The San Francisco 49ers kick off their 2016 preseason schedule on Sunday when they host the Houston Texans. In the meantime, the first week of preseason action kicks off on Thursday. There are six games Thursday evening, followed by five Friday, and four on Saturday. This marks the start of preseason football following the unexpected cancellation of the Hall of Fame game due to poor field conditions.
The most interesting game is probably the Patriots hosting the Saints. Tom Brady will sit out the first four games of the regular season, so I imagine Jimmy Garoppolo will get plenty of preseason action over the next four weeks. We might see some Brady, but I doubt he plays much at all. They’ll want to keep him fresh since he won’t be playing the first four weeks, but I think they know what Brady brings to the table.
The Patriots-Saints game will air on NFL Network. The remaining games are on local television, which can be viewed with NFL Gamepass. You can get a seven-day free trial for Gamepass, but I recommend waiting until Sunday so you can use it for Sunday’s 49ers g
All six games include at least one 49ers opponent. They face the Falcons, Bucs, Saints, Patriots, Panthers, Jets, and Bears over the course of the regular season.
Here is the info on the games for Thursday night:
Online Streaming
Washington at Atlanta Falcons
Start time: 4:00 PM PST
TV: CSN Mid-Atlantic, CW/69 Atlanta
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Philadelphia Eagles
Start time: 4:00 PM PST
TV: WTTA-38 Tampa, CSN Philadelphia
New Orleans Saints at New England Patriots
Start time: 4:30 PM PST
TV: CW/18 Charlotte, CSN Plus Mid-Atlantic
Carolina Panthers at Baltimore Ravens
Start time: 4:30 PM PST
TV: NFL Network, FOX/8 New Orleans, CBS/4 Boston
Jacksonville Jaguars at New York Jets
Start time: 4:30 PM PST
TV: WJXT/4 Jacksonville, CBS/2 New York
Denver Broncos at Chicago Bears
Start time: 5:00 PM PST
TV: KTVD My/20 Denver, FOX/32 Chicago