The third preseason game is considered the most important of the four preseason games that each NFL team plays before the start of the regular season. Similarly to the other preseason games, the final score matters little, but unlike other preseason games, the team will invest a significant amount of time preparing for its opponent's schemes and personnel, as well as playing the starters on both sides of the ball for most of, if not all of, the first half.
Bleacher Report's Matt Bowen stated, "This is an important part of the regular-season prep for teams to establish their core calls while also experimenting with new schemes.