The NFL’s preseason has reached the midpoint with Week 2, which serves as a de facto “dress rehearsal” for first-timers to prepare for the start of the regular season — which is only three weeks away. For teams that don’t have joint training this week, week 2 of pre-season is essential.
Saturday’s slate featured eight games, three of which were in the afternoon, four taking place simultaneously in prime time, and the Cowboys and Chargers faced off in the late window. The Broncos didn’t play most of their starters in either of the first two games, but the Invoices gave theirs – including Josh Allen — a bit of running. As expected, the Chiefs launched their new offense on Saturday, and the result was similar to what the Chiefs offense did in Patrick Mahomes’ first four years as a Kansas City starting quarterback.
Fans were also treated to rookie quarterbacks Kenny Pickett and Malik Willis, both of whom are hoping to put more pressure on the quarterbacks currently ahead of them on the depth chart. The day was capped off with a brilliant performance from a player who recently earned USFL MVP honors.
Below is an overview of all the highlights from the first three days of pre-season action.
Program
Thursday
Bear 27, sea hawks 11 (take away food)
Friday
patriots 20, Panthers ten (Take away food)
Packers 20, Saints ten (to sum up)
Texas 24, Rams 20 (to sum up)
Saturday
Invoices 42, Broncos 15 (to sum up)
the Lions 27, Foals 26 (to sum up)
Chiefs 24, Commanders 14 (to sum up)
Steelers 16, jaguars 15 (Take away food)
Raiders 15, dolphins 13 (to sum up)
49ers 17, vikings seven (to sum up)
Titans 13, Buccaneers 3 (to sum up)
Cowboys 32, Chargers 18 (to sum up)
Sunday
Eagles at Browns1 p.m. ET (game tracking)
bengals at giants7 p.m. ET (game tracking)
crows at Cardinals8 p.m. ET (game tracking)
Monday
Falcons at Jets8 p.m. ET (game tracking)
Kenny Pickett continues a strong pre-season
Kenny Pickett’s hype train continues to roll. After throwing the game-winning touchdown in Pittsburgh’s preseason opener last week, the first-round rookie is once again turning heads. This time, Pickett sees work with the first-team offense and looks like a guy capable of being the Week 1 starter. In the second quarter, he led a touchdown in just 42 seconds.
In addition to the scoring throw to the ball carrier Benny Snell Jr., Pickett also showed great touch on a 24-yard gain on tight end Pat Freiermuth. In the first half, Pickett passed 6 of 7 for 76 yards and that touchdown.
Malik Willis shows evasion
Malik Willis shows his positive side. The Liberty rookie started in Tennessee’s preseason game against Tampa Bay, and his ability to squeeze around the pocket was on full display. While leading the Titans on a field goal drive in the second quarter, Willis threw a side arm pass as he escaped a potential sack to move the chains.
He then ripped off a 25-yard run to bring Tennessee into the red zone, where they would eventually score a field goal. Willis is still a raw prospect and needs to improve as a passer, but the tools are there for him to be a legitimate candidate to be a long-term option for the Titans with some development.
The electrifying returns of KaVontae Turpin
Defending USFL MVP KaVontae Turpin bolstered his case to make the Cowboys’ 53-man roster when he returned a 98-yard kickoff for a score against the Chargers on Saturday night. He returned to the end zone moments later after fending off an 86-yard punt for a touchdown.
Turpin joined the Cowboys earlier this summer after helping the USFL’s New Jersey Generals go 9-1 in the league’s first regular season.
Titans rookie Kyle Phillips made a name for himself this summer. He received praise from head coach Mike Vrabel, who also noted that the quarterback Ryan Tannehill entrusts by throwing it to him. While he’s been an eye opener as a wide receiver, UCLA’s fifth-round pick is also making plays in the return game.
During Tennessee’s exhibition with the Bucs on Saturday, Phillips lined up a punt just outside Tennessee’s 20-yard line and returned for 35 yards. He managed to miss his initial tackle, found a hole, and fought through a few tackles to turn the field around for the Titans.
While the rookie George Pickens garnered a ton of attention in Pittsburgh this summer, don’t sleep on Chase Claypool’s talent. During the Steelers’ opener during their exhibition with the Jaguars, Mitchell Trubisky took a third-and-6 snap and connected with Claypool, who faded out of the slot and got up to make a contested catch for 29 yards. Claypool is looking to build on a 2021 season where he recorded a career-high 956 yards from scrimmage and 13.1 yards per touch.
