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2024 Preseason Notes:
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Week 3
2024 Fantasy Football Stock Pages:
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Rams 13, Cowboys 12
Neither the Rams nor the Cowboys played their starters, but there were some interesting things of note in this game. Primarily, this was an opportunity for Trey Lance to showcase himself, as he quarterbacked Dallas for nearly the entire game.
Lance looked great as a runner in the early going with a 19-yard scramble to pick up a first down on third-and-long. However, the drive stalled when he overshot his receiver on fourth down.
This was a trend for Lance, whose afternoon was plagued by inconsistency. For example, he made a nice throw toward the sideline while scrambling left, then connected with his receiver on an outstanding back-shoulder throw. Just when things were going well, Lance threw wide of his targets twice to end the drive. Later, he overthrew another receiver for a potential touchdown, then saw a defender drop an interception. He made up for it by drilling a receiver with a 26-yard laser.
Lance has great talent, but his issues with consistency indicate that he should continue to be a backup. However, a great coaching staff could develop him into a starter down the road.
Rico Dowdle played in this game, which isn’t a good sign because the starters rested. It must be noted though that Dowdle barely saw any action. He was given three early carries, and that was it.
As for the Rams, Stetson Bennett was also given a chance to put his talents on display, as Sean McVay allowed him to play the entire game. Bennett bungled this opportunity, however.
Bennett was picked on four occasions; five if a negated interception via penalty is included. The first pick was way wide of the target, as there may have been a miscommunication. The second was the result of Bennett not seeing the safety over the middle of the field. The third was another poor throw that was wide of the mark into double coverage. The fourth occurred because Bennett didn’t see the linebacker.
Bennett had some other poor moments. He was almost picked on yet another occasion because he heaved a pass into heavy traffic. He also missed a receiver for a potential touchdown. Bennett threw the decisive touchdown when he was able to fling a pass late across his body on fourth down. Despite the decisive touchdown, this was a disastrous display from Bennett, who does not look like he belongs in the NFL.
A backup who looks like he belongs is sixth-round rookie Jordan Whittington. He led the Rams in receiving, and he made his presence known immediately when he broke a tackle on a 30-yard gain during the opening drive. He caught a 14-yard pass while surviving a bit hit, and he later fought for a first down after making a catch with a defender draped all over him. He capped his afternoon off with a 19-yard reception in tight coverage. Whittington could end up contributing during the regular season.
NFL Preseason Announcers: The Rams announcer kept calling Boston Scott “Ronnie Rivers.” He did this six or seven times before being corrected. He also said, “He overshots his receiver.”
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Broncos 34, Colts 30
This game marked the preseason debut of Bo Nix. The No. 12 overall pick took the field for Denver’s third drive after Jarrett Stidham played on the first two possessions. Considering that Stidham had issues moving the chains, Nix didn’t have to do much to outplay the incumbent quarterback.
Nix had a rough start, as he was nearly intercepted when he threw off his back foot. He rebounded quickly, however. Two plays after he was almost picked, he scrambled left out of pressure to find Courtland Sutton for a 13-yard gain along the sideline.
Nix played one drive into the third quarter. He heaved a pass behind Devaughn Vele, but then drew an interference flag on a deep pass to the same receiver. This set up a Denver rushing touchdown.
Overall, Nix performed on a high level. Though the preseason is often a dog-and-pony show, Nix displayed enough to warrant being a starter in Week 1.
Earlier in the offseason, one of the top team reporters in the business, Cecil Lammey, reported that Javonte Williams was on the roster bubble. Williams must have earned back Sean Payton’s trust since then because he was given the start in this game, playing well ahead of all the other backs, save for Samaje Perine, who saw action on third down. Perine may be in the dog house after this performance because a dropped reception of his turned into an interception from Stidham.
Williams, on the other hand, looked rather spry. It’s not a surprise that he’s a new man now that he’s two years removed from a torn ACL. His top competitors, Jaleel McLaughlin and Audric Estime, both played into the third quarter. Estime fell into the end zone, but lost a fumble that was returned for a touchdown.
As for the Colts, Anthony Richardson did not look very sharp, but that was the case during last year’s preseason action. He nearly threw an interception on his second throw when he targeted Kylen Granson.
Here were Richardson’s targets:
Mo Alie-Cox: 1
Kylen Granson: 2
Michael Pittman Jr.: 1
Adonai Mitchell was another rookie who made his preseason debut in this game. He caught an early pass, but did so with the backups.
