2012 NFL Preseason Schedule Is Out; Regular Season Schedule Coming Later In April

NFL Preseason Schedule 2012: Games To Watch, Even If It's Just Preseason

The NFL released the 2012 preseason schedule on Wednesday and, while it's still just the preseason, there are several notable games to watch.

NFL Preseason Schedule 2012: Colts Vs. Steelers, 49ers Vs. Broncos Highlight National TV Games

The NFL has announced the preseason schedule for the 2012 NFL season. The first game of the preseason will be the annual Hall of Fame game between the Arizona Cardinals and New Orleans Saints in Canton, Ohio on Sunday, Aug. 5 at 8 p.m. (ET) on NFL Network.

Other highlights from the national TV schedule for preseason include the Colts (and probably Andrew Luck) playing the Steelers in Pittsburgh in Week 2, Jim Schwartz trying his luck on handshakes with the Baltimore-based Harbaugh brother in Week 2, as well as the 49ers and Broncos, who both pursued Peyton Manning, meeting in the preseason finale.

Also of note is that the national TV schedule includes every team from the 2011 playoff field.

The rest of the preseason games don't have dates attached to them (yet) but the national TV games have been scheduled. Here are all the nationally televised games for the preseason:

NFL Preseason Schedule 2012: 49ers, Rams, Seahawks And Cardinals

The 2012 NFL preseason schedule is out for every team, including the NFC West. It should once again be an interesting year in a division that has had more downs than ups in recent years. Preseason should give us a good look at what improvements teams have made, most notably the Seattle Seahawks with the addition of Matt Flynn and snazzy new uniforms.

The Arizona Cardinals officially kick off the NFL season with a matchup against the New Orleans Saints in Canton, Ohio, on Sunday Aug. 5. The St. Louis Rams will take on the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1, giving us a first look at whichever rookie quarterback phenom the Colts select first overall in the 2012 NFL Draft. The San Francisco 49ers and Alex Smith take on the Denver Broncos and Peyton Manning in Week 3 in a matchup that is sure to be awkward for everyone.

It should be noted that the Niners will not be playing the Oakland Raiders in preseason for the first time since 2000, due to the shooting that took place in the parking lot during last year's game. Here's the full preseason schedule for the NFC West:

San Francisco 49ers: Minnesota Vikings, at Houston Texans, at Denver Broncos, San Diego Chargers

St. Louis Rams: at Indianapolis Colts, Kansas City Chiefs, at Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens

Seattle Seahawks: Tennessee Titans, at Denver Broncos, at Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders

Arizona Cardinals: New Orleans Saints, at Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders, at Tennessee Titans, Denver Broncos

Stay tuned to this StoryStream for more information on the 2012 NFL preseason schedule.

NFL Preseason Schedule 2012: Saints, Falcons, Panthers And Buccaneers

The 2012 NFL preseason schedule is out for every team, including what figures to once again be a highly competitive NFC South. Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints will once again be favorites, though the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers should all be improved.

The Saints kick off the preseason with a Sunday, Aug. 5 bout against the Arizona Cardinals. Afterwards, they head to Foxboro to take on the Super Bowl runner-up New England Patriots. The Atlanta Falcons travel twice to Florida to take on the Dolphins and the Jaguars, while the Carolina Panthers head further north to take on the Jets and the Steelers in consecutive weeks.

Here's the preseason schedule for the entire NFC South:

New Orleans Saints: Arizona Cardinals (NFL Network), at New England Patriots, Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans, at Tennessee Titans

Atlanta Falcons: Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, at Miami Dolphins, at Jacksonville Jaguars

Carolina Panthers: Houston Texans, Miami Dolphins, at New York Jets, at Pittsburgh Steelers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: at Miami Dolphins, Tennessee Titans, New England Patriots, at Washington Redskins

Stay tuned to this StoryStream for more information on the 2012 NFL preseason schedule.

NFL Preseason Schedule 2012: Packers, Lions, Bears And Vikings

The 2012 NFL preseason schedule is out for the NFC North, which once again figures to be one of the stronger divisions in the league. A couple teams look to step forward as challengers to the Green Bay Packers. The Chicago Bears upgraded their receiving corps with the addition of Brandon Marshall in the offseason, while the Detroit Lions signed Calvin Johnson through the next eight seasons.

We'll get our first look at the Bears' new firepower against the Peyton Manning-led Denver Broncos in Week 1. They will also face a Washington Redskins squad likely led by a rookie quarterback, as well the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants. The Lions have to travel cross-country in a week, visiting the Baltimore Ravens in Week 2 before playing the Oakland Raiders on the West Coast in Week 3.

Here's the preseason schedule for the Bears, Lions and the rest of the NFC North:

Green Bay Packers: at San Diego Chargers, Cleveland Browns, at Cincinnati Bengals, Kansas City Chiefs

Detroit Lions: Cleveland Browns, at Baltimore Ravens, at Oakland Raiders, Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears: Denver Broncos, Washington Redskins, at New York Giants, at Cleveland Browns

Minnesota Vikings: at San Francisco 49ers, Buffalo Bills, San Diego Chargers, at Houston Texans

Stay tuned to this StoryStream for more information on the 2012 NFL preseason schedule.

NFL Preseason Schedule 2012: Giants, Cowboys, Eagles And Redskins

The 2012 NFL preseason schedule is out for every team in the NFL, including the NFC East. It should be an interesting division to watch, especially with the Washington Redskins likely unveiling a brand new rookie quarteback under center.

