12th of August, MIAMI (UPI) The first round of the FedExCup Playoffs, a full slate of preseason NFL games, and two NASCAR races are the main sporting events this weekend.
Regular-season matches in the MLB and MLS should interest sports enthusiasts as well.
But this weekend’s most watched event will probably be the return of football. In last week’s Hall of Fame Game, the annual contest that kicks off the NFL preseason, the Las Vegas Raiders defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 27–11.
The other NFL clubs will play their first preseason games on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday after playing two additional games on Thursday.
Preseason NFL
This weekend’s NFL preseason schedule has five games on Friday, eight games on Saturday, and one game on Sunday.
At Ford Field in Detroit, the Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions will square off at 6 p.m. EDT on Friday. NFL+ will stream that game, and NFL Network will air it.
The Jacksonville Jaguars and Cleveland Browns will play in the next game on NFL+ at 7 o’clock. While the Cincinnati Bengals play the Arizona Cardinals, the Philadelphia Eagles welcome the New York Jets to town. At 7:30 p.m., NFL+ will air both of those games.
The Green Bay Packers will travel to San Francisco to play the 49ers in the Friday nightcap. At 8:30 p.m., that game will be televised on the NFL Network.
On Saturday, four of the eight games will be shown on NFL Network while the remaining four will be available on NFL+. At 1 p.m., the Chicago Bears and Kansas City Chiefs will square off in the first of the four games.
The Buffalo Bills and Indianapolis Colts’ game will go off at 4 o’clock. The Seattle Seahawks and Pittsburgh Steelers will meet at 7 o’clock. The Denver Broncos will host the Dallas Cowboys at 9 p.m. on Saturday in the last NFL Network telecast of the day.
The Minnesota Vikings and Las Vegas Raiders will face off on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. on NFL Network. The regular NFL season will start on September 8 and last through August 28.
Golf tournaments
The St. Jude Championship, the opening round of the FedExCup Playoffs on the PGA Tour, began play on Thursday in Memphis. Golf Channel and NBC will carry tournament coverage through Sunday.
Among the favorites for the playoff start at TPC Southwind are No. 3 in the Official World Golf Ranking Rory McIlroy, No. 7 Justin Thomas, No. 4 Patrick Cantlay, No. 10 Matt Fitzpatrick, and No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, and No. 5 Xander Schauffele.
The 122-player lineup includes 35 of the Top 50 players in the world. A third-round cut will be made in the competition.
For the BMW Championship, the second tournament of the FedExCup Playoffs, which runs from August 18 to 21, the playoff field will be reduced to 70 participants. The Tour Championship will feature just 30 players competing for a $18 million first-place prize.
NASCAR
This weekend at Richmond Raceway, there will be two NASCAR races.
On Saturday at 8 p.m. in Richmond, Va., the Truck Series Worldwide Express 250 for Carrier Appreciation will begin the racing program. It will be broadcast on FS1.
The Federated Auto Parts 400, the weekend’s major event, will thereafter feature drivers from the Cup Series on the circuit. The USA Network will broadcast that 300-mile race at 3 p.m. on Sunday.
The favorites to win the championship are Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Christopher Bell, and Cup Series leader Chase Elliott. Last weekend’s FireKeepers Casino 400 was won by Harvick. Three of the past seven Cup Series races were won by Elliott.
In Darlington, South Carolina, the Cup Series playoffs will begin on September 4.
Weekend schedule
Friday
Golf
St. Jude Championship: Second round from 3 to 7 p.m. on Golf Channel
NFL preseason
Falcons at Lions at 6 p.m. on NFL Network
Browns at Jaguars at 7pm on NFL
Cardinals at Bengals at 7:30 p.m on NFL
Jets at Eagles at 7:30 p.m on NFL
Packers at 49ers at 8:30 p.m. on NFL Network
Golf
St. Jude Championship: Third round from 1 to 3 p.m. on Golf Channel; From 3 to 6 p.m. on NBC
NASCAR
Truck Series Worldwide Express 250 for Carrier Appreciation at 8 p.m. on FS1
MLB
Mariners at Rangers at 7 p.m. on Fox
Yankees at Red Sox at 7 p.m. on Fox
Sunday
Soccer
Premier League: West Ham at Nottingham Forest at 9 a.m. on USA Network
Premier League: Spurs at Chelsea at 11:30 a.m. on USA Network
Bundesliga: VfL Wolfsburg at Bayern Munich at 11:30 a.m. on ESPN+
La Liga: Real Madrid at Almeria at 4 p.m. on ESPN+
MLS: Minnesota at Nashville at 9 p.m. on FS1
MLS: Salt Lake at Seattle at 10 p.m. on ESPN+
MLB
Padres at Nationals at noon on Peacock Premium
Yankees at Red Sox at 7 p.m. on ESPN
St. Jude Championship: Final round from 1 to 3 p.m. on Golf Channel; From 3 to 6 p.m. on NBC
NASCAR
Cup Series Federated Auto Parts 400 at 3 p.m. on USA Network
NFL preseason
Vikings at Raiders at 4:25 p.m. on NFL Network
MLB
Padres at Nationals at 7pm on Apple TV
Phillies at Mets at 7pm on Apple TV
Saturday
Soccer
Premier League: Everton at Aston Villa at 7:30 a.m. on USA Network
Premier League: Leicester at Arsenal at 10 a.m. on Peacock Premium
Premier League: Newcastle at Brighton at 10 a.m. on Peacock Premium
Premier League: AFC Bournemouth at Manchester City at 10 a.m. on USA Network
Premier League: Leeds at Southampton at 10 a.m. on Peacock Premium
Premier League: Fulham at Wolves at 10 a.m. on Peacock Premium
Premier League: Manchester United at Brentford at 12:30 p.m. on NBC
Serie A: Inter Milan at Lecce at 2:45 p.m. on Paramount+
La Liga: Rayo Vallecano at Barcelona at 3 p.m. on ABC
Ligue 1: Montpellier at PSG at 3 p.m. on beIN Sports
MLS: Orlando at New York Red Bulls at 6 p.m. on ESPN+
MLS: Atlanta at Cincinnati at 7:30 at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN+
MLS: DC United at New England at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN+
MLS: Chicago at Philadelphia at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN+
MLS: Portland at Toronto at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN+
MLS: NYCFC at Miami at 8 p.m. on ESPN+
MLS: Kansas City at Austin at 9 p.m. on ESPN+
MLS: Columbus at Colorado at 9 p.m. on ESPN+
MLS: San Jose at Dallas at 9 p.m. on ESPN+
MLS: Montreal at Houston at 9 p.m. on ESPN+
MLS: Vancouver at Los Angeles Galaxy at 10 p.m. on ESPN+
MLS: Charlotte at LAFC at 10:30 p.m. on ESPN+
NFL preseason
Panthers at Commanders at 1 p.m. on NFL+
Chiefs at Bears at 1 p.m. on NFL Network
Colts at Bill’s at 4 p.m. on NFL Network
Seahawks at Steelers at 7 p.m. on NFL Network
Dolphins at Buccaneers at 7:30 p.m. on NFL+
Saints at Texans at 8 p.m. on NFL+
Cowboys at Broncos at 9 p.m. on NFL Network
Rams at Chargers at 10 p.m. on NFL+