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Buccaneers 17, Bengals 14
Joe Burrow suffered an injury last August that caused him to struggle mightily to begin the 2023 season. The Burrow seen in this game looked like a completely different player. He resembled the quarterback who led his team to the Super Bowl a few years ago, as he was incredibly precise on all of his throws despite Ja’Marr Chase being unavailable due to rest.
Of Burrow’s two incompletions, one was a perfect deep bomb to Tee Higgins, which would have been a touchdown had the opposing defender not knocked the ball out of the receiver’s hands. The other misfire was thrown away because of pressure. Burrow was flawless otherwise, and one thing that isn’t shown in the box score (shown below) is that he and Higgins drew a deep interference flag.
Here were Burrow’s targets:
Chase Brown: 1
Tee Higgins: 4 (1 end zone)
Andrei Iosivas: 1
Trenton Irwin: 1
Chase Brown was given all of the first-team reps in this game, but before you get too excited, note that Zack Moss wasn’t available due to an illness. Brown failed to find much running room, so it’s disappointing that he couldn’t take advantage of a great opportunity.
Rookie receiver Jermaine Burton was the most productive receiver in this game. However, Burton didn’t play with the first team, as all of his production didn’t even come with second-stringer Jake Browning, but rather third-stringer Logan Woodside. Still, this was a nice showing by Burton, who could move up the depth chart soon.
Speaking of rookies, the Buccaneers started running back Bucky Irving because they sat Rachaad White and the rest of their first-stringers. Irving had a couple of nice runs, including a touchdown rush. He strangely did not contribute in the passing game.
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Titans 17, 49ers 13
The 49ers didn’t play a single starter, so this recap will focus entirely on the Titans, who had Will Levis and the rest of the first-string offense on the field for the entire opening quarter.
Despite seeing a full quarter of action, Levis threw only five passes. Part of the reason for that is Levis scrambling twice near the goal line. He nearly scored the first time, but took a crushing hit at the 1-yard line. He then fell into the end zone via a quarterback sneak on the next play. Levis didn’t do anything special as a passer, but didn’t make any mistakes either.
Here were Levis’ targets:
Tony Pollard: 2
Calvin Ridley: 2
Tyjae Spears: 1
The most interesting thing about this game was how Tennessee used its running backs. Anyone hoping for either Tony Pollard or Tyjae Spears to have a leg up on the other was greatly disappointed when Pollard was on the field for the first snap of the evening, and then Spears was on the field for the second snap.
Pollard and Spears were on the field with the first-string offense for 15 total plays. Here’s the play number breakdown of both running backs:
Pollard: 1, 3-5, 7, 8, 11, 12
Spears: 2, 6, 9, 10, 13-15
It’s worth noting that Spears played on all the third downs. However, Pollard looked like the superior player. It seemed as though his burst was back after it was missing last year. On one play, he spun out of a tackle after making a reception in the end zone. On the next drive, Pollard showed great acceleration on a 25-yard sprint.
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Saints 16, Cardinals 14
While Kyler Murray rested, Marvin Harrison made his NFL preseason debut in this game. He played one drive … and did nothing. Arizona’s possession went: run, sack taken by Desmond Ridder, and run. Harrison remained on the sideline after that.
Ridder, by the way, was utterly atrocious. He produced no points, although he had an easy throw for a touchdown just prior to halftime, but completely missed his target.
Harrison wasn’t the only rookie playing with the starting unit in this game. Trey Benson had a couple of nice runs, but didn’t have much blocking in front of him for the most part. Benson did not play on third downs, ceding tht work to Michael Carter.
As for the Saints, Derek Carr and the rest of the starters – including Alvin Kamara and Chris Olave – saw action on two drives versus Arizona’s second-string defense. Despite the mismatch, the Saints failed to engineer any sort of offense, as the poor blocking couldn’t give Derek Carr or Kamara any help. Carr looked dreadful, as he was bailed out on one of his two completions when Chris Olave hauled in a pass thrown behind him. Carr could have returned the favor on the next drive, but he overthrew Olave on a downfield shot. Meanwhile, Kamara was stuffed by backups. New Orleans’ offense could be miserable this year unless the team can solve its offensive line issues.
