Week 2 of the NFL preseason kicked off with a trio of
interesting games that provided more developments in the three-way Jets quarterback
race, Tom Brady's
debut and an injury to the reigning Super Bowl MVP.
Thursday's games also featured the second chapter in the Packers'
backup QB duel, Mason Rudolph's
first start and more injuries to the Redskins'
running back corps.
HERE'S WHAT I
LEARNED FROM THURSDAY'S GAMES
1. Mason Rudolph didn't
have to wait long for his welcome to the NFL moment against the Packers.
The rookie quarterback threw a pick-six on his first passing attempt of the
game -- a pass Packers cornerback Tramon
Williams probably saw coming even before it left Rudolph's
hand. Rudolph's only response was a rueful grin as he helplessly watched
Williams zip 25 yards to the end zone.
After a solid debut last week, reality hit hard for the
former Oklahoma State standout. Rudolph struggled to find rhythm and was
hampered by inconsistent offensive line play. Outside of a 19-yard pass
to Justin Hunter,
Rudolph's 5 of 12 passing for 47 yards was mostly of the dink-and-dunk variety.
He's still a contender for the Steelers backup
QB spot (Mike Tomlin gave Landry Jones the
night off), but Pittsburgh probably wants to see a lot more from its
third-round pick next week.
Joshua Dobbs had
a better overall game than Rudolph against the Packers'
second- and third-level defense. He completed 12 of 18 passes for 192 yards, 2
TDs and an interception.
2. Packers linebacker Gilbert
put in quite a performance in his bid for more playing time in 2018. The
third-year linebacker, who spent most of last season on Green Bay's practice
squad before a late-season promotion, tried to do his best one-man wrecking
crew impersonation. Gilbert terrorized Rudolph for 2.5 sacks and recorded three
tackles. He'll need similar stat lines in order to challenge for regular-season
snaps, but he's looking very good to retain his roster spot.
3. How about those Packers tight
ends? We got a demitasse-sized taste of what the Aaron Rodgers-Jimmy Graham combination
will look like on a 8-yard TD pass, but there were a slew of other encouraging
performances. Lance
Kendricks caught a pair of passes for 28 yards, Robert Tonyan had
two catches for 15 yards and a TD and Marcedes
Lewis made a 23-yard catch. NFC North defensive coordinators,
you've been warned.
1. Tom Brady showed
midseason form, leading the offense to 20 points in the first half while completing
19 of 26 passes for 172 yards, two touchdowns and a 116.2 passer rating. James White garnered
the majority of the playing time at running back, with Phillip
Dorsett, Cordarrelle
Patterson and Decker mixing in as complements to Julian
Edelman and Chris Hogan at
wide receiver. If there's a problem area on the offensive line, its right
tackle. Filling in for injured veteran Marcus Cannon,
first-round rookie Isaiah Wynn was
forced out of the game with a left ankle injury of his own.
On the other side of the ball, rookie linebacker Ja'Whaun
Bentley stood out for the second consecutive week. The
fifth-round pick has a chance to enter the season as a starter next to Dont'a
Hightower.
2. Nick Foles'
2018 preseason debut didn't exactly go as scripted. The reigning Super Bowl MVP was knocked out of the game with a strained shoulder,
sustained on a strip sack that went for a Patriots touchdown early in the
second quarter. A rusty Foles took three sacks and showed scattershot accuracy
in his 18 minutes of action. He's expected to undergo further testing Friday on
the shoulder. It will be interesting to see which quarterback is under center
for next week's regular-season audition versus the Browns.
1. The Jets not
only have the league's most captivating quarterback battle, but also quite the
conundrum for Week 1. Sam Darnold entered
Thursday night's game with a tailwind of momentum, the future of the franchise
riding a wave of optimism after a promising preseason debut. By the start of
the fourth quarter, however, it had become harder and harder to ignore the fact
that Teddy
Bridgewater has outplayed him for two straight weeks. Meanwhile,
incumbent starter Josh McCown has
played just one series this preseason, leaving his role a mystery. There might
not be a more impactful preseason bout than next week's crosstown showdown
between the Jets and Giants.
2. Slimmed-down running back Rob Kelley has
a new lease on life after entering training camp in a fight for a roster spot.
After losing rookie Derrius Guice to
an ACL tear last week, the Redskins saw
power back Samaje Perine go
down with an ankle injury Thursday night. Meanwhile, Kelley has started both
preseason games and was the focal point of the first-team offense versus
the Jets,
touching the ball eight times before exiting.
Don't sleep on undrafted wide receiver Cam Sims,
who led the team with 75 receiving yards in the preseason opener. Sims had an
up-and-down performance Thursday night, but showed tantalizing playmaking
ability at 6-foot-5.
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