The 2015 NFL preseason kicked into high gear with six games on Thursday, and there are another six games coming on Friday night. Since this is the first week of preseason, starters don't see a ton of playing time -- star quarterbacks Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers both played on Thursday night, but only for the first quarter. More often than not, starters will sit unless teams need an extended look at them.
2015 NFL preseason schedule: Marcus Mariota’s debut, Bills QB battle set for Friday
Matt Cassel, EJ Manuel and Tyrod Taylor will battle it out in their first preseason game on Friday. Marcus Mariota will also make his debut for the Tennessee Titans.
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The Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills will likely give more playing time to starters who they're hoping will step up. Wide receiver Allen Robinson, for example, has a lot of buzz surrounding him and should see the field plenty. In Buffalo, the quarterback battle is the biggest storyline, so how the snaps break down between Matt Cassel and EJ Manuel will be interesting to watch.
There are also more complete teams that will be looking to make it out of the preseason without any injuries and evaluate the back end of the roster, such as the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks, who will be facing off on the NFL Network at 10 p.m. ET. The other national game is between the Tennessee Titans and Atlanta Falcons at 7 p.m.
Below, we’ve got the full schedule and something to watch for during each game (all times ET, stations via 506sports):
Tennessee Titans at Atlanta Falcons
(Away: WKRN-ABC 2, Home: WUPA-CW 69) -- NFL Network, 7 p.m.
This will be the first chance to see quarterback Marcus Mariota in a game situation. The Titans reportedly rejected multiple tantalizing trade offers for the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, and instead used the selection on Mariota. There was no farcical quarterback battle here -- the Titans named Mariota the starter and they'll get their first look at him on Friday.
Atlanta has a new head coach in Dan Quinn and the team has put a heavy focus on fundamentals this offseason. This game will be less about seeing big plays, and more about consistent, cohesive play for as long as the starting units on the field. Spoiling Mariota’s first NFL game would probably just be a bonus.
Carolina Panthers at Buffalo Bills
(Away: WCCB-CW 18, Home: WKBW-ABC 7) -- 7 p.m.
The main headline for this one is under center for the Bills. Cassel, Manuel and Tyrod Taylor are battling it out for the starting job. The team's first unofficial depth chart lists all three quarterbacks as the starter, with Matt Simms the lone backup. Throughout training camp, all three players have held the edge at some point as they have alternated having strong showings.
Cassel is expected to start, and the Bills will try to work in as much as the first team as possible when Manuel and Taylor find their way onto the field. They can’t keep all the starters in, but extended play from starting offensive linemen does seem likely, to help facilitate a quarterback competition that may not be decided until the team plays a couple of preseason games.
Pittsburgh Steelers at Jacksonville Jaguars
(Away: KDKA-CBS 2, Home: WJXT-4) -- 7:30 p.m.
The Steelers have a lot less to prove than the Jaguars, and starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will only play a handful of snaps on Friday. Jaguars starter Blake Bortles could see quite a bit more playing time, though how much is unclear. Bortles is at a crucial stage in his development and head coach Gus Bradley likely wants to see as much of him as possible.
Julius Thomas, Allen Hurns and Allen Robinson all be on the field for at least a couple of series, which is about as long as Bortles is expected to play. Thomas is expected to be Bortles' top weapon this season, but Robinson has been flashing big potential in camp and it will be interesting to see if that carries over to the preseason.
(Away: WNBC-NBC 4, Home: WKRC-CBS 12) -- 7:30 p.m.
The Giants may have one of the strongest wide receiver pairings in the league this season, with Odell Beckham Jr. and Victor Cruz, but both of those players need to get healthy first. Fortunately, it sounds like Beckham will come in and play at least a series, showing he's recovered from a hamstring injury. Cruz, who suffered a torn patellar tendon last season, will not be playing on Friday.
Cincinnati has not undergone much change this offseason. There are new moving pieces such as A.J. Hawk and Michael Johnson, but the Bengals will likely focus on seeing what rookies like Paul Dawson, Josh Shaw, Tyler Kroft and C.J. Uzomah are capable of more than anything.
(Away: KTVI-FOX 2, Home: KTVU-FOX 2) - 10 p.m.
For the first time in a long time, the Raiders look like they might be capable of fielding a competitive team this season. That has a lot to do with second-year quarterback Derek Carr, and all eyes will be on him on Friday. Carr is one of the more exciting young quarterbacks in the league, and the Raiders will want to see him perform well in limited action. He'll likely get the franchise quarterback veteran treatment and shouldn't play long, however.
As far as the Rams go, they'll likely give Nick Foles the veteran treatment, as well. The team signed him to a contract extension despite him never taking a snap for them in a game, and he should be under a lot of scrutiny even at this stage of the offseason. Still, the Rams' offensive line will be under even more scrutiny. The squad hasn't been great in the past and the team went to extreme lengths to address it this offseason.
Denver Broncos at Seattle Seahawks
(Away: KTVD-My 20, Home: KCPQ-FOX 13) -- NFL Network, 10 p.m.
Sure it's a preseason game, but people are excited due to the teams involved. So excited that tickets for the game are the most expensive for any preseason game on the secondary market since 2013, according to Forbes. That's somewhat surprising, given that Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning and other veterans won't see much playing time in this nationally televised game.
Neither team has a lot to prove right now, but the Seahawks are expected to roll with the starters for at least the opening series, if you wanted to see Russell Wilson play on that shiny new contract of his.
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