The Green Bay Packers' preseason schedule kicks off Aug. 9 with a nationally televised contest at the San Diego Chargers. The preliminary schedule was communicated by the National Football League on Wednesday.
Aug. 9, at San Diego Chargers, 7 p.m., TV: ESPN
Aug. 16-19, CLEVELAND BROWNS (Gold pkg.), TBA, TV: WGBA/state (Midwest Shrine Game)
Aug. 23-26, at Cincinnati Bengals, Time TBA, TV: WGBA/state
Aug. 30-31, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS, TBA, TV: WGBA/state (Bishop's Charities Game)
Specific dates and times to be announced
ESPN will broadcast the preseason opener against the San Diego Chargers to a national audience. This is the first preseason trip to Qualcomm Stadium since 2006 and fourth all-time preseason meeting, including the 1980 Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio. The Packers hosted the Chargers at Lambeau Field in 2005. Over the past 20 preseasons, the Packers have appeared on national TV at least once in 19 of those years.
In Week 2 of the preseason, Green Bay will host the Cleveland Browns, in the fourth consecutive preseason matchup between the two clubs. This will be the third trip to Lambeau Field for the Browns in the last four years after playing in Cleveland last season. The game is designated as the 63rd annual Upper Midwest Shrine Game, a tradition which began in 1950 and has raised more than $3.4 million for the Midwest Shrine's burn centers and hospitals for crippled children. The Packers have won 10 of the last 13 contests in the Shrine series.
In Week 3, the Packers will travel to Cincinnati and face the Bengals, the lone 2011 playoff qualifier on the preseason schedule. This marks the 17th preseason meeting between the Packers and Bengals and first at Paul Brown Stadium since 2006.
The preseason concludes with a home contest against the Kansas City Chiefs, the third straight year the teams have met in the preseason finale and second consecutive year at Lambeau Field. This game marks the 52nd annual Bishop's Charities Game, a charitable contest initiated in 1961 by Vince Lombardi and the Diocese of Green Bay that has raised more than $3.5 million to date.* *
Except for the San Diego game, the exact dates and times for the remaining three Packers' preseason contests are to be determined. Those games will be aired on Green Bay's WGBA-TV (Ch. 26), in conjunction with Milwaukee's WTMJ-TV, over a nine-station network throughout the state of Wisconsin, Northeastern Minnesota and the Quad Cities in Iowa.
In addition to WGBA-TV and WTMJ-TV, the games are televised over WKOW/ABC, Madison, Wis.; WAOW/ABC, Wausau/Rhinelander, Wis.; WXOW/ABC, La Crosse, Wis.; WQOW/ABC, Eau Claire, Wis.; WYOW/ABC, Eagle River, Wis.; KQDS-TV/FOX, Duluth, Minn.; and KGCW/CW, Quad Cities in Iowa.
The preseason broadcast team includes Kevin Harlan (play-by-play) and Rich Gannon (analyst).
The league is expected to release the regular-season schedule later this month.
For more on the preseason schedule, click here.