Here were Carr’s targets:
Taysom Hill: 1
Chris Olave: 3
Jamaal Williams: 1
Those expecting to watch Kendre Miller in this game were disappointed. Miller was inactive, which is not a bullish sign because both Kamara and Olave were on the field.
Saints rookie cornerback Spencer Rattler saw action in the fourth quarter. He drew a pass interference penalty deep downfield, although the Arizona announcers called the penalty “awful.” Rattler tossed some checkdowns after that, but needed to engineer a scoring drive in the final minutes after Arizona took the lead. Rattler took the team into field goal range, thanks to a pretty back-shoulder throw to Samson Nacua.
NFL Preseason Announcers: I can’t believe it, but Ron Wolfley was subdued in this game. He yelled a bit, but didn’t say anything crazy. He also suggested that “preseason games will be a thing of the past,” predicting that there will be one preseason game at most in the future.
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Jaguars 26, Chiefs 13
Both Patrick Mahomes and Trevor Lawrence played in this game, so this was much more exciting than the Seahawks-Chargers matchup I reviewed right below this one.
Unfortunately for the Chiefs, their starters didn’t make it through this game unscathed. Marquise Brown left the game with a shoulder injury. Some are theorizing that it’s an AC joint sprain, which could cost him a month or more if that’s the case. The Chiefs may want to reconsider their strategy of playing in the preseason, although Mahomes claims that he needs to see some action in these meaningless games.
Mahomes was on the field for just one drive, leading the team to a field goal conversion.
Here were Mahomes’ targets:
Marquise Brown: 1
Travis Kelce: 1
Isiah Pacheco: 1
Rashee Rice: 1
Isiah Pacheco didn’t see much action either, but he looked great in his limited reps. He broke free for a 16-yard gain and caught a 9-yard pass. Pacheco will be utilized more frequently on third down this year.
As for the Jaguars, Trevor Lawrence saw action during a couple of drives. He threw a touchdown pass, but remained on the field after that. This was a curious decision by Doug Pederson, who seemed to understand the error of his ways when Lawrence took a big hit on a fourth-down sack. This was Lawrence’s final snap of the evening.
Here were Lawrence’s targets:
Gabriel Davis: 2
Travis Etienne: 1
Luke Farrell: 1
Lawrence showed an early connection with Gabe Davis, hitting the former Bills receiver for a 20-yard gain. He appeared to drill him with another pass, but replay review ruled it incomplete.
Speaking of Jaguars receivers, Brian Thomas Jr. made an amazing play when he pulled in a 41-yard pass thrown deep downfield by C.J. Beathard. What was astonishing about this was that it wasn’t a well-thrown ball, and if that wasn’t enough, Thomas was being dragged down by the defender as he was making the catch.
Mac Jones was a failed starter in New England, but Pederson may have worked some magic with him because Jones looked like a new man in this game. Granted, this was just a preseason contest, but Jones threw some dimes against Kansas City.
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Seahawks 16, Chargers 3
Neither team played its starters in this game. I was at least excited to watch Ladd McConkey and Kimani Vidal, but neither was in uniform. Vidal warmed up, but Jim Harbaugh decided not to use him. There’s always a chance this was a punishment of some sort, but I think it’s more likely to be a bullish indicator, as Harbaugh may have deemed Vidal too important to be utilized in a meaningless preseason game. Instead, we got to see plenty of Easton Stick and Jaret Patterson.
The Seahawks, meanwhile, played Sam Howell for a chunk of this game. Howell played well, moving the chains with accurate throws and scrambles. He connected twice with Jaxon Smith-Njigba, but didn’t do much else that was overly noteworthy.
NFL Preseason Announcers: Believe it or not, Jakobi Meyers sponsors the Chargers. If you don’t believe me, check this out:
You’d think they’d at least spell his name correctly after he paid big bucks to sponsor the telecast!
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Packers 23, Browns 10
The Browns didn’t bother using their starters in this game. The Packers did, but for only one drive.
That one drive didn’t last very long. “No Cookie” Jordan Love was able to lead his team into the end zone via only two passes, thanks to his second attempt being a 67-yard touchdown bomb, as Love hit Dontayvion Wicks in stride. Sean Clifford replaced Love on the ensuing possession.
Here were Love’s targets:
Josh Jacobs: 1
Dontayvion Wicks: 1
If you’ve been excited about Packers rookie running back MarShawn Lloyd, you may want to re-think the outlook you have for him. Lloyd played behind both A.J. Dillon and Emanuel Wilson, and if that wasn’t enough, Lloyd suffered a hamstring injury after just one carry.
