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PITTSBURGH — Acrisure Stadium put up a zero on Friday night. The Steelers went four quarters against the Jets without scoring, lost 17-0, and became the first team to be shut out on any scoreboard of the 2026 NFL season. Drew Allar and Will Howard split the snaps, as CBS Sports had trailed before kickoff. Neither of them found anything.
For most of the people watching, that result changes nothing. Preseason games do not go in the standings, the starters played about a quarter, and by the time the season opens on September 9 nobody will cite it. For roughly thirty men in that stadium, it was the last competitive football of their careers, because the cut to 53-man rosters arrives when the preseason ends and the scoreboard is the last piece of evidence anyone submits.
That is the strange thing about nfl scores in August. They are simultaneously meaningless and the most consequential numbers of some players’ lives. What follows is every score the 2026 season has produced so far, the games still to come this week, and the Week 1 schedule that starts the results that actually count.
NFL scores: 2026 preseason Week 2
Five games have finished. Eleven more run through Sunday.
| Date | Matchup | Score | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 20 | San Francisco at L.A. Chargers | 49ers 41, Chargers 17 | SoFi Stadium |
| Aug 20 | Las Vegas at Houston | Raiders 22, Texans 20 | Reliant Stadium |
| Aug 21 | N.Y. Jets at Pittsburgh | Jets 17, Steelers 0 | Acrisure Stadium |
| Aug 21 | Carolina at Jacksonville | Panthers 34, Jaguars 17 | EverBank Stadium |
| Aug 21 | Green Bay at Denver | Packers 33, Broncos 13 | Empower Field at Mile High |
| Aug 22 | Washington at Detroit | Scheduled, 8:10pm | Ford Field |
| Aug 22 | Atlanta at Indianapolis | Scheduled | Lucas Oil Stadium |
| Aug 22 | Baltimore at Minnesota | Scheduled | U.S. Bank Stadium |
| Aug 22 | Buffalo at Cleveland | Scheduled | Huntington Bank Field |
| Aug 22 | New Orleans at L.A. Rams | Scheduled | SoFi Stadium |
| Aug 22 | N.Y. Giants at Miami | Scheduled | Hard Rock Stadium |
| Aug 22 | Chicago at Cincinnati | Scheduled | Paycor Stadium |
| Aug 22 | Philadelphia at New England | Scheduled | Gillette Stadium |
| Aug 22 | Kansas City at Tampa Bay | Scheduled | Raymond James Stadium |
| Aug 22 | Dallas at Arizona | Scheduled | State Farm Stadium |
| Aug 23 | Seattle at Tennessee | Scheduled | Nissan Stadium |
| Scores current to the evening of August 22, 2026. Preseason results do not count towards the regular-season standings. | |||
The 49ers put up the highest total of the preseason so far, 41 points at SoFi Stadium, scoring in every quarter after a scoreless first and pulling away from the Chargers with 21 in the second half. Green Bay did something similar to Denver a day later, 33 points built on a 16-point second quarter, though Bo Nix looked sharp in his return from an ankle injury before giving way.
The Raiders game was the one worth watching twice. Houston led 17-0 after the first quarter and did not score again. Las Vegas came back through a 12-point fourth to win 22-20, which tells you rather less about the Raiders than it does about what happens when both sides empty their benches at different rates. It was also the national television game of the round, carried on ESPN, largely because Fernando Mendoza, the first pick of the 2026 draft, is the reason Las Vegas have a quarterback competition worth televising at all.
Tonight’s slate is the heaviest of the week, with ten games including Commanders at Lions in prime time from Ford Field. Buffalo at Cleveland is the one with the most eyes on it, with Josh Allen opposite a Browns quarterback room that contains both Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders. Seattle at Tennessee closes the week on Sunday.