Week 3 of the preseason will likely pit Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III against one another, no matter where either QB ends up, as the Redkins host the Indianapolis Colts. The defending Super Bowl champions also have a couple of interesting matchups. The New York Giants will face off against Rex Ryan and the Jets in Week 2 and will rematch with the New England Patriots in Week 4.

Here's the preseason schedule for the Giants, Redskins and the rest of the NFC East:

New York Giants: at Jacksonville Jaguars, at New York Jets, Chicago Bears, New England Patriots

Dallas Cowboys: at Oakland Raiders, at San Diego Chargers, St. Louis Rams, Miami Dolphins

Philadelphia Eagles: Pittsburgh Steelers, at New England Patriots, at Cleveland Browns, New York Jets

Washington Redskins: at Buffalo Bills, at Chicago Bears, Indianapolis Colts, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Stay tuned to this StoryStream for more information on the 2012 NFL preseason schedule.

NFL Preseason Schedule 2012: Texans, Colts, Titans And Jaguars

The NFL's regular season schedule won't come out until closer to the 2012 NFL Draft, but the league has released the preseason schedule for every team, including those in the AFC South. And that means we now know when we'll see Andrew Luck on an NFL field for the first time. Assuming he's picked by the Colts, that game will come against the St. Louis Rams. Other scheduling notes include the Jaguars playing four playoff teams from last season.

Another Luck-Colts item is that Indy will play the Redskins in Week 3, which means that if the draft goes the way we think it'll go, Luck will face Robert Griffin III.

Here's a look at the preseason schedule for every AFC South team:

Houston Texans: at Carolina Panthers, San Francisco 49ers, at New Orleans Saints (CBS), Minnesota Vikings

Indianapolis Colts: St. Louis Rams, at Pittsburgh Steelers, at Washington Redskins, Cincinnati Bengals

Tennessee Titans: at Seattle Seahawks, at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Arizona Cardinals, New Orleans Saints

Jacksonville Jaguars: New York Giants, at New Orleans Saints, at Baltimore Ravens, Atlanta Falcons

Stay tuned to this StoryStream for more information on the 2012 NFL preseason schedule.

NFL Preseason Schedule 2012: Steelers, Ravens, Bengals And Browns

The 2012 NFL preseason schedule is out for every NFL team, including those in the AFC North. The regular season schedule won't be released until later in April, usually before the NFL draft. It won't be until after the 2012 NFL draft on April 26 until we know who will be lining up at quarterback for the Cleveland Browns during the preseason, but here's the list of teams the Browns, and the rest of the AFC North teams, will be facing in the preseason:

Pittsburgh Steelers: at Philadelphia Eagles, Indianapolis Colts (NBC), at Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers

Baltimore Ravens: at Atlanta Falcons, Detroit Lions (FOX), Jacksonville Jaguars, at St. Louis Rams

Cincinnati Bengals: New York Jets, at Atlanta Falcons (FOX), Green Bay Packers, at Indianapolis Colts

Cleveland Browns: at Detroit Lions, at Green Bay Packers, Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Bears

Stay tuned to this StoryStream for more information on the 2012 NFL preseason schedule.

NFL Preseason Schedule 2012: Broncos, Chiefs, Raiders And Chargers

The NFL's regular season won't come out until later in April but the league has released the preseason schedule for the 2012 season. That includes the Denver Broncos who will be featuring Peyton Manning at quarterback. The Broncos will play the 49ers on national TV in Week 3 in a battle of teams who pursued Manning. The Raiders will be opening on national TV against the Cowboys, while the Chargers and Packers will also meet on national TV in Week 1.

Also of note is that the Raiders and 49ers will not be playing their annual game for the first time in over a decade, due to the shooting at the game last year.

Here's the rest of the preseason schedule for the AFC West:

Denver Broncos: at Chicago Bears, Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers (FOX), at Arizona Cardinals

Oakland Raiders: Dallas Cowboys (ESPN), at Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions, at Seattle Seahawks

Kansas City Chiefs: Arizona Cardinals, at St. Louis Rams, Seattle Seahawks, at Green Bay Packers

San Diego Chargers: Green Bay Packers (ESPN), Dallas Cowboys, at Minnesota Vikings, at San Francisco 49ers

Stay tuned to this StoryStream for more information on the 2012 NFL preseason schedule.

NFL Preseason Schedule 2012: Patriots, Jets, Bills And Dolphins

The 2012 NFL preseason schedule is out for every team, including the AFC East, which means we know when we'll see Tim Tebow on the field for the New York Jets for the first time. We should also know who the Miami Dolphins will be trotting out at quarterback by the time the preseason hits.

Other highlights include the Patriots meeting the Giants in the preseason finale, Jets and Giants meeting in Week 2 and the Bills facing off against the Redskins in what will likely be Robert Griffin III's first preseason game.

Here's the preseason schedule for the entire AFC East:

New England Patriots: New Orleans Saints, Philadelphia Eagles (ESPN), at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, at New York Giants

New York Jets: at Cincinnati Bengals, New York Giants, Carolina Panthers (NBC), at Philadelphia Eagles

Buffalo Bills: Washington Redskins, at Minnesota Vikings, Pittsburgh Steelers, at Detroit Lions

Miami Dolphins: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, at Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons, at Dallas Cowboys

Stay tuned to this StoryStream for more information on the 2012 NFL preseason schedule.

NFL Preseason Schedule Reportedly To Be Announced On Wednesday

The NFL preseason schedule will be announced on Wednesday, April 4.