As final cuts loom and fans prepare for their fantasy drafts, NFL Network airs the only national preseason telecasts this week.
Beginning with a live preseason doubleheader on Thursday and a live game on Friday, NFL Network concludes its wall-to-wall preseason coverage with 16 Week 4 preseason contests, including 11 in high definition (schedule below).
NFL Network kicks off the live doubleheader with the Buffalo Bills at Detroit Lions Thursday at 7:00 p.m. The Bills and Lions meet to conclude the preseason for the sixth consecutive year. Buffalo's Marshawn Lynch, the second running back drafted in April, gets his final prep work as he aims to become the first Bills rookie to rush for 1,000 yards in more than two decades.
In the second game, NFL Network telecasts the San Francisco 49ers at San Diego Chargers live Thursday at 10:00 p.m. San Francisco quarterback Alex Smith takes the field against new San Diego head coach Norv Turner, who as 49ers QB coach in 2006 oversaw Smith's marked improvement from his rookie to second year. This also serves as the final tune-up for San Francisco's nine 2007 draftees, including two first rounders.
On Friday, NFL Network will telecast the Indianapolis Colts at Cincinnati Bengals live at 7:30 p.m. This is a meeting of teams with All-Star quarterbacks who were the AFC's only 4,000-yard passers in 2006 -- Peyton Manning of Indianapolis and Carson Palmer of Cincinnati.
*In 2007, NFL Network will air nearly 200 football games, including eight regular season NFL games, 52 preseason games, 97 game re-airs, Super Bowl and NFL Classics, plus the Insight Bowl, Texas Bowl and Senior Bowl.
NFL Network airs seven days a week, 24 hours a day on a year-round basis and is the first television network fully dedicated to the NFL and the sport of football. For more information, log onto www.nfl.com/nflnetwork/.*