NFL scores: 2026 preseason Week 1
Sixteen games, and one of them did not produce a winner.
| Matchup | Score | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Carolina at Buffalo | Bills 29, Panthers 14 | New Highmark Stadium |
| Cleveland at Chicago | Bears 34, Browns 10 | Soldier Field |
| Minnesota at N.Y. Giants | Vikings 13, Giants 10 | MetLife Stadium |
| Jacksonville at New Orleans | Jaguars 24, Saints 20 | Caesars Superdome |
| L.A. Rams at Kansas City | Rams 20, Chiefs 12 | Arrowhead Stadium |
| Philadelphia at Baltimore | Ravens 24, Eagles 7 | M&T Bank Stadium |
| Dallas at Seattle | Cowboys 17, Seahawks 7 | Lumen Field |
| Denver at Atlanta | Broncos 27, Falcons 7 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium |
| Miami at Washington | Commanders 20, Dolphins 7 | Northwest Stadium |
| Tampa Bay at N.Y. Jets | Buccaneers 24, Jets 16 | MetLife Stadium |
| Detroit at Cincinnati | Bengals 16, Lions 14 | Paycor Stadium |
| Green Bay at Pittsburgh | Steelers 28, Packers 9 | Acrisure Stadium |
| Indianapolis at New England | Colts 13, Patriots 13 (tie) | Gillette Stadium |
| Arizona at Las Vegas | Cardinals 27, Raiders 14 | Allegiant Stadium |
| L.A. Chargers at Houston | Chargers 27, Texans 7 | Reliant Stadium |
| Tennessee at San Francisco | Titans 19, 49ers 13 | Levi’s Stadium |
| Preseason games carry no overtime, so Indianapolis at New England was recorded as a tie. Both teams enter Week 2 at 0-0-1. | ||
Indianapolis, whose receiver room was rebuilt in a hurry this month, finished 13-13 with New England at Gillette Stadium, which is why both teams carry an 0-0-1 record into this week. Preseason games have no overtime, so a tie is simply what the scoreboard says when the clock runs out. It is not a rarity in August, and it is the reason a set of NFL standings in the preseason has a third column that most fans never see in the autumn.
The largest margins came from Chicago and Baltimore. The Bears beat Cleveland 34-10 at Soldier Field, scoring in three consecutive quarters after a scoreless first. The Ravens held the Eagles to a single fourth-quarter touchdown in a 24-7 win at M&T Bank Stadium. Pittsburgh’s 28-9 win over Green Bay looked, at the time, like the most encouraging performance of the Steelers’ summer. Six days later they did not score at all.
The Hall of Fame Game
The season’s first scoreboard went up in Canton, Ohio, at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, and it was the most entertaining game of the lot. Carolina beat Arizona 33-30, the two teams matching each other 17-17 in the second quarter before the Panthers edged a 16-10 fourth. Carolina have since gone 2-1 across the exhibition schedule, which in August means precisely nothing and is still the best record in the league.
What preseason scores actually tell you
Very little about who wins in January, and quite a lot about who is on the roster in September.
Starters play a series or two in the first game and a little more in the second, then most of them sit out the third entirely. That means the bulk of the minutes, and therefore the bulk of the points on the scoreboard, come from players fighting for the back end of a roster, or from a starter working back to fitness, as Atlanta have been managing at quarterback. A 41-17 result is not a statement about the 49ers. It is a statement about the depth of the 49ers relative to the depth of the Chargers, on a Thursday, in a game neither coaching staff was trying to win.
| Category | Result | Game |
|---|---|---|
| Highest team score | San Francisco 41 | at L.A. Chargers, Aug 20 |
| Widest margin | 24 points | 49ers 41-17 Chargers, and Bears 34-10 Browns |
| Only shutout | Jets 17, Steelers 0 | at Acrisure Stadium, Aug 21 |
| Only tie | Colts 13, Patriots 13 | at Gillette Stadium, Week 1 |
| Largest comeback | Las Vegas from 17-0 down | at Houston, Aug 20 |
| Closest finish | Two points | Raiders 22-20 Texans, and Bengals 16-14 Lions |
| Best record | Carolina, 2-1 | including the Hall of Fame Game |
| Lowest team score | Pittsburgh 0 | vs N.Y. Jets, Aug 21 |
| Figures cover the Hall of Fame Game and preseason Weeks 1 and 2 through the evening of August 22, 2026. | ||
The exception is the quarterback position, where the preseason genuinely does decide things. Las Vegas have an open competition that their coaching staff have said publicly will run another week. Pittsburgh’s shutout was a bad night for two young passers in a job that is still unsettled. Those are the results that carry into the season, and they are the reason to read a preseason scoreboard at all.
