Does Preseason Football Actually Matter? (Depends Who You Ask)

Preseason Week 1 just happened — and if you spent any time on social media afterward, you already know: football fans have feelings.

Some teams looked sharp. Their fans are posting fire emojis and "we're going to the Super Bowl" takes. Other teams looked rough. Their fans are already typing "here we go again" and dusting off their disappointment from last year.

And if you're new to football, you might be watching all of this and thinking: wait, does any of this actually count?

Great question. Let's talk about it.

First: What Even Is the Preseason?

Before the real NFL season starts, every team plays a series of preseason games — usually four of them — that don't count in the standings. No wins, no losses, no playoff implications. They're essentially practice games played in front of a live crowd.

The regular season is what actually matters. The preseason is the warm-up act.

So why does anyone care? Because it's football, and football fans are going to football.

What Teams Are Actually Doing in Preseason

Here's the thing coaches and players will tell you: preseason games aren't really about winning. They're about evaluating.

Teams use preseason to figure out:

• Who makes the 53-man roster — NFL teams can carry 90 players in training camp, but they have to cut down to 53 before the regular season. Preseason games are how coaches decide who stays and who goes.
• How backups and rookies perform under pressure — Your star quarterback might play one series. The rest of the game? It's the backup's audition.
• Whether new schemes and plays work — Coaches are testing things. They're not showing their full playbook. They're experimenting.

This is why you'll often see starters play very little — sometimes not at all — in preseason games. The coaches already know what their starters can do. They're watching everyone else.

The "We're Going to the Super Bowl!" Crowd

Every preseason, some teams look incredible. The offense is clicking, the defense is dominant, the quarterback looks like an MVP candidate.

And their fans? Absolutely convinced this is the year.

Here's the honest truth: preseason performance is a very unreliable predictor of regular season success. Teams that go undefeated in preseason have won the Super Bowl — and teams that go undefeated in preseason have also had historically bad regular seasons. Both things have happened.

When a team looks great in preseason, it often means:

• Their starters played well in limited time
• They happened to play against teams whose starters also weren't playing
• Their backups outperformed the other team's backups

It's exciting! It's just not a guarantee of anything.

The "Here We Go Again" Crowd

On the flip side: some teams look rough in Week 1 of the preseason. The offense stalls. The defense gives up big plays. The quarterback throws an interception to a guy who might not even make the roster.

And their fans? Already grieving the season before it starts.

Also worth keeping in perspective. A bad preseason performance can mean:

• The starters barely played (by design)
• The coaches were testing new plays that didn't work yet
• The backup quarterback — who will never start a regular season game — had a bad night

Some of the best teams in NFL history have looked terrible in preseason. It genuinely does not always mean what fans think it means.

So How Much Weight Should You Put on Preseason?

Here's my honest take: a little, but not a lot.

Preseason can tell you something real. If a team's offensive line looks completely lost, that's worth noting. If a rookie wide receiver is making incredible catches every time he touches the ball, that's exciting. If a starting quarterback comes back from injury and looks healthy and sharp, that's genuinely good news.

But a single preseason game — especially Week 1, when rosters are still being figured out and coaches are barely showing their hand — is a tiny, tiny data point.

The fans who are celebrating after a win? Let them have it. It's fun. Football is back.

The fans who are spiraling after a loss? Take a breath. The season hasn't started yet.

The Real Reason Preseason Matters (For Beginners)

If you're new to football, here's the best thing about preseason: it's a great time to learn.

The games are lower stakes, which means you can watch without the pressure of a real result. You can ask questions, figure out the rules, and get comfortable with what you're watching — before the regular season starts and everyone around you suddenly has very strong opinions about every single play.

Think of it as your practice run too.

The Bottom Line

NFL preseason games don't count in the standings. Teams are evaluating rosters, testing plays, and keeping their starters healthy. A great preseason doesn't guarantee a great season, and a rough preseason doesn't mean the year is over before it starts.

But football is back — and that part? That part is always worth celebrating.

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