Before the 2025 NFL schedule kicks off on September 5 with the season opener between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys, the NFL Preseason 2025 is still on the agenda in August.
During these three weeks of preseason preparation, each NFL team will play three exhibition games.
Here you can find all the information about the 2025 NFL preseason: schedule, dates, and complete preseason coverage on RTL and DAZN.
2025 NFL Preseason: Schedule & Dates
NFL Preseason 2025 schedule & dates for Week 1
Explanation of the NFL preseason schedule and dates: Unlike the official season schedule, the preseason schedule is very variable.
The teams set their kickoff times individually, in consultation with regional TV stations.
As a result, there are not only some unusual start times, but also games on Fridays and Saturdays.
NFL Preseason 2025 dates for Week 2
NFL Pre-Season 2025 schedule for Week 3
The 2024 NFL preseason broadcast on RTL and DAZN
As they eagerly await the upcoming National Football League season, American football fans in Germany are wondering whether the preseason games will be shown live in addition to the NFL regular season games.
Will the 2025 NFL preseason games be broadcast in Germany?
The “test games” for the upcoming NFL season will be shown on free-to-air TV on RTL and on the paid sports streaming service DAZN.
RTL will broadcast three games live as part of its 2025 NFL preseason coverage. DAZN will even show four games live.
NFL Preseason broadcast on RTL & DAZN
The NFL Preseason 2025 RTL broadcast schedule is as follows: A total of three games will be broadcast live on the Nitro channel. However, the season will not kick off until Week 2.
On August 16, RTL Nitro will broadcast the Indianapolis Colts vs. Green Bay Packers game at 6:30 p.m.
The second game on the NFL Preseason RTL schedule is New York Giants vs. New England Patriots on August 22 at 1:30 a.m. CEST. Game 3 of this year’s NFL RTL preseason broadcast will follow one day later: Tennessee Titans vs. Minnesota Vikings (starting at 1:45 a.m. CEST).
Live on DAZN, a total of four games from this 2025 NFL preseason will be broadcast, two of them exclusively.
The first preseason game broadcast by DAZN on the NFL preseason schedule is the Chicago Bears vs. Buffalo Bills on August 18 at 2:00 a.m. German time. The next day, the sports streamer will also show Washington Commanders vs. Cincinnati Bengals live.
The other two games shown by DAZN are those also broadcast on RTL’s 2025 NFL preseason coverage: Giants vs. Patriots (August 22) and Titans vs. Vikings (August 23).
If you want to watch all the NFL preseason games, the NFL Game Pass is perfect for you. Only with this pass can you watch all 48 preseason games live – in the original US broadcast.
What is the NFL preseason schedule?
The NFL Preseason 2025 schedule is complicated.
There is no rigid concept like the actual NFL schedule. Teams are even allowed to request preseason matchups from the NFL.
When creating the schedule, there are a few basic ideas that apply, but there can be exceptions. These include the following rules:
- Teams from the same division should not play each other
- Where possible, teams from the AFC and NFC should play each other
- Preference should be given to matchups between teams that are geographically close to each other
- There should be no more than two time zones between the home cities of the two teams
- No match should occur more than once
Are there bets for NFL preseason games?
Betting providers in Germany offer bets and odds for the 2025 NFL preseason games.
The range of betting odds for the NFL preseason games is quite extensive. In addition to the win bet, there are also numerous additional bets for yards and points for each game.
However, it should also be borne in mind that these are only preseason games and the respective teams do not always field their best players or give their all.
Furthermore, it is never certain whether the teams will play with their number one quarterback in these preseason games or take the opportunity to give their backup some playing time. The same applies to the wide receivers.
