We're more than halfway through the preseason, and plenty of teams will shut it down and not use starters in the third week of preseason games.
In other words, the regular season is almost here.
With less than three weeks to go before the season begins, here were the key takeaways from Week 2 of the preseason:
Bears looked good
Maybe all of the concern about the Bears offense will quiet a little now. There have been enough worrisome reports from camp that it seemed Caleb Williams and the offense were having trouble picking up new coach Ben Johnson's scheme. In the starters' first preseason action, there weren't many issues.
Williams had 97 yards on a long first drive that ended in a touchdown, and 107 yards overall on two drives. Preseason results don't matter much but it's not a bad thing to play well, and Chicago thumped the Buffalo Bills (who didn't play starters) 38-0. The offense looked really good, with fantastic timing and execution on the first drive.
The Bears start the season with a big Monday night game against the Minnesota Vikings, and we know that defense will throw everything at Williams (Johnson knows Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores well from his time as the Lions' offensive coordinator). Bears fans will feel more confident about their chances in that opener after what they saw Sunday night.
Stats don't tell Cam Ward story
Ward, the first overall pick of the draft by the Tennessee Titans, was 2 of 7 for 42 yards. He did miss on some throws. But the Titans weren't worried at all.
Ward's results would have been better without some offensive penalties and a drop by Van Jefferson on a fantastic throw down the field.
"Yeah, I'm very encouraged, and that ball he threw that got dropped was an unbelievable throw," Titans coach Brian Callahan said, via the team's site. "He's shown all the things that we need to see from an operations standpoint ... everything about Cam as far as handling the operation, being in the stadium, two road environments, all that's great. Really good start for him, and then we got one more chance to come play at home and get ready to go."
Dolphins RB issues
De'Von Achane has a lower body soft tissue injury, and while coach Mike McDaniel said he isn't worried about Achane for Week 1, it's a little concerning. The Dolphins need to figure out who is backing up Achane. It was supposed to be Jaylen Wright but he has 19 yards on 13 carries. Meanwhile, rookie Ollie Gordon II has 83 yards on 18 carries. Gordon is facing defenders further down the depth chart, and the blocking hasn't been ideal for Wright, but Gordon has run hard and looks good. Perhaps he has carved out a role for early in the season.
Saints find a QB?
The Saints did not look good in the first half against the Jacksonville Jaguars. They were down 17-3 and only an unforced error by the Jaguars, on a fumbled handoff in the red zone, kept it from being 20-3 or 24-3. It'll be a long season in New Orleans.
But in the second half, Spencer Rattler rallied a bit. He did throw a bad interception in the red zone, but also led the team to a game-tying drive in the final minutes and had 199 yards in the second half.
"It was important just from an evaluation standpoint on Spence," Saints coach Kellen Moore said, via NFL.com. "Those are critical moments. You have a tough situation, you've got to respond."
Was that enough to get Rattler the starting job over rookie Tyler Shough for Week 1? Perhaps.
Texans play very well
While there are still offensive line concerns, everything else with the Texans looked pretty good in their 20-3 win over the Carolina Panthers. Houston's starting defense stifled the Panthers' starting offense, forcing two three-and-outs to start the game. The offense looked good, too. C.J. Stroud was sharp, Nico Collins got a touchdown, and running backs Nick Chubb and rookie Woody Marks were both effective. Houston looks ready for Week 1, which will be against a Los Angeles Rams team still waiting on Matthew Stafford's back to feel better.
Rookie QBs continue to shine
The only rookie quarterback who will definitely start Week 1 is probably Cam Ward. But others have made their pitch to be next up early in the season, led by Jaxson Dart.
The more Dart plays, the more impressive he is. He looked good in both Giants preseason games, and at some point the team has to wonder if he's their best quarterback right now. New York simplified things for him by running mostly no huddle against the Jets, and he took advantage by going 14 of 16 for 137 yards and a touchdown. It will be very interesting to see how soon the Giants turn to Dart at QB.
And in Cleveland, both rookie QBs have had their moments. Shedeur Sanders shined in Week 1 of the preseason, and with Sanders out last week Dillon Gabriel came back from a hamstring injury and mostly played well, though he did have a pick-6. The Browns said they'll announce their starting quarterback this week — it would be a massive surprise if it's not Joe Flacco — but the rookies made their cases to see the field this season.
Broncos are deep
The Denver Broncos have high hopes this season and they're seeing good signs from young players looking for big roles. Rookie running back RJ Harvey had a touchdown run last week and the second-round pick looks like a player who should start over JK Dobbins. Third-round pick Pat Bryant had 70 yards on four catches and is the type of receiver who could have an impact in Sean Payton's offense. There will be a crunch for playing time there, especially if second-year receiver Troy Franklin continues to emerge. Franklin had a pair of touchdowns last week. With a stellar defense, strong offensive line, promising quarterback in Bo Nix and other young players coming along fast, the Broncos should be excited going into the season.
Comments