The week also produced news that had nothing to do with any score. Nick Chubb announced his retirement on Friday at 30, after eight seasons, seven with Cleveland and one with Houston. He finished with 7,349 rushing yards and 54 touchdowns, and his 2022 season, 1,525 yards and 12 scores, was the peak. A knee injury at Pittsburgh in Week 2 of 2023 took the rest of that year and, in the end, most of what came after it.
NFL scores that count: the Week 1 schedule
The regular season opens on a Wednesday, which it has not done since 2012, the NFL confirmed when it set the schedule.
| Date | Matchup | Venue | Broadcast |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed Sep 9 | New England at Seattle | Lumen Field | NBC, 8:20pm ET |
| Thu Sep 10 | San Francisco at L.A. Rams | Melbourne Cricket Ground | Netflix, 8:35pm ET |
| Sun Sep 13 | Atlanta at Pittsburgh | Acrisure Stadium | FOX |
| Sun Sep 13 | Baltimore at Indianapolis | Lucas Oil Stadium | |
| Sun Sep 13 | Buffalo at Houston | Reliant Stadium | |
| Sun Sep 13 | Chicago at Carolina | Bank of America Stadium | FOX |
| Sun Sep 13 | Cleveland at Jacksonville | EverBank Stadium | |
| Sun Sep 13 | New Orleans at Detroit | Ford Field | FOX |
| Sun Sep 13 | N.Y. Jets at Tennessee | Nissan Stadium | |
| Sun Sep 13 | Tampa Bay at Cincinnati | Paycor Stadium | FOX |
| Sun Sep 13 | Arizona at L.A. Chargers | SoFi Stadium | |
| Sun Sep 13 | Green Bay at Minnesota | U.S. Bank Stadium | |
| Sun Sep 13 | Miami at Las Vegas | Allegiant Stadium | FOX |
| Sun Sep 13 | Washington at Philadelphia | Lincoln Financial Field | FOX |
| Sun Sep 13 | Dallas at N.Y. Giants | MetLife Stadium | NBC |
| Mon Sep 14 | Denver at Kansas City | Arrowhead Stadium | ABC |
| The Wednesday opener is the first since 2012, moved to clear the Thursday night slot for the Melbourne fixture. | |||
New England at Seattle on September 9 is a rematch of Super Bowl LX, which Seattle won 29-13 at Levi’s Stadium in February for the franchise’s second championship. Kenneth Walker was the most valuable player with 135 yards from 27 carries. The more telling numbers belonged to the Seattle defence, which forced three turnovers and sacked Drake Maye six times. Seven months later the same two teams open the season, in Seattle, on NBC.
Fourteen games follow on Sunday September 13, and Denver at Kansas City closes the week on Monday night. From that point the scores stop being provisional.
NFL scores: frequently asked questions
Do preseason NFL scores count for anything?
No. Preseason results do not affect the regular-season standings, playoff seeding or any tiebreaker. They are used by coaching staffs to evaluate players before rosters are cut to 53, and by nobody else for anything.
Can an NFL game end in a tie?
Yes. Preseason games have no overtime at all, so any game level at the end of the fourth quarter is recorded as a tie. Indianapolis and New England finished 13-13 in Week 1 of this preseason. Regular-season games do go to overtime, but can still end level if neither side scores enough in the extra period.
What was the highest score of the 2026 preseason so far?
San Francisco’s 41 points against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium on August 20. The 41-17 result is also the widest margin of the preseason to date.
Has any team been shut out?
Pittsburgh, by the New York Jets, 17-0 at Acrisure Stadium on August 21. It is the only shutout on any 2026 NFL scoreboard so far.
When does the 2026 NFL regular season start?
Wednesday, September 9, with New England at Seattle at 8:20pm Eastern on NBC. San Francisco play the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne on Thursday September 10, and the main Sunday slate is September 13.
Who won Super Bowl LX?
Seattle, 29-13 over New England on February 8, 2026. Kenneth Walker was named most valuable player after rushing for 135 yards on 27 carries. It was Seattle’s second Super Bowl title.
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