Atlanta Falcons

Five games to circle on the 2017 NFL preseason schedule

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

Sports Illustrated, SI Wire/Sports Illustrated

The NFL released its 2017 preseason schedule on Monday afternoon.

The preseason kicks off on Aug. 3 with the Hall of Fame Game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Dallas Cowboys.

Here are five other highlights to look out for:

• Rookie quarterbacks dominate the preseason discussion every year, and the 49ers and Chiefs could both be breaking in first-round picks when they meet in Kansas City in Week 1. Alex Smith may only play a few snaps against his former team before giving way to the backups.

• In the only 2016 playoff rematch on the slate, the Patriots travel to Houston for a Week 2 matchup with the Texans and Bill Belichick protegé Bill O'Brien.

• The Browns host the Giants for the first calendar-correct Monday Night Football telecast of the year on Aug. 21, which should double as the first national exposure for whichever quarterback Cleveland selects at some point in the draft at the end of April.

• The first Battle of Los Angeles will be on Aug. 26, when the newly relocated Chargers take on the Rams at the Coliseum (8 p.m. ET, CBS).

• The defending NFC champion Falcons will break in their brand-new digs at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in a Week 3 date with the Cardinals.

The complete week-by-week schedule is below.

Atlanta Falcons at Miami Dolphins
 Dallas Cowboys at Los Angeles Rams
 Denver Broncos at Chicago Bears
 Detroit Lions at Indianapolis Colts
 Houston Texans at Carolina Panthers 
Jacksonville Jaguars at New England Patriots 
Minnesota Vikings at Buffalo Bills 
New Orleans Saints at Cleveland Browns 
Oakland Raiders at Arizona Cardinals
 Philadelphia Eagles at Green Bay Packers 
Pittsburgh Steelers at New York Giants 
San Francisco 49ers at Kansas City Chiefs 
Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Chargers 
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Cincinnati Bengals 
Tennessee Titans at New York Jets 
Washington Redskins at Baltimore Ravens

Atlanta Falcons at Pittsburgh Steelers
 Baltimore Ravens at Miami Dolphins 
Buffalo Bills at Philadelphia Eagles
 Carolina Panthers at Tennessee Titans 
Chicago Bears at Arizona Cardinals
 Denver Broncos at San Francisco 49ers
 Green Bay Packers at Washington Redskins 
Indianapolis Colts at Dallas Cowboys
 Kansas City Chiefs at Cincinnati Bengals
 Los Angeles Rams at Oakland Raiders
 Minnesota Vikings at Seattle Seahawks 
New England Patriots at Houston Texans 
New Orleans Saints at Los Angeles Chargers
 New York Giants at Cleveland Browns 
New York Jets at Detroit Lions 
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Jacksonville Jaguars

Arizona Cardinals at Atlanta Falcons 
Buffalo Bills at Baltimore Ravens 
Carolina Panthers at Jacksonville Jaguars 
Chicago Bears at Tennessee Titans 
Cincinnati Bengals at Washington Redskins 
Cleveland Browns at Tampa Bay Buccaneers 
Green Bay Packers at Denver Broncos 
Houston Texans at New Orleans Saints 
Indianapolis Colts at Pittsburgh Steelers
 Kansas City Chiefs at Seattle Seahawks
 Los Angeles Chargers at Los Angeles Rams
 Miami Dolphins at Philadelphia Eagles
 New England Patriots at Detroit Lions 
New York Jets at New York Giants 
Oakland Raiders at Dallas Cowboys 
San Francisco 49ers at Minnesota Vikings

Arizona Cardinals at Denver Broncos 
Baltimore Ravens at New Orleans Saints 
Cincinnati Bengals at Indianapolis Colts
 Cleveland Browns at Chicago Bears
 Dallas Cowboys at Houston Texans
 Detroit Lions at Buffalo Bills 
Jacksonville Jaguars at Atlanta Falcons 
Los Angeles Chargers at San Francisco 49ers
 Los Angeles Rams at Green Bay Packers
 Miami Dolphins at Minnesota Vikings 
New York Giants at New England Patriots 
Philadelphia Eagles at New York Jets 
Pittsburgh Steelers at Carolina Panthers 
Seattle Seahawks at Oakland Raiders 
Tennessee Titans at Kansas City Chiefs 
Washington Redskins at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The regular season schedule is expected to be released later this month.