Speaking of backup running backs, it was discouraging to see Jerome Ford see action when all the other Cleveland starters played. However, Ford is still considered the No. 1 option at the poisition as long as Nick Chubb is out.
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Vikings 24, Raiders 23
Both Sam Darnold and J.J. McCarthy were set to play in Minnesota’s preseason opener. Darnold was on the field for one drive, but didn’t have Justin Jefferson or Aaron Jones at his disposal. J.J. McCarthy took the field on the second possession and played well into the third quarter.
Things did not go well for McCarthy in the early going. His first throw was a 16-yard completion to Jalen Nailor, but his third attempt was made when he panicked under pressure. He threw the ball late, and the Raider defensive back undercut the route and intercepted the ball.
McCarthy was able to improve after the early debacle. On the ensuing possession, he spun out of a sack and ran for a first down on a third-and-5. He then found Tristhon Jackson for a 21-yard gain along the sideline. This would be the first of several times he would hook up with Jackson. In the third quarter, he drilled a 15-yard laser to Nick Muse on a third-and-9, and then hit Jackson in stride on a 45-yard touchdown bomb, the first score of McCarthy’s preseason career.
Disaster nearly struck for McCarthy on the next possession when he fumbled on a strip-sack, though a teammate of his recovered the loose ball. McCarthy shook it off and drilled a completion to Jackson on fourth down. On the very next play, McCarthy connected with Trent Sherfield for a 33-yard touchdown.
McCarthy showed some ball-security issues, but had a strong preseason debut overall. With Darnold not doing anything special, McCarthy made the case for himself to see action early in the 2024 regular season.
Though Jackson made the most big plays, Nailor was the one who contributed the most with the starters. The Viking announcers said that Nailor was the favorite to replace K.J. Osborn as the No. 3 receiver, so he’s someone to watch, especially if one of Justin Jefferson or Jordan Addison suffers an injury.
As for the Raiders, the Minnesota telecast said that the plan for Las Vegas was to have Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew rotate series the entire opening half. This did not turn out to be accurate, as O’Connell started and played the opening drive before ceding the rest of the first half to Minshew.
Perhaps Antonio Pierce decided that he saw what he needed to out of O’Connell. The second-year quarterback was deadly accurate on all but one throw. He led the team down the field, though the drive was disrupted when he backed into a sack by rookie edge rusher Dallas Turner. O’Connell was brilliant otherwise, though it’s worth noting that he was terrific in last year’s preseason as well.
Here were O’Connell’s targets:
Brock Bowers: 2
Keelan Doss: 1
Michael Mayer: 1
Jakobi Meyers: 3
Tre Tucker: 1 (1 end zone)
Minshew, as mentioned, played the entire opening half, save for the first drive. He had some positive moments, including a touchdown throw to D.J. Turner where he showed some nice touch on his pass. On the next drive, he heaved a 44-yard bomb to Tre Tucker. Minshew had some curious misfires, but had a positive performance overall.
Jakobi Meyers enjoyed a great training camp, and that carried over into the preseason opener. He showed the best chemistry with Aidan O’Connell, though it should be noted that Davante Adams didn’t play. Still, Adams could be traded, which would greatly benefit Meyers’ fantasy outlook.
Zamir White drew the start and played the entire first drive. Alexander Mattison then took the field and got all the snaps on the second possession. White returned on the third drive, capping it off with a touchdown run. While the score will be seen as a positive, it’s discouraging that White was rotating drives with Mattison.
NFL Preseason Announcers: One of the Vikings announcers took this game rather seriously: “If that ball was a spear, he’d be dead.”
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Bears 33, Bills 6
Caleb Williams didn’t participate in the Hall of Fame Game, but he was slated to start in this contest. Unlike Jayden Daniels, Williams played multiple possessions, and while he didn’t lead his team into the end zone, he was able to engineer a couple of scoring drives.
Williams’ first official throw was a conversion on a third-and-12. He zipped the ball to D.J. Moore for exactly 12 yards despite there being tight coverage. Williams then saw heavy pressure on a play, so he was forced into improvising by throwing the ball across his chest to D’Andre Swift, which the running back turned into a 42-yard reception.
