Top NFL preseason Week 1 matchups and key storylines to follow

It's been 179 days since Super Bowl LIX, and fans are more than ready for football to return. The Hall of Fame Game gave us an early glimpse when the Los Angeles Chargers faced the Detroit Lions last week , but the rest of the league has been on hold. That wait ends tomorrow, when every team hits the field as preseason Week 1 gets underway, and you can follow all the action with NFL Game Pass .

These games won't show up in the standings, but they're far from meaningless. Across the league, rookies will get their first real game reps, several quarterback battles will heat up, and players on the bubble will be giving everything they've got to earn a spot on the final 53-man roster.

DAZN News presents the top matchups to follow and the storylines fuelling the fun.

• Read next:  Every rookie quarterback selected in the 2025 NFL Draft - and when they are likely to start in the NFL .

Cleveland Browns @ Carolina Panthers

Kickoff: Saturday, August 9 at 12am BST / Friday, August 8 at 7pm ET

Cleveland enters the preseason with a crowded quarterback room that includes veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett, along with rookies Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel . With Deshaun Watson out long-term and Tyler Huntley also in the mix, reps in this game could begin to shape the pecking order.

Sanders, who endured an agonising slide in the 2025 NFL Draft , will be starting against the Panthers. And, according to head coach Kevin Stefanski, the rookie cannot wait to get going :

"He knew he was going to play a good bit in these preseason games. The competitor in him is very excited."

Sanders isn't lacking in confidence.

Flacco is listed as the QB1 on the Browns' initial depth chart  and is the favourite to begin the season under center, but we cannot rule out the possibility that a fast start from Sanders or Gabriel could upset the pecking order.

With many of the Panthers' starters expected to feature , this game has more riding on it than most.

Indianapolis Colts @ Baltimore Ravens

Kickoff: Friday, August 8 at 12am BST / Thursday, August 8 at 7pm ET

There's a fierce quarterback battle brewing in Indianapolis, as former first-rounder Anthony Richardson competes with veteran Daniel Jones for the right to lead the Colts' offense in 2025.

It's arguably a make-or-break season for Richardson, who has struggled for form and health in the two years that have passed since he was selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

For Jones, the new start with the Colts is an opportunity to kickstart his career after being benched and later released by the New York Giants in 2024 .

Running back Jonathan Taylor had praise for both players.

Both quarterbacks will have an opportunity to prove their worth in the preseason, but Richardson will get the first bite of the cherry. According to head coach Shane Steichen , the 23-year-old is set to play the entire first quarter and the early part of the second, before Daniel Jones takes over to finish out the first half.

The Colts have plenty of talent on offense. Rookie tight end Tyler Warren joins a group that already includes dynamic running back Taylor and a promising wide receiver unit led by Michael Pittman. But for that firepower to matter, and to stand a chance of competing for the AFC South title, they need the right quarterback to bring it all together. The way Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones perform this preseason will heavily influence who earns the starting job.

The Ravens have a tendency not to play their starters in the first preseason game, meaning several fringe players will have a chance to stake their claim for a roster spot and an expanded role in head coach John Harbaugh's plans.

While the likes of Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry will probably not suit up, that does not mean the intensity will be missing. A heated exchange during joint practice earlier this week, which led to Ravens' Nate Wiggins being ejected , has only raised the stakes heading into this matchup.

The full preseason, regular season, and playoff schedule can be found here .

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