We’re in the middle of the second full week of preseason football. With three weeks left before the regular season opener, you can count on more starters and names you know this week.
Things started Thursday with the New England Patriots rolling past the hosts Philadelphia Eagles, a game that Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was scratched late due to illness.
On Friday, the meeting between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Arizona Cardinals was a college reunion with the Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, his college coach at Texas Tech, Kliff Kingsbury, taking on his college trainer. But neither Mahomes nor Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray showed much in a quarter of the work, and Mahomes was intercepted on his final pass.
Most of the action will take place on Saturday, with 10 games planned. The day begins with an afternoon showdown between the Buffalo Bills and the Chicago Bears, followed by the New York Jets against the Green Bay Packers. We could see Jets rookie QB Zach Wilson making fanboys of Packers legend Aaron Rodgers in real time. The night panel shows a Texas fight between the Houston Texans and Dallas Cowboys in Jerry World and the Las Vegas Raiders (arguably the most popular team in Los Angeles) battling the Los Angeles Rams (who want that title).
The Odell Beckham Jr. Bowl between the New York Giants and Cleveland Browns is one of two competitions on Sunday, while Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars attend the New Orleans Saints on Monday.
Quick links:
Full schedule | Depth charts | PickCenter
Jump to a matchup:
NE-PHI | KC-ARI | CIN-WAS
NFL preseason week 2 schedule
Games on Friday
0:23
Patrick Mahomes scrambles and throws an interception in the end zone against the Cardinals.
Outstanding performer: Chiefs Receiver Bryon Pringle: 4 receptions, 63 yards
Chris Jones continues to look like he’s ready for a big season. Jones had a sack against the Cardinals, which gave him two in about three quarters of the preseason game, and also deflected a pass and forced a fumble. The Chiefs don’t need to worry about his position change on the defensive, especially since his substitute on the defensive tackle, Jarran Reed, has been sacked. – Adam Teicher
Next game: vs. Vikings (8 p.m. ET, Aug 27)
It’s easy to say, “It’s preseason, it doesn’t count,” but there were a few specific Friday night games that might be of concern to the Cardinals. In the first half, there was some sort of misunderstanding between quarterback Kyler Murray and wide receiver Rondale Moore on one game and AJ Green on another. Maybe it was just a kink that needs to be ironed out, but experiencing mistakes like this so close to the regular season is nothing to be sniffed at. The Cardinals first team offense fought. Murray only made 1 of 4 passes for 2 yards and had a run for 8 yards. It might not matter, but it wasn’t nice. – Josh Weinfuss
Next game: at Saints (8 p.m. ET, Aug. 28)
Outstanding performer: Washington RB Jaret Patterson: 16 carries, 71 yards, TD
Bengal’s rookie wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase will book the last 72 hours as a learning experience. Bengal cornerback Chidobe Awuzie won the fifth overall win in 2021 during Wednesday’s practice session. Chase dropped three goals on Friday night against Washington – and all came in third level. Chase struggled with drops during training camp. In his 2019 breakout season at LSU, however, according to ESPN Stats & Information Research, he only had six drops to just 124 goals. Chase’s struggles could be due to getting back into football rhythm after leaving 2020 or just a tough few days. In any event, Chase will attempt to correct this before the start of the regular season. – Ben baby
Next game: vs. Dolphins (4 p.m. ET, Aug 29)
Washington’s offense should be better this season but it wasn’t consistent against the Bengals. Ryan Fitzpatrick threw 96 yards but only completed 7 of 13 passes. The passing game lacked rhythm, although it made a nice throw for Dyami Brown for 29 yards. The running game disagreed with Antonio Gibson; He has a big back but is still learning to run with all his might to be more effective in short distance situations. The back one that caught the eye: the undrafted rookie Jaret Patterson. He got some work with starters and also gave a kickoff back for 37 yards. If Washington keeps four running backs, he has to show that he can help in special teams. But he continues to show that he can run with patience and a little power and catch the ball well from the backcourt. Maybe they found a gem. – John Keim
Next game: at Ravens (6 p.m. ET, Aug 28)
Game on Thursday
0:26
Cam Newton finds Jakobi Meyers for a 28-yard touchdown towards the end of the first quarter.
Outstanding performer: Patriots QB Cam Newton: 8-of-9 pass for 103 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
Cam Newton made his most critical statement yet that he would not quit the starting quarterback job and finish 8-of-9 for 103 yards with a touchdown and no intercepts over three drives. Newton looked as comfortable as a Patriot, albeit against the Eagles’ second line of defense. This reflects a QB and WR operating with the highest efficiency from the standpoint of pre-snap communication. Meanwhile, Mac Jones had some notable heights in relief with his first drive covering 91 yards in 17 games and chewing 9:04 a.m. Jones finished 13 of 19 for 146 yards over four drives. – Mike Reiss
Next game: at Giants (6 p.m. ET, Aug 29)
Rookie receiver DeVonta Smith made his preseason debut, finishing with two catches for 19 yards on four discs in one half of the job. Much more important than the statistics was the fact that Smith was moving well and didn’t seem to be held up by the left MCL sprain that kept him off training for two weeks. On his second catch of the evening, he started inside, hit the brakes, and cut back to beat cornerback Michael Jackson for a 10-yard reception that showed shades of his Heisman Trophy-winning form. It took some time to clear the rust as Smith’s night started with a few drops on two imperfect passes from Joe Flacco (who started because of a sick Jalen Hurts), but Smith smoothed out as the game progressed and jumped up fairly consistently. All in all, it was a successful warm-up for the regular season opener against the Atlanta Falcons on September 12th. – Tim McManus
Next game: at Jets (7:30 a.m. ET, Aug 27)
Saturday’s games
Buffalo at Chicago, 1 p.m. ET, NFL Network
New York Giants at Green Bay, 4:25 p.m. ET, NFL Network
Atlanta in Miami, 7 p.m. ET
Baltimore at Carolina, 7 p.m. ET
Detroit at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m. ET, NFL Network
Tennessee in Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. ET
Houston in Dallas, 8 p.m. ET
Indianapolis, Minnesota, 8 p.m. ET
Las Vegas at the Los Angeles Rams, 10 p.m. ET, NFL Network
Denver in Seattle, 10 p.m. ET
Games on Sunday
New York Giants in Cleveland, 1 p.m. ET, NFL Network
San Francisco at the Los Angeles Chargers, 7:30 p.m. ET, NFL Network
Game on monday
Jacksonville, New Orleans, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN
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