Perhaps Williams’ sole mistake on the day was when he threw a pass off his back foot toward Rome Odunze. The throw was nearly intercepted, but Williams was able to rebound with a terrific pass to Cole Kmet after rolling out of the pocket, picking up a gain of 26 yards. Kmet ended up dropping Williams’ next pass to him.
Here were Williams’ targets:
Cole Kmet: 2
D.J. Moore: 3
Rome Odunze: 1
D’Andre Swift: 1
Swift saw a bit of action. He was given the first carry, but Khalil Herbert entered the field right after that and took the second attempt of the game. Swift was given one more touch after that, then ceded all work to Herbert, who had all the second-team work available to him because Roschon Johnson didn’t play.
As for the Bills, Josh Allen played exactly one quarter. He was removed right after he scrambled for a 7-yard gain to pick up a first down on the final play of the opening quarter. Sean McDermott decided that he had seen enough because Allen was replaced with Mitchell Trubisky, while the rest of the starters remained on the field.
Here were Allen’s targets:
Curtis Samuel: 1
Khalil Shakir: 1
Khalil Shakir and Curtis Samuel were prominently featured with the starters. Shakir led the starters in receiving, while Curtis Samuel picked up a 14-yard gain after catching a short pass and zooming past some defenders. Keon Coleman didn’t do much, but was targeted in the end zone by Trubisky. Coleman would’ve had a chance at a touchdown, but his feet got tangled with a defender’s, causing him to stumble.
James Cook had the entire workload with the starters, though he didn’t do much. He was stuffed in a short-yardage attempt. Rookie Ray Davis didn’t find much running room either, but he was able to catch a 13-yard pass from Trubisky. He later hauled in a pass right along the sideline, managing to tap both feet inbounds before falling out of play. Unfortunately for Davis, that reception was negated by a penalty.
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Jets 20, Redskins 17
Jayden Daniels was expected to make his NFL preseason debut against the Jets. Daniels took the field, but played for only one drive. Despite the limited action, Daniels was able to lead the team into the end zone.
Daniels began with a dubious throw, air-mailing a throw over Austin Ekeler’s head despite having the running back open for an easy toss in the flat. Daniels, however, made up for that on his next throw with a perfect bomb to Dyami Brown for a 42-yard gain. Daniels capped off the drive with a rushing touchdown on a read-option play.
Though this was a small sample size against a backup defense, Daniels impressed, thanks to the perfect throw he made downfield to Brown. His rushing touchdown also confirms the running upside we knew he had coming out of LSU.
Here were Daniels’ targets:
Dyami Brown: 1
Austin Ekeler: 1
Terry McLaurin: 1
Aside from Daniels, Washington’s best quarterback was rookie Sam Hartman, who did a good job of engineering drives with precise throws and scrambling ability. He picked up a 17-yard gain on one occasion.
Redskins rookie receiver Luke McCaffrey caught a couple of passes in his preseason debut. His best play was a 19-yard reception he made in heavy traffic over the middle of the field.
The Jets didn’t play their starters, but they featured one rookie of note. Braelon Allen drew the start with Breece Hall resting. Allen showed nice power with an early 7-yard carry, then caught a 12-yard pass on a third-and-9, though the play was negated by a penalty. After some minimal gains, Allen broke free with a 24-yard burst behind left tackle Olu Fashanu.
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Dolphins 20, Falcons 13
Neither team played its starters in this game, so that meant we had a very early look at Michael Penix Jr. The No. 8 overall pick got the nod for the Falcons and played slightly more than a quarter. His stats look good, but he had a roller coaster-type performance.
Penix began with a short toss to Casey Washington, but then overthrew Washington on a deep shot downfield. On the next drive, Penix fired an incompletion because he released the ball off his back foot, but rebounded with a 41-yard connection to Chris Blair where he showed excellent touch. Penix couldn’t keep the momentum going, however, as he overthrew Washington on the very next play. He managed to connect with Washington on a 16-yard strike after that, however.
Toward the end of his evening, Penix was robbed of a touchdown when his receiver caught his pass, but was tackled at the 1-yard line. The Falcons eventually got into the end zone via a rushing touchdown. Penix would play one more drive, but that possession didn’t go anywhere, thanks to Penix overshooting his running back in the flat on a simple pass.
There was some good and some bad with Penix, who needs to shore up his consistency. Playing with better skill players and blockers would certainly help.
