Touchdown Wire’s Matt Williamson tells you what mattered in each of Thursday’s six preseason games.
New York Giants 25, Cincinnati Bengals 23
Say what you want about Eli Manning and Andy Dalton, but both threw the ball very well in Cincinnati. Manning didn’t play long and quickly gave way to Daniel Jones. Yet again, Jones was highly efficient and productive even without much skill position talent around him. Even the harshest Giants critic has to admit that this quarterback situation looks to be in better shape after three preseason games than just about anyone expected.
For a third straight game, fellow rookie quarterback Ryan Findley also played well. He has the look of a signal caller that will stand the test of time and have a long career in some capacity. The Bengals’ passing game featured the tight end position quite a bit. If Tyler Eifert can actually stay healthy, even early in the year, Cincinnati might be able to somewhat make up for the loss of A.J. Green with a group effort from the tight ends. Carl Lawson is back from his ACL injury and looks great. He plays with leverage, uses his hands really well and is one of the league’s emerging edge defenders. Lawson gave Nate Solder fits in this game and continually won the pad level battle. The Bengals’ defensive line has a chance to be quite good.
Baltimore Ravens 26, Philadelphia Eagles 15
Some young offensive players for the Ravens really stood out in this one. Trace McSorley led the team for a large portion of the game very effectively with Baltimore showing concepts in this game that we should expect in the regular season. They throw a lot at opposing defenses and are superb at utilizing blocking angles and the geometry of the field with formations. McSorley made play after play with both his arm and legs and fits the Ravens’ new mold at the quarterback position perfectly. Mark Andrews, Justice Hill and Miles Boykin also really showed up big yet again for this ultra-exciting offense.
It was also great to see Michael Floyd appearing on the radar once again. Baltimore’s offensive line also controlled the action in Philadelphia. Many look at Baltimore and think they will have to win close games on the backs of their defense and always-strong special teams. Don’t be so sure. This performance was great to see from Baltimore and they dominated both sides of the ball in the first half, but the Eagles also have the look of a team that is just trying to get out of the preseason unscathed. But without question, the best thing that transpired for Philadelphia was the stand out performance by J.J. Arcega-Whiteside. The Eagles have more playmakers than any team in the league.
New England Patriots 10, Carolina Panthers 3
The story of this game was Cam Newton’s exit of the game with a lower leg injury. The first half was a pretty miserable one for Carolina’s offense, but it sure looks like the Panthers hit on their first round pick, Brian Burns, who has really shined in an NFL uniform. Sony Michel stood out against what should be a very good Panthers’ front seven. Early in the game, he was very aggressive lowering his shoulder and dishing out punishment. Michel displayed top burst, elusiveness and change of direction. Michel moved better on Thursday night than he did during his rookie season. Jarrett Stidham continued his preseason positive momentum, but he needs to improve his pocket presence and ability to sense the pass-rush.
Washington Redskins 19, Atlanta Falcons 7
Even after using two first round picks on the offensive line, Atlanta’s pass protection has been a problem during the preseason. The Falcons shortened this game by running the ball an awful lot with an extreme variety of ball carriers. That being said, the Redskins have one of the best and most underrated defensive fronts in the league.
Case Keenum doesn’t resemble an NFL starting quarterback. If Dwayne Haskins is even close to being ready mentally, Washington needs to make him the starter immediately. One thing that stands out with Haskins is that he buys time much better than most expected. Throwing the football presents very little problem for Washington’s first-round pick. No matter who is behind center, the formula for the Redskins will be the same. Washington’s defense will need to keep them in games while the offense runs through their backfield. Not having Trent Williams really hurts this approach, but it is promising that Derrius Guice showed up well in Atlanta.
Miami Dolphins 22, Jacksonville Jaguars 7
This comes as no surprise, but the Dolphins are a really poor football team. Where this shows up most is on their offensive line. It will be a major upset if the Dolphins are able to run the ball with any regularity this year and their pass protection might even be worse than the run blocking. That being said, considering the type of season we are expecting from Miami, there is a lot of opportunity here for young players to get noticed. And to Miami’s credit, it looks like they have found a few players that have a chance to help this team going forward.
The past two first-round picks, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Christian Wilkins, certainly have shown star potential during the preseason. Other highly drafted players like Charles Harris, Mike Gesicki and Jerome Baker have also really stepped up these past few outings. Miami might have also uncovered a few important pieces in Sam Eguavoen, Mark Walton and Jomal Wiltz. It’s a start for the Dolphins at least.
Oakland Raiders 22, Green Bay Packers 21
Playing in Winnipeg with highly questionable field conditions, Aaron Rodgers and Derek Carr sat this one out and overall, as third preseason games goes, we saw a lot of the top players being rested. Actually, that is underselling it. This game was one of the least impactful Week 3 preseason games in a very long time with Nathan Peterman and Tim Boyle throwing almost every pass in this forgettable game. A very high percentage of players that showed up in this box score will not be in the NFL in 2019. It will be interesting to see how Jon Gruden and Matt LaFleur handle next week’s games.
