Hibernation's Over: NFL Preseason and a Loaded Hall of Fame Class Are Almost Here

Something's in the Air

You feel that? That shift in the wind?

Somewhere out there, a bear just cracked one eye open in a dark cave, lifted its nose, and caught the scent it's been dreaming about all summer: leather, fresh-cut grass, stadium nacho cheese, and the faint, unmistakable aroma of a third-string quarterback about to throw a pick-six in front of 60,000 people who paid full price.

That bear is us. That bear is New Mexico.

We have survived the long, dark, football-less summer. We slept through it. We got a little soft. And now, at long last, the smell of fresh pigskin is drifting in from a mile away — and we are crawling out of the cave hungry, cranky, and ready to eat. Football is back next week, and it does not matter one bit that the first few weeks mean absolutely nothing. We will watch every snap and love every second.

Grab your slippers and your coffee mug. Let's talk about what's on the menu.

The Main Course Is in Canton

Before we get to the games that don't count, let's give some real respect where it's earned, because the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026 is a genuine heavyweight group. Enshrinement goes down Saturday, August 8, in Canton, Ohio.

This year's class:

Drew Brees (QB) — One of the most prolific passers who ever lived and the heart of a Saints era that meant more to a city than football usually does. A first-ballot lock in every sense.
Larry Fitzgerald (WR) — Cardinals icon, human highlight reel, and maybe the most universally respected class act of his generation. Nobody has a bad word about Fitz.
Luke Kuechly (LB) — The Panthers' tackling machine who diagnosed plays before the quarterback finished the snap count. Instinct you cannot teach.
Adam Vinatieri (K) — The clutch-kick GOAT. If your Super Bowl came down to a kick in the snow, this is the man you wanted swinging the leg.
Roger Craig (RB) — The 49ers dynasty workhorse and a long-overdue Seniors selection who helped define the modern do-everything back.

The whole party kicks off two days earlier with the NFL/Hall of Fame Game on Thursday, August 6 — the Carolina Panthers vs. Arizona Cardinals, 8:00 p.m. ET on NBC, from Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton. It is the first football that matters approximately zero percent, and we cannot wait.

The Appetizers: Three Weeks of Glorious Nonsense

Now for the fun stuff. The preseason proper runs August 13–29, three weeks of Thursday, Friday, and Saturday football that decides nothing, teaches us almost nothing, and will absolutely consume our evenings anyway.

This is the football equivalent of eating an entire bag of chips before dinner. You know it's not the real meal. You do not care.

Here's what we're all signing up for over the next three weeks:

Rookie QBs running around like toddlers who just learned to walk — occasionally brilliant, frequently sprinting the wrong direction, always thrilling.
A new kicking-game gimmick nobody asked for, which the league will explain for eleven minutes before everyone gives up trying to understand it.
AI laser-show yard markers and whatever dystopian broadcast technology the NFL invents this year to make a meaningless August game feel like a moon landing.
Getting emotionally attached to a camp-body running back who racks up 90 yards against other camp bodies, becomes your favorite player, and gets cut the Saturday before Labor Day.

It's stupid. It's beautiful. It's back.

The Three-Week Grid

Week 1 (Aug 13–15): Kicks off Thursday with Lions-Bengals, Packers-Steelers, Colts-Patriots, Cardinals-Raiders, Chargers-Texans, and Titans-49ers, rolls through a Friday slate (Broncos-Falcons, Bucs-Jets, Dolphins-Commanders), and stacks up Saturday with the likes of Rams-Chiefs, Eagles-Ravens, and Cowboys-Seahawks.
Week 2 (Aug 20–22): Opens Thursday with the national showcase — Raiders-Texans and 49ers-Chargers — before a loaded Saturday plate including Chiefs-Bucs and Cowboys-Cardinals.
Week 3 (Aug 27–29): The dress rehearsal week, opening Thursday with Steelers-Bills and the Battle for LA (Rams-Chargers), then wrapping the whole preseason on Saturday, August 29.

For the Degenerates Among Us

A special word for the gamblers and the fantasy freaks, and you know exactly who you are.

Yes, the lines are already moving. Yes, the draft boards are already printed, laminated, and taped to the fridge. Yes, someone in your league is already sending 2 a.m. trade offers in a league that hasn't drafted yet. Preseason is when the sharps pretend they've "seen something" in a joint-practice report and the rest of us convince ourselves a Week 2 exhibition tells us anything about September. It doesn't. Bet the fun bets, set your rankings in pencil, and remember that the guy torching the defense in the fourth quarter of a preseason game is usually about to become a substitute teacher.

The Storylines Actually Worth a Growl

A few things this preseason are genuinely worth waking up for:

The reunion: Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy back together, facing their old Green Bay squad when the Packers visit the Steelers on Aug. 13. The storyline writes itself.
The rookie: No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza getting his first real look when the Raiders take on the Texans on Aug. 20.
The turf war: The Battle for Los Angeles, Rams vs. Chargers, closing out Week 3 on Aug. 27.

Settle In, the Cave's Empty Now

Look, we know how this works. We know it doesn't count. We know half these guys will be selling insurance by October and that "winning" the preseason is the emptiest achievement in professional sports.

Doesn't matter. The hibernation is over. The couch is warm, the mug is full, the slippers are on, and the New Mexico faithful are officially, gloriously awake — and we're not going back to sleep until February.

One more thing before you settle in: once the fake games wrap up, the real one changes more than you'd think. New streaming homes, overseas kickoffs at ungodly hours, and a few rule tweaks that'll catch you off guard on opening Sunday. We'll have a full "what actually changes for the regular season" survival guide for New Mexicans before kickoff. For now — welcome out of the cave. You hungry?

Clean Links

Always verify dates, kickoff times, and TV/streaming listings against the NFL and your local providers — preseason times shift, and games move around late.