dec. 20, when it hosted Indiana in a first-round CFP game. In helping craft the format for the 12-team CFP, former Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick agreed that if the Irish were selected, they would not be eligible to earn a bye into the quarterfinals.

Freeman noted that he doesn’t have a strong opinion on whether college football needs more uniformity.

“I’m a guy that just [thinks], ‘Tell us what we’re doing and let’s go, and you move forward,'” Freeman said. “I love where we’re at right now. [Athletic director] Pete Bevacqua and our Notre Dame administration will continue to make decisions that are best for our program.”

Franklin said his desire for greater consistency stems from the CFP selection process and the difficulty of committee members to sort through teams with vastly different paths and profiles, and determine strength of schedule and other factors.

“How do you put those people that are in that room to make a really important decision that impacts the landscape of college football, and they can’t compare apples to apples or oranges to oranges?” Franklin said. “I think that makes it very, very difficult.”

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