NFL Preseason Week 2 in Review

DALL 34 ARI 13

It’s only preseason, but DALL might be the most impressive team I’ve seen thus far. Sure, it was ARI and a lot of the players who played may not be wearing the same uniforms they wore during this game … some may never wear a uniform again. But those who wore the star on the side of their helmet played well … quite well, and that includes one Joe Milton. Milton may have the best arm in football, and the shame of it all is that the hope, at least for DALL fans, is that he never touches the field. WRs Jonathan Mingo and Camden Brown both showed up big with 53 and 70-yard touchdowns respectively while Jayden Blue racked up 75 yards on 15 carries. Looks like the former Longhorn has finally invested in becoming a pro.

What Stood Out: Eyebrows rose all over the football community when Jerry Jones made the call to hire Brian Schottenheimer. Based on what we saw last year and the early returns from this preseason, looks like the wheeler dealer from Arkansas is having the last laugh.

BUFF 31 CLE 7

Buffalo won the game going away, but the real win may have come on the other side of the field as Shedeur Sanders thoroughly outplayed Deshaun Watson, presumably answering the question of who will lead that CLE offense. At one time in his career, the first rounder out of Clemson was on par with Mahomes, Allen, and the other top-tier quarterbacks, but since the scandal broke in HOU, Watson has been a shell of his former self. To give him the keys would be a disservice to the organization, the fans, the locker room, and judging by the way the fans reacted to his play yesterday, the player himself.

What Stood Out: The Browns may have found their WR1 for many years to come in KC Concepcion, the rookie out of Texas A&M. He’s tough, fast, runs great routes and has that dog in him, not the diva mentality that has typically dogged receivers.

LAR 34 NO 0

Matthew Stafford … Ty Simpson … Stetson Bennet … makes no difference who the Rams put under center, their offense is going to do major work and put up some major points. Last week it was the rookie Simpson, this week, it was Bennet’s turn and he didn’t disappoint. He looked great while completing 78% of his attempts to the tune of 181 yards. On the other side of the field, nothing of note as it appears someone forgot to tell the Saints the game was being played.

What Stood Out: Zach Wilson and Spencer Rattler are the Saints backups. There was a time when both were considered can’t-miss prospects. Wilson went #2 overall in 2021 while Rattler went into the 2021 season as the favorite to win the Heisman. Now they’re vying for the backup role behind Tyler Shough … life comes at you fast.

GB 33 DEN 13

I’m big on trust … trusting people … trusting places … trusting football teams. These last few seasons I’ve put a lot of trust in what the Packers would do and they’ve let me down. That’s why seeing them burn rubber on the Broncos this week, while it looked good, I’m just not sure how much of it I can trust. The view from the DEN sideline felt more like we’re working on a particular part of our game and not really focusing on getting the win, just intent on moving the team forward. With that, hey who knows, we could see these two teams play in the last game of the year in 2027.

What Stood Out: The addition of Isaiah Neyor to that Packers WR room doesn’t get enough coverage. He’s a flyer with great speed and hands you can trust and in that cold weather, those two traits might come in handy in a division where only a thin margin will separate first from further place.

ATL 34 IND 6

The Falcons have some of the best talent in the league, on par with what you’ll find in NE, HOU, PHI, DALL, or anywhere else … maybe more … and that’s the crime. Every so often we get a glimpse and while preseason doesn’t do their collective justice, it did give us a look at the depth of talent they have in that locker room. They were balanced and looked like they too will have a lot of hard choices to make come cut down time. ATL could use another WR to go along with London, Branch, and Pitts. IND looked disinterested and while I praised Anthony Richardsons work last week, this week he looked average.

What Stood Out: I’ve been thinking Cooper Rush would get the bulk of the ATL snaps this year due to the health of Tua and Penix, or shall I say the lack of health. But after watching young Jack Strand perform, I realize I could be wrong. He doesn’t have the snaps under his belt, but if he can keep progressing, I think he’s worth the roster spot.

CINN 27 CHI 9

Burrow didn’t play a snap which means for one night the line was off the hook. With Josh Johnson under center, the line looked decent although they were going up against rookies, free agents, and journeymen. Things will change in a few weeks and if they’re to reach the heights they’ve been speaking about in Ohio, the line will have to come to play. Caleb Williams only took a few snaps, did nothing major.

What Stood Out: The person my eyes keep coming back to is Roschon Johnson, the young RB out of Texas who could be asked to carry a significant backfield load this year. He ran 42 yards on 12 carries, not bad, but also nothing to get excited over. The Bears can't put it all on Williams. He needs a strong running attack to keep the defense balanced and strong running is what Johnson used to do best. This year, CHI will need him to do it again.

1 Extra Point

NO might be in trouble with the loss of Tyson and Etienne, Jr while CLE could lean heavily on their defense during the early parts of the year, especially as Judkins continues to heal from that horrific injury from the end of last season. That IND backup QB role looks suspect with Riley Leonard and Sam Ehlinger vying for that role, assuming Anthony Richardson is a goner via a cut or a trade. Watch HOU as they still need WR help and my guess is they may give DALL a call because the Cowboys have plenty.