NFL Preseason Week 1 – Who’s Playing/Starting on Saturday, Aug 15?

• Seven games fill out the Saturday, Aug. 15 NFL preseason Week 1 slate, starting at 1 p.m. ET and running through the night.
• Three teams are giving their starting quarterbacks real snaps while four are sitting theirs completely.
• Jump to any game below for the full NFL preseason Week 1 starting lineups, QB rotations, and confirmed inactives for Saturday.

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NFL preseason Week 1 hits its busiest day Saturday, Aug. 15, with seven games spread across four kickoff windows. A few teams are treating this like a real evaluation, while others are keeping their stars in baseball caps.

Here is every game on Saturday’s schedule, who is starting at quarterback, and which names are sitting it out.

Jump to a game: Panthers at Bills | Browns at Bears | Vikings at Giants | Rams at Chiefs | Jaguars at Saints | Eagles at Ravens | Cowboys at Seahawks

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Who’s Starting at QB Saturday, Aug. 15?

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Panthers at Bills (1:00 PM ET, Local TV)

Carolina sat out the Hall of Fame Game, so this is the first look at the first-team offense. Dave Canales also has RB Jonathon Brooks getting first-team work in his return from an ACL injury, and Xavier Legette is cleared to play.

Kenny Pickett and Kyle Trask handle the relief work with King out. Derrick Brown is questionable with knee soreness.

See the full Panthers vs Bills odds

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Browns at Bears (1:00 PM ET, NFL Network)

This is the one with actual stakes. Todd Monken named Deshaun Watson the Week 1 starter, and Shedeur Sanders takes over after halftime before starting next week against Buffalo.

Ben Johnson is going the other way in Chicago. Bagent has been a preseason problem for opponents, going 6-0-1 in his last seven preseason starts.

See the full Browns vs Bears odds

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Vikings at Giants (1:00 PM ET, Local TV)

Minnesota named Kyler Murray its 2026 starter on Aug. 12, and this is his first meaningful work with the club. Kevin O’Connell has him throwing to Justin Jefferson, with J.J. McCarthy getting snaps behind him.

Dart could see a longer run than most starters after some reported struggles reading defenses in practice.

See the full Vikings vs Giants odds

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Rams at Chiefs (4:00 PM ET, NFL Network)

Neither marquee quarterback plays here. Andy Reid is holding Mahomes out as he works back from the torn ACL and LCL, and Stafford is not expected to suit up either.

Garrett Nussmeier is worth watching in Kansas City since he is fighting for a roster spot.

See the full Rams vs Chiefs odds

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Jaguars at Saints (4:00 PM ET, Local TV)

Both teams are sitting their top units entirely. Liam Coen ruled out Lawrence and the rest of Jacksonville’s starters, and Kellen Moore confirmed Rattler starts in place of Shough.

The two staffs got their starter work done in Thursday’s joint practice instead, so this one is all roster evaluation.

See the full Jaguars vs Saints odds

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Eagles at Ravens (7:00 PM ET, Local TV)

Philadelphia is sitting almost everyone who matters. Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean are likely out after missing practice, along with Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, and Zack Baun.

Lamar Jackson has been ruled out and has not played a preseason game since 2021. Jesse Minter is giving extended run to younger roster hopefuls, with Skylar Thompson on injured reserve.

See the full Eagles vs Ravens odds

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Cowboys at Seahawks (8:00 PM ET, NFL Network)

Brian Schottenheimer said his starters will see little to no action across all three preseason games, which turns this into a backup quarterback audition for Dallas.

Seattle keeps Darnold on a short count, so Drew Lock and Jalen Milroe get the extended work.

See the full Cowboys vs Seahawks odds

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Biggest Names Sitting Out Saturday

Quarterback health and open competitions are driving every decision on this slate. Mahomes and Stafford are out for recovery reasons, while Jackson, Hurts, and Prescott are simply being protected.

Cleveland, Carolina, and Minnesota are the three teams using the opener to get new or competing signal-callers real reps. Those are the games worth your time today. If you want a piece of the action, our list of the best NFL betting apps covers where to sign up and which books have live preseason lines.