Those expecting the Dolphins to ride rookie running back Jaylen Wright had to wait, as Jeff Wilson Jr. played the entire first quarter for some reason. Wilson who dropped a touchdown and then scored one, was replaced by Wright in the second quarter. Wright had some runs where he was able to stay on his feet after contact. He looked just as impressive as the numbers below indicate, though it’s impossible to read too much into that performance because he was battling nothing but practice squad-caliber defenders.
Another Dolphins rookie, Patrick Paul, looked terrific in his preseason debut as well. Paul was shoving Atlanta defenders around with ease, opening up huge running lanes for Wright.
NFL Preseason Announcers: This was a rough telecast. There was a transmission error of some sort, so the announcers sounded like malfunctioning robots from time to time. I had to mute the broadcast eventually.
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Eagles 16, Ravens 13
Whereas both the Texans and Steelers played their starters in the initial preseason game, the Ravens and Eagles utilized rookies and backups. Josh Johnson and Kenny Pickett started for their respective teams. Neither played very well to put it nicely.
Of the players who stood out, a couple of Eagles hold that distinction. First-round cornerback Quinyon Mitchell almost had an interception where he jumped a route, but ended up dropping the ball. It should be noted that Mitchell was battling Johnson and some atrocious third-string receivers, but he made a good play nonetheless.
Offensively, running back Will Shipley had the best performance. Shipley had a terrific blitz pickup on the second drive, allowing Pickett to complete a deep pass. Shipley then had some tough inside runs and capped off the possession with a 7-yard touchdown reception.
Shipley is an interesting deep sleeper. If Saquon Barkley goes down with an injury, Shipley could end up being the starting running back over Kenneth Gainwell, who has shown that he can’t shoulder a full workload.
For those of you who bet the Ravens +2 like I did, this game was going to be a tie – thanks to John Harbaugh’s inexplicable decision not to go for two after a touchdown drew the score to 13-12 in the fourth quarter – but Baltimore fourth-string quarterback Emory Jones, taking his first snap of the game, fumbled on a strip-sack with 10 seconds remaining to give the Eagles the decisive field goal. What a horrible way to start the year.
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Texans 20, Steelers 12
It’s a rarity to see both teams play starters in a preseason game, but that’s exactly what occurred in this game, for the most part. This includes C.J. Stroud, Stefon Diggs and almost all the Texans.
Stroud was on the field for just two drives, with the second concluding with a touchdown pass. This was an impressive 34-yard strike to Tank Dell on a third-and-8. Stroud played six snaps, with two of his four passes being completed. One attempt was thrown away because of pressure.
Here were Stroud’s targets:
Tank Dell: 1
Dalton Schultz: 1
Cade Stover: 1
Both Diggs and Nico Collins played all six snaps with Stroud, but neither drew a single target, all while seeing Dell catch a touchdown on his sole target. This is a small sample size, so don’t read anything into it.
Joe Mixon was one of the few Houston starters who didn’t play. Dameon Pierce got the nod instead, but failed to do much with his opportunities.
Most of Pittsburgh’s starters took the field as well, though Russell Wilson was an exception. Justin Fields started with the rest of the offense instead. Fields began with a pair of 16-yard completions, the first of which was a screen pass. However, his initial two drives were ruined by botched snaps from center Nate Herbig. Rookie Zach Frazier replaced Herbig after that, and everything was much smoother. It’s puzzling as to why Frazier didn’t start in the first place.
Fields improved with upgraded center play. He made a nice throw to Van Jefferson on a 20-yard connection, though he failed to score any points before giving way to Kyle Allen.
Both Pittsburgh backs saw action, with Najee Harris drawing the start. Harris broke a tackle on a 16-yard reception on the initial play of the game. Jaylen Warren entered the field on the fourth play and looked like he was shot out of a cannon on one instance.
NFL Preseason Announcers: One of the Pittsburgh announcers referred to Justin Fields as “Justin Field.” Maybe Fields will earn the final “S” with improved play.
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Patriots 17, Panthers 3
New England’s rookie quarterback really impressed in this game. Drake Maye? No, I’m talking about Joe Milton. Maye was on the field for only one drive, as was Jacoby Brissett. After Brissett misfired on all three attempts, including a deep shot downfield, Maye took the field. He completed two of his passes, but both were screen tosses, including one 13-yard connection that went for a first down on third-and-12. Maye’s sole incompletion was a slightly high throw.
