Full-fledged NFL football is almost back.
The closest the league comes to playing real games outside of the regular season occurs during Week 3 of the preseason. The majority of teams play their starters beyond halftime because it's an opportunity to set the lineup and make final adjustments before contests really count.
This stage provides final opportunities for numerous training camp battles to conclude since coaching staffs generally don't believe in playing their starters during the fourth preseason game. Instead, the franchises start to concentrate on their Week 1 opponents.
A team's 53-man roster is settled for the most part.