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If you missed any of the action from this week’s preseason games, let’s get you caught up. Be sure to check out our list of winners and losers, too.
Arizona Cardinals 24, Los Angeles Chargers 17
David Johnson broke his wrist in Week 1 of 2017, so it’s been nearly a year since Cardinals fans have seen him on the field. On Arizona’s first preseason drive of 2018, Johnson carried twice for 28 yards, including this highlight rush.
That. Burst.
— NFL (@NFL) August 12, 2018
Good to have you back, @DavidJohnson31. #LACvsAZ pic.twitter.com/T8MHzuuMH8
Geremy Davis had the highlight of the game, reaching over a defender to snatch the ball and then turning into the end zone:
OH CE TD ! Geremy Davis pic.twitter.com/ENeYb3AVvU
— NFL France (@FirstDownFR) August 12, 2018
Recap for Cardinals fans: Revenge of the Birds
Recap for Chargers fans: Bolts from the Blue
Minnesota Vikings 42, Denver Broncos 28
The first drive of the preseason went about as well as Minnesota could have hoped. New quarterback Kirk Cousins was perfect on his pass attempts, including finding Stefon Diggs for this touchdown.
8️⃣➡️1️⃣4️⃣
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) August 12, 2018
Get used to it.#MINvsDEN pic.twitter.com/gxvgk0Py0f
Denver’s offense was putrid with the first teamers, and in their first four drives of the game went 3-and-out three times plus another drive that ended after two plays with an interception. But Chad Kelly has provided some spark since he came in, throwing for two touchdowns.
QB @ChadKelly_6 finds @I_CU_Boy for six! #MINvsDEN pic.twitter.com/u2