Bailey Zappe took over after Maye’s sole drive and played a while before giving way to Milton. The Tennessee product was very impressive, and not just as a scrambler. His touchdown pass was a thing of beauty, as he was able to look off the safety and deliver a strike to an open receiver for the score.
Milton has shined in training camp, so it wasn’t a surprise to see that carry over into preseason action. Keep in mind, however, that the Panthers didn’t seem as though they game planned for this contest whatsoever.
Ja’Lynn Polk caught three passes in this game, but he did not play with Brissett and the starters. He entered the game with Maye and remained on the field after the rookie quarterback departed. Despite this, it would be shocking if Polk didn’t enter the starting lineup early in the year, given how dreadful the “starting” receivers are.
On the other end of the spectrum, fourth-round rookie receiver Javon Baker was playing with the deep backups at the end of the game. Baker called himself the best receiver in the 2024 NFL Draft class, but he may have to revise that evaluation soon.
As for the Panthers, they played no starters. Someone named Jack Plummer quarterbacked them very ineffectively throughout three quarters. A Carolina player of note is second-year receiver Jonathan Mingo, who saw action but disappointed with a drop. He failed to log a single completion.
NFL Preseason Announcers: The Bob’s Discount Furniture Studio returned! The furniture store may have paid Brian Hoyer to be their spokesman because he gave some analysis early on, though he began watching TV at some point during the night.
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Giants 14, Lions 3
This game marked the preseason debut of Malik Nabers, but it wasn’t much of a performance. Nabers played a couple of drives, but failed to log a single reception. In fact, he wasn’t even targeted.
This, however, has very little to do with Nabers. With Daniel Jones resting, Drew Lock started and was absolutely dreadful. There was one instance in which Nabers was open, but Lock didn’t see him. This caused the drenched crowd to moan and groan in frustration, and they weren’t any happier when Lock was intercepted shortly later when the former Seahawk quarterback threw late over the middle of the field. Lock was greatly outplayed by Tommy DeVito, so it remains to be seen if Lock will hold on to the No. 2 job in New York for much longer.
Tyrone Tracy was the most productive rookie for the Giants in their preseason opener. He looked every bit as good as the 5.2 YPC he earned indicates. There was one play where Tracy appeared to be bottled up in the backfield, but was able to squeeze out a positive gain. He then made a nice juke move to pick up a decent chunk of yards. It’s not out of the question that Tracy could end up as the Giants’ starting running back at some point.
The Lions also sat their starters. Nate Sudfeld started over Hendon Hooker for some reason. He showed no signs of being a viable quarterback, but Hooker didn’t really do much as a passer either. Hooker was at least able to pick up some nice rushing yardage, showcasing that his torn ACL was a thing of the past. Unfortunately for Hooker, he was taken to the locker room with an injury, so the Detroit front office has to wonder if its young quarterback will ever be healthy.
NFL Preseason Announcers: If Phil Simms stops being a football announcer, he can become a men’s lifestyle critic. Simms, the color analyst for the Giants, spent several minutes berating Daniel Jones’ beard. As you can tell, this game was rather boring.
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Bears 21, Texans 17
The NFL Hall of Fame Game is often very sloppy, but this matchup was quite the change of pace. There were explosive fireworks, none of which came from the anticipated kickoffs. Instead, both Davis Mills and Brett Rypien torched the opposing defenses. Their stellar stats are listed below. Take the numbers with a grain of salt, however. Remember that Kenny Pickett was flawless in last year’s preseason. We’ve seen Mills and Rypien fail numerous times in real action.
Neither team played their starters, which was not a surprise. Rome Odunze didn’t even see the field. The most noteworthy players were Roschon Johnson and Khalil Herbert. Both were on the field, with Johnson starting and then giving way to Herbert. After some brilliant running from Herbert, Johnson returned. Herbert was the better player in this game, but before you get too excited, it’s noteworthy that he was playing behind Johnson in this game. This is significant because of D’Andre Swift’s checkered injury history. I’d rather have Johnson at the moment, but unless Herbert ends up being cut, I don’t see a point in having either on your fantasy roster.
A couple of young receivers stood out for both teams. Xavier Hutchinson was the most productive Texan, but the star was Collin Johnson, who made a pair of brilliant leaping catches, though one was overturned because the ball barely hit the ground. Neither is going to be a factor in season-long fantasy, however, unless there are a barrage of injuries on their respective teams.
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