The NFL returns tonight as the 2026 preseason begins with the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game between the Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio.
Coverage will begin at 7 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock with Football Night in America (previewing the season and this year’s Pro Football Hall of Fame class), followed by kickoff at 8 p.m.
The game will mark the head coaching debut for Mike LaFleur, who takes over the reins of the Cardinals after three seasons as the Los Angeles Rams’ offensive coordinator (leading the NFL’s top offense in scoring and yardage last season).
The Panthers will be playing in the Hall of Fame Game for the first time since their inaugural season in1995.
Follow along below for our live coverage with updates from the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on NBC
and Peacock:
NFL teams tend to sit many of their starters for preseason games, and it’s highly unlikely that Panthers quarterback Bryce Young or Cardinals QB Jacoby Brissett will play any minutes tonight.
But both still are major storylines as the offensive leaders of their teams, and Chris Simms addressed their outlooks for the 2026 season.
It’s a critical year for Young, who led the Panthers to the playoffs last year but has yet to sign an extension after being the No. 1 overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft. Simms said the Panthers still are evaluatting if Young will be the long-term answer at quarterback.
“He’s a good little athlete,” Simms said. “He does have good feel for the position and anticipating throws, but at the end of the day, this is a guy that, because of his size, there are plays turned down because of not hanging in the pocket or not seeing it. The aggressive decision-making is not quite where I want it to be. At a base level, the throwing is just not good enough for me to rank him above this. We’re in an era that guys have got to make plays with their arms. Bryce Young, there’s still work to be done. I’m not sold he’s there long-term future there. I don’t think (the Panthers) are.”
After becoming the starter for the Cardinals last season, Brissett earned a new deal that will pay $15.5 million this year.
Simms said the journeyman quarterback was deserving because “he played really well last year” after starting as the backup to Kyler Murray. At 33 years old, Brissett is an “aggressive decision-maker with sneaky athleticism,” Simms said.
The Arizona Cardinals have arrived at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio, and rookie quarterback Carson Beck will get the start tonight against the Carolina Panthers. (Jacoby Brissett, who recently signed a new contract with the Cardinals, will be the team’s first-string starter entering the 2026 season.)
After leading the University of Miami to the College Football Playoff Championship against Indiana, Beck was Arizona’s third-round pick in the April draft.
Rook getting some pregame reps in 💪 @carsonbeck01@ProFootballHOF Game – 8pm ET on NBC
— NFL (@NFL) August 6, 2026
Stream on @NFLPlus + Peacock pic.twitter.com/c16p24XfYn
First-year head coach Mike LaFleur said Beck told the team’s website that Beck was coming off a strong practice last Sunday.
“I thought his accuracy is on point,” LaFleur said. “I thought it was probably the best, and I thought I think our second and third groups have operated a pretty high clip thus far. Probably the best that they have operated in terms of just you know getting set and going. … They were mimicking the plays that we’re going to run on Thursday night, so that they have a good feel for it.”
Beck said his goal tonight is just getting acclimated. “I think the biggest thing for me, especially just as we’re going through training camp and we’re still building chemistry with the guys, is can we be on the same page as an offense,” Beck said Tuesday. “Are my eyes in the right spot? Am I making the right decisions? Am I making the right decisions? Am I making the right reads? Am I getting through my progressions quickly?
“And then ultimately, getting in and out of the huddle and doing things the right way at a very high level. That’s what success is for me, and I think our offense when we’re out there operating.”
Cards on-site😮💨@Invisalign pic.twitter.com/mIT5ROI94r
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) August 6, 2026
📍Canton pic.twitter.com/yZZz0GwBBy
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) August 6, 2026
As the preseason begins tonight in Canton, Ohio, it seems a good time for a reminder that the NFL season will officially begin a little earlier in 2026.
Wednesday, Sept. 9 will mark the first kickoff — a rematch of last year’s Super Bowl as the defending champion Seattle Seahawks play host to the New England Patriots at Lumen Field. Coverage on NBC and Peacock will begin at 7 p.m. ET with “Football Night in America.”
Here’s everything to know for Week 1 and the full Sunday Night Football schedule for NBC and Peacock
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There’s a run on massive contract extensions for star running backs ahead of tonight’s first game of the 2026 preseason.
The Detroit Lions reportedly will make Jahmyr Gibbs the highest-paid running back in NFL history with a three-year, $75.75 million deal.
Lions, RB Jahmyr Gibbs agree to 3-year, $75.75M extension, with $51.5M guaranteed, to make him the highest-paid RB in NFL history. (via @RapSheet) pic.twitter.com/hhNyYj22GW
— NFL (@NFL) August 6, 2026
That comes on the heels of Bijan Robinson’s big deal to remain with the Atlanta Falcons for the next five seasons. Mike Florio has all the details of that contract here.
Earlier today, star RB Jonathan Taylor reportedly agreed to a contract extension with the Indianapolis Colts. Here’s the analysis from Pro Football Talk:
Tonight’s game will be called by NBC Sports’ “Sunday Night Football” announcing team of Mike Tirico (play-by-play), Cris Collinsworth (analyst), and Melissa Stark (sideline reporter) with Terry McAulay as rules analyst.
The “Football Night in America” studio show will be on location in Canton, Ohio, before and during the game with host Maria Taylor, former Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett, three-time Super Bowl champion Devin McCourty, and NFL insider Mike Florio.
The studio crew also will welcome the debut of Mike Tomlin, the former Super Bowl‑winning head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers who has joined NBC Sports as a studio analyst this season. On Pro Football Talk, Florio explained why he believes that fans will enjoy Tomlin’s “direct” approach to analyzing the game.
Live coverage will begin at 7 p.m. ET with “Football Night in America on NBC” and Peacock.
Kickoff between the Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers is at 8 p.m.
