NFL preseason opens with Jags vs. Raiders in Canton

The NFL is back. 

The Jacksonville Jaguars and Las Vegas Raiders are set to kick off the league's preseason schedule with the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio Thursday.

You can watch the game LIVE on TSN2 and TSN.ca at 8pm ET/5pm PT.

The Jaguars will start third-string quarterback Jake Luton against the Raiders, with Trevor Lawrence resting and backup pivot C.J. Beathard sidelined by a groin injury.

Second-year running back Travis Etienne, who missed all of last season after being selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, will also be held out for the Jaguars.

“Right now, he’s done some great things in practice, and I just want to protect him a little bit,” said head coach Doug Pederson, who will be making his debut with the Jaguars. “Just making sure that he’s 100 per cent healthy as we get ready for the regular season.

"He’s going to be a big asset to the young running backs in this game and help those guys out.”

On the other side of the field. new Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels has been mum on whether starter Derek Carr will see reps on Thursday night.

The Raiders improved their offence over the off-season acquiring All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams from the Green Bay Packers. Adams, a college teammate of Carr's at Fresno State, could also make his Raiders debut Thursday.

“We got a long way to go,” Adams said last week of fitting into the Raiders offence. “I’m feeling really comfortable as of now, about as comfortable as you can be at this point. But we’ve still got a lot to learn, a lot to work on, and just try to build off of what we kind of did in the spring.”

The Raiders are looking to take another step forward this season after claiming a wild-card spot last season, while the Jaguars have plenty of