Mahomes double dips with Fortson
In case you were wondering, Patrick Mahomes looks just like Patrick Mahomes. In Kansas City’s second pre-season game in the summer against Washington, the former league MVP got the start and looked in fine form midway through the season. He opened the game with back-to-back touchdowns, both culminating in a tight end pass Jody Fortson.
The first catch capped an 87-yard drive for the Chiefs. Mahomes threw it to Fortson and he was able to display solid footwork to stay in score. It wasn’t even Mahomes’ best throw on the disc as he completed a 39-yard pass to justin watson as well.
Later, Mahomes was kicked out of the pocket and forced to make an unbalanced throw into the front left corner of the end zone where he would reunite with Fortson.
Through two drives, Mahomes is 12 of 19 passing for 162 yards and those two scores.
Lions and hits and holds, oh my
Few starters saw the field in the Lions vs. Colts game, but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t anything to watch out for. Lions away Tom Kennedy ended up in the end zone on consecutive Detroit possessions. The first touchdown take occurred on the last play of the first half:
To open the scoring after halftime, Kennedy again reached a Colts defender to fire a six-point pass.
Too easy
Josh Allen and the first-team Buffalo Bills offense walked the field against the Denver Broncos, covering 70 yards in six plays. The practice ended with Allen jostling around the pocket, landing his feet and whipping the ball to Gabriel Davis in front of the end zone.
Allen went 3-for-3 for 49 yards and a score, completing passes to Davis, Stefan Diggsand Isaiah McKenzie. Single diviner was Buffalo’s point guard, with Zack Moss enter for player #2 ahead of rookie james cook. Oh, and Buffalo followed Davis’ touchdown take by reaching the end zone on each of his next five possessions. Moss ran into a pair of short scores, OJ Howard caught a touchdown Keenum case (who finished 16 of 18 for 192 yards), and Duke Johnson also hit the earth twice on the ground.
Taken from (Friday) evening!
The Houston Texans played their starters for the first half of this preseason contest against the Los Angeles Rams, and were able to take a 7-6 halftime lead thanks to that precise hold of nico collins in the end zone. Collins just eclipsed Called Kendrick for the ball and walked away with the score.
Collins is going to play a role in the Texans offense in 2022. Plays like this will allow him to have more targets.
What makes this Etling touchdown special? The game took place during an interview with Aaron Rodgers on the Packers show. Rodgers’ excitement with Etling’s score makes this game even more exciting.
Love was like a NFL quarterback Friday night, finishing with 113 yards and a touchdown pass. He also showed his running ability with that 11-yard run for a first down.
Chris Olave scores his first touchdown
Olave gives Saints fans a taste of what to expect when he lines up alongside him Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry this autumn. The first-round pick connected with Ian Book on a 20-yard touchdown with 12 seconds left in the first half — his first in a Saints uniform.
Olave had just one catch for four yards last week, but had two in the first half of this one.
Patriots Quarterback Bailey Zappe made a dangerous throw rolling to his left, and Hayes read the pass to take the ball the other way and tie the game. Zappe hasn’t been so sharp in his second outing this preseason, the one in which Matt Patricia calls the plays.
Landing of Romeo Doubs
There’s a place for Doubs to earn snaps with the first team this year, and this Jordan Love touchdown shows why. Doubs came on with that impressive four-yard touchdown reception on Brian Allen to put the Packers up, 10-3, over the Saints in the second quarter. Love begins to trust the fourth-round rookie.
59-yard field goal Will Lutz
Lutz missed all of 2021 with a core muscle injury as the Saints missed his reliability in the kicking department. He certainly looked like his old self with that 59-yard field goal to close out the first quarter.
Only 13 of 23 for 50+ yards in his career, Lutz hitting that kick is very encouraging.
Romeo Doubs make his case to move up the depth chart
Doubs was one of the Packers quarterback’s young wide receivers Aaron Rodgers criticized during the week, so he was in the spotlight with the second team members participating in the majority of it. A 17-yard catch on the first drive on a throw from Jordan Love makes a big impression, even though Doubs failed to match a third pass earlier.
No longer a quarterback for the Saints, Hill focused on the tight end for the 2022 season. The No. 2 tight end at New Orleans, Hill made an early impact by catching a 10 assist meters of Ian Book. Hill adds an extra dimension to the Saints offense in his new role and can still play wide receiver and running back in short-range situations.
The Patriots averaged just 1.9 yards per game in the first quarter with just 21 yards on offense, but Nelson Agholor changed that with that 45-yard catch on an impressive throw from McJones. Going against a second-team defense or not is what Patriots fans want to see from their new offense.
New England scored a touchdown – a two-yard run from Ty Montgomery — three games later.