There were plenty of discussions about the NFL potentially shortening the preseason this year amid the coronavirus outbreak, and it seems the league has officially cut it down to two games.
Kevin Seifert of ESPN reported that the preseason will include the matchups for Weeks 2 and 3 while cutting the first and final games of the preseason. It was first reported by Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
Games are scheduled to be played in Weeks 2 and 3 of the original preseason schedule. Could mean we’ve seen the last 4-week NFL preseason. CBA allows for it to be shortened if/when 17-game regular seasons start.
— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) July 1, 2020
Part of the reason it seems to have the preseason cut short is due to the acclimation period for the players. They will need more time to get into shape given the restrictions this offseason so cutting out the first preseason game allows for more conditioning time.
Updated NFL preseason schedule:
July 28: Nearly all NFL teams report to training camp
23 day acclimation period begins
Preseason Week 1: August 20th-24th
Preseason Week 2: August 27th-31stSeptember 10th: Chiefs vs. Texans. The games begin 🏈.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) July 1, 2020
The Colts are still planning to return for training camp on July 28 with an abbreviated preseason schedule. This is now how their preseason looks with two games:
| Week | Opponent | Date | Time (ET) | Broadcast |
| 2 | vs. Washington | Monday, Aug. 24 | 8:00 p.m. | ESPN |
| 3 | at Buffalo | Saturday, Aug. 29 | 4:00 p.m. | FOX59 |