NFL dress rehearsals spice up weekend TV schedule

Bring it in for the real thing as the NFL begins gearing up for the regular season in earnest this weekend and baseball teams jockey for playoff position down the stretch.

Six NFL TV games are on the slate for the third week of the preseason, which typically serves as a dress rehearsal for Week 1 of the regular season.

Also, Las Vegan Kris Bryant and the Chicago Cubs will try to strengthen their hold on the National League's second wild card, and the Los Angeles Dodgers will try to maintain their slim NL West lead as the storied franchises square off in a series at Dodger Stadium.

TODAY

NFL preseason, Detroit Lions at Jacksonville Jaguars (5 p.m., CBS (8)): Jaguars rookie running back T.J. Yeldon is set to make his preseason debut after missing the first two games with a finger injury. Yeldon, a second-round draft pick, was one of three running backs picked ahead of Lions rookie Ameer Abdullah, who is expected to see plenty of action after playing sparingly last week. Detroit receiver Calvin Johnson isn't expected to play.

BEST OF REST: MLB: Los Angeles Angels at Cleveland Indians (4 p.m., FSW (49)), Colorado Rockies at Pittsburgh Pirates or Boston Red Sox at New York Mets (4 p.m., MLBN (314)); PGA Tour: The Barclays, second round (11 a.m., TGC (339)).

SATURDAY

NFL preseason, San Francisco 49ers at Denver Broncos (6 p.m., ABC (13)): Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning should see his most extensive action of the preseason as he tries to adjust to the team's new run-first offense under first-year coach Gary Kubiak. Denver's running game has thrived behind Ronnie Hillman and C.J. Anderson. San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who has completed only 3 of 8 passes for 27 yards, will try to get the 49ers offense on track and hook up with new receiver Torrey Smith.

BEST OF REST: Little League World Series: International championship (9:30 a.m., ABC (13), U.S. championship, 12:30 p.m., ABC (13)); MLB: Detroit Tigers at Toronto Blue Jays (10 a.m., MLBN (314)), Boston Red Sox at New York Mets (1 p.m., FS1 (329)), New York Yankees at Atlanta Braves (4 p.m., FS1 (329)); NFL preseason: Pittsburgh Steelers at Buffalo Bills (1 p.m., NFLN (317)), Seattle Seahawks at San Diego Chargers (5 p.m., CBS (8)).

SUNDAY

Chicago Cubs at Los Angeles Dodgers (5 p.m., ESPN (30)): Cubs starter Jake Arrieta (16-6, 2.22 ERA), who is slated to oppose Alex Wood (9-8, 3.70), became the first pitcher in the majors to reach 16 wins his last time out against the San Francisco Giants. He scattered four singles in six innings for his 13th straight quality start. Arrieta is the first Cubs pitcher with 13 consecutive quality starts since Las Vegan Greg Maddux had 14 straight in 1992. Chicago leads the Giants by 5½ games for the second NL wild-card spot, and the Dodgers lead San Francisco by 2½ games in the NL West. Los Angeles finished a three-game sweep of the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday, but lost Adrian Gonzalez and Yasiel Puig to injuries.

BEST OF REST: Little League World Series: championship (noon, ABC (13)); MLB: Boston Red Sox at New York Mets (10 a.m., TBS (7)); NFL preseason: Houston Texans at New Orleans Saints (1 p.m., Fox (5)), Arizona Cardinals at Oakland Raiders (5 p.m., NBC (3)); PGA Tour: The Barclays, final round (9 a.m., TGC (339), 11 a.m., CBS (8)).

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354. Follow him on Twitter: @tdewey33