The 2026 NFL preseason opened its first full slate this week, with all 32 teams playing between August 13 and 15 before rosters get trimmed to 53. For most fans it’s a three-week warm-up. For anyone in Ontario who follows the point spread, it’s the start of a longer build toward the game that counts: the New England Patriots visiting the Seattle Seahawks on September 9 in a rematch of Super Bowl LX, which NBC Sports confirmed opens the regular season on a Wednesday night.
That opener sets the tone. Seattle enters as the defending champion and the early team to beat, while New England has to prove last season wasn’t a one-off by winning on the road in Week 1. The schedule front-loads the drama, with San Francisco and the Los Angeles Rams meeting on a Thursday-night Netflix broadcast on September 10, the Cowboys and Giants renewing an NFC East rivalry on September 13, and Denver visiting Kansas City on the Monday night that closes the opening week.
Preseason is where the roster questions get answered. Depth charts shift, rookies force their way into starting jobs, and a backup quarterback can change a team’s outlook by Labor Day. Bettors treat these weeks as research rather than a payday, because the lines are thin, the starters barely play, and the real information is in who actually looks ready. For Ontario bettors weighing where to place that first wager of the season, the sign-up terms matter as much as the odds. Anyone comparing offers can check the current theScore Bet promo code against what the first deposit actually unlocks before Week 1 arrives.
There’s also a spring-football subplot running underneath the exhibition slate. The UFL wrapped its third season in June, when the Louisville Kings recovered from an 0-3 start to beat the DC Defenders 27-20 in the United Bowl and win the title in their debut campaign. That league has become a genuine NFL feeder: by the UFL’s own count, 80 former UFL and spring-football players are in NFL camps this summer, with 45 signing contracts straight off 2026 rosters. United Bowl MVP running back Ian Wheeler joined the Buffalo Bills. Orlando Storm quarterback Jack Plummer, the 2026 UFL MVP who threw 17 touchdowns against one interception, is chasing an NFL job after a record 255 straight attempts without a pick. Two-time Offensive Player of the Year Hakeem Butler signed with the Denver Broncos.
“The preseason is scouting, not a payday,” one betting analyst said. “I’m watching where UFL players like Wheeler and Plummer land on the depth chart, because a special-teams contributor who sticks tells you something about a roster’s margins. That kind of detail moves a season win total in September far more than a third-string touchdown in August.”
Ontario’s regulated market gives bettors a defined set of rules to work within. Every licensed operator, theScore Bet included, runs on behalf of iGaming Ontario and answers to the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, which sets the standards for how sportsbooks operate in the province. Players must be 19 or older, and confidential support is available through ConnexOntario for anyone who needs it. The fundamentals don’t change: do the homework, watch the preseason for real signals, and treat the welcome offer as a starting bankroll rather than a windfall. For the wider picture on how the 2026 field is shaping up, our latest football coverage tracks the storylines heading into Week 1.
