FOOTBALL IS BACK, BABY! Did you miss any preseason action this past weekend? Well, don’t worry, I’ve got you covered with everything we’ve learned from Week 1 of football!

Note: I am not including scores of the preseason games because they are useless since these games don’t matter in regards to a team’s record! #StickItToTheMan

 

– Redskins vs. Falcons

It’s somewhat bizarre that the quote-unquote best and worst performances from the game come from the same team’s quarterback, but that’s just what happened in Atlanta (not that it’s going to make a difference; Matt Ryan will be the starter in the regular season). Schaub led the Falcons to three scoring drives with/against the backups, whereas Ryan led the starters to two uneventful drives. Redskins’ QB Kirk Cousins looked okay going 5/5 for 39 yards in his only drive of the night. The ‘Skins couldn’t get anything going on the ground with their two top running backs, Matt Jones and Keith Marshall, combining for 0 yards on the ground. Yikes.

 

– Eagles vs. Buccaneers

 

If you happened to be watching this game, you will have noticed one thing in-particular about it: it was a snooze fest. But that’s the preseason for you. Luke Rhodes was a nice looking piece for the Bucs’ defense, which is always good for a rookie from a small school like William & Mary. Now, on to the Eagles. Carson Wentz was up-and-down. I thought his performance in the game reminded me of Cam Newton’s first preseason game, a game in which Newton got demolished in the backfield much like Wentz. The number two pick of the NFL Draft was rushed heavily by the Bucs’ D, thus resulting in him running out of the pocket many times. Wentz suffered a hairline fracture on his ribs, but the Eagles are hopeful that he’ll return soon. Luckily for the Eagles, whose receivers cannot get open for their lives, the added Dorial Green-Beckham to the mix through a trade with the Tennessee Titans.

 

 

– Panthers vs. Ravens

Cam Newton looked great in his preseason debut going 5/6 in his only drive, which resulted in a Carolina field goal. We have been hearing word out of Ravens’ camp that Terrance West looked like a different player than he was in Cleveland, and we weren’t let down. West looked in great shape and scored two touchdowns for the Ravens.

 

– Saints vs. Patriots

Michael Thomas looked like an absolute freak athlete when the ball was thrown his way. The Saints are looking to have Thomas replace long-time receiver Marques Colston, but Colston was a slot-receiver, whereas Thomas was making his plays on the outside. We’ll have to see how that situation develops. For the Patriots offense, 3^rd-year quarterback Jimmy Garropolo led the way, in the place of suspended star Tom Brady. Jimmy G is the definition of a mediocre quarterback. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but he doesn’t do anything bad, nor does he do anything great. He’ll be good at being a game-manager, not a star QB. He’s just okay.

 

– Jaguars vs. Jets

The Jaguars showed great offensive flow on their first two drives (with starters), scoring 10 of their 13 points on those possessions. Blake Bortles threw an exceptional ball to A-Rob for a 45 yard gain on their second drive. Ryan Fitzpatrick went 3/4 for 72 yards on two drives, one of them leading to a Bilal Powell 4-yard rushing score. All-in-all, both team’s starting units looked pretty solid

 

– Broncos vs. Bears

We all were slightly hoping that the Broncos’ quarterback competition would be decided after game 1 of the preseason, right? Well, sadly it was the exact opposite. All throughout camp we have heard about how Trevor Siemian has competed with Mark Sanchez for the starting job, but it wasn’t until the game versus the Bears that we actually saw why. Sanchez was his normal self, leading the team almost perfectly down the field for a big 32-yard TD to Demaryius Thomas. Then, on the next two drives, Sanchez threw an interception and then went three-and-out. Then, Siemian came in. He led the Broncos to two field goals on four drives. The defending Super Bowl champ’s defense look impenetrable against a lackluster Bears’ offense. Just like we expected

 

-Lions vs. Steelers

In a game where many starters sat out, we saw perhaps the worst play of the season when Detroit Lions’ QB Dan Orlovsky evaded a sack just to throw a pick-six to Pittsburgh Steelers’ cornerback Doran Grant. Darrius Heyward-Bey had a nice back of the end-zone touchdown, while 7^th year Lions’ receiver Andre Roberts led all receivers with 57 yards and a touchdown on 3 receptions.

