The third week of the preseason finishes up with two nationally televised games on Sunday when the New Orleans Saints host the Houston Texans at 4 p.m. ET and the Arizona Cardinals face the Oakland Raiders at 8 p.m. ET. This is the third preseason contest for all four teams, the time when things start to get real and the starters typically play through at least the first half of the game.
2015 NFL preseason schedule: Texans visit Saints, Cardinals battle Raiders on Sunday
Week 3 of the preseason concludes with two nationally televised games on Sunday.
Much of the focus this week in New Orleans has been the events commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Hurricane Katrina tragedy, so there is sure be a lot of emotion surrounding this game even if it is just a “meaningless” preseason game. And the fact that the Hard Knocks production crew will be documenting the whole thing with the Texans in town makes this a really interesting matchup for a lot of reasons.
The nightcap between the Cardinals and Raiders might not have the mega storylines of the afternoon game, but it’s still worth watching with plenty of position battles to be sorted out and exciting rookies on display for both teams. Plus, could this be the final preseason game ever played in Oakland? The Silver and Black conclude their exhibition schedule on the road next week in Seattle, so you never know.
Houston Texans at New Orleans Saints
Fox, 4 p.m. ET
The quarterback competition in Houston came to an end this week when coach Bill O'Brien named Brian Hoyer as the starter going into the regular season. But his place at the top of the depth chart is hardly secure. Hoyer ranked near the bottom of qualified quarterbacks in several categories last year with the Browns, including passer rating (31st out of 33), TD-to-interception ratio (31st) and completion percentage (32nd). And O'Brien has no issues with switching quarterbacks midseason after he benched Ryan Fitzpatrick for Ryan Mallett last year.
The Saints are winless in their first two preseason games but were really encouraged by the performance of their starting units last week against the Patriots. The defense held New England without a first down during Tom Brady's three drives, while Drew Brees was 8 of 10 for 159 yards and threw two touchdowns in his quarter of work. Wideout Brandin Cooks was tagged as a potential breakout candidate at the start of training camp and has lived up to the hype so far. He's caught two touchdowns and leads the team with 145 receiving yards on five receptions.
Arizona Cardinals at Oakland Raiders
NBC, 8 p.m. ET
The good news out of Cardinals camp is that Carson Palmer is not experiencing pain in his surgically repaired knee and he even took a few hits against the Chargers without any problems. Palmer was less efficient in his second game (3 for 7, 88 yards) than in the opener (4 for 4, 77 yards), but he did throw a nice touchdown pass to cap a five-play, 80-yard drive in the first quarter last week. Protecting Palmer is key for the Cardinals' offensive line, which has struggled as the start of the regular season looms.
The Raiders have to be really encouraged by the chemistry that is developing between rookie wide receiver Amari Cooper and second-year quarterback Derek Carr. Cooper has been as good as advertised through training camp and the preseason with four catches for 62 yards, including a 40-yard bomb from Carr last week against the Vikings. With the starters expected to get a bunch of reps on Sunday night, it should be fun to watch the duo hook up for even more highlight reel plays against the Cardinals.
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