 

– Dolphins vs. Giants

 

Ryan Nassib led the Giants to a 10-0 lead after the 1^st quarter. Then he turned the ball over on three separate occasions in the 2^nd quarter. This was yet another game where many starters sat out for both teams. On starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill’s first two drives, the Dolphins showed nothing good on offense. He seemed hurried, with his longest pass completion being only 7 yards.

 

– Vikings vs. Bengals

 

Both teams looked competitive coming out of the gate. Bengals starting QB Andy Dalton went 4/5 in his only drive, whereas Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater went 6/7 for 92 yards and a score. Both Dalton and Bridgewater were heavily pressured (because each team’s front-seven on defense is top-10 in the league), but the Bengals’ line, who have been top-3 in the league for some time now, seemed to struggle against the fast, young Vikings defense. We’ll have to see if they can bounce back next week.

 

– Browns vs. Packers

 

Robert Griffin III made his highly-touted debut as the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns in this game versus the Green Bay Packers. RGIII had a couple nice plays, including a 49-yard bomb to former Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Terrelle Pryor, who has transitioned into a starting wide receiver for the Browns, but the 2012 rookie-of-the-year also had some very “RGIII-like” plays, including an interception in the red-zone. It wasn’t all his fault though, as his line, which has lost a couple of starters from last year, just couldn’t protect him. Attention Fantasy Football Owners: Eddie Lacy had 4 rushes for 24 yards and looked like a slimmed-down, more powerful back than he ever was. “Eddie Money$” might be on the right track in a high-powered offense.

 

– Raiders vs. Cardinals

 

Both starting squads looked great in their preseason debut. David Johnson busted off a 23-yard run and finished with 31 yards on 3 attempts. Carson Palmer led the Cardinals down the field for a field goal, as did Raiders QB Derek Carr in one of his two drives. The Cardinals seem to be a bit thin at cornerback after you get past three-time All-Pro corner Patrick Peterson. Alan Ball, the Cards’ 2^nd corner on the depth chart, was targeted, and burned, on many of his coverage plays against Oakland wide receivers Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree. Ball, who transitioned from running back to cornerback in his final year of college, might just be the most targeted defensive back in the NFL this year.

 

– Seahawks vs. Chiefs

 

Alex Smith went 3/4 on his only drive, which led to a Spencer Ware rushing touchdown, while Russell Wilson went 3/6 and threw an interception to second-year standout corner Marcus Peters in the end-zone. The game ended on a Trevone Boykin Hail Mary pass and two-point conversion for a Seahawks win.

 

– Colts vs. Bills

 

The Colts and Bills played on a night where Andrew Luck didn’t because Colts’ owner Jim Irsay said Rex Ryan doesn’t take the preseason lightly by blitzing too much. Smart move by Irsay, if you ask me. Bills’ third-string QB Cardale Jones almost led the team to a last minute victory, but couldn’t convert on a two-point conversion at the end of the game.

 

– Cowboys vs. Rams

 

The NFL made its long-awaited return to Los Angeles by having Cowboys’ 2^nd-string wide receiver Lucky Whitehead return the opening kickoff for a touchdown. Things didn’t get any better for the Rams after that as Cowboys’ rookie QB Dak Prescott looked like a seasoned veteran, going 10/12 for 139 yards and a touchdown to each of Dallas’ starting wide receivers’ Dez Bryant (on a beautiful back-shoulder fade in the end-zone) and Terrance Williams. Number 1 overall pick Jared Goff’s numbers (4/9, 38 yards, and an interception), nor his play, looked as good as 4^th-round quarterback Dak Prescott, but he was being pressured a lot and was having his awful receiving core drops some nice throws of his. We’ll have to see what both QBs bring next week.

 

-Chargers vs. Titans

 

Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers connected with Melvin Gordon for a 44-yard touchdown on his only drive, which is a good sign for the long-time QB and second-year halfback. The new “thunder and thunder” approach worked well for the Titans with Demarco Murray scoring on a 71-yard touchdown run and rookie Derrick Henry also punching in a TD.

 

– Texans vs. 49ers

 

There was some awful quarterback play in this game as the new quarterback for the Houston Texans, Brock Osweiler, went 4/7 for 27 yards while looking uncomfortable in the pocket. 49ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert didn’t look so hot either as he did end up with a touchdown, mostly thanks to TE Vance McDonald. Colin Kaepernick didn’t play for San Francisco, but we’ll see where the Niners QB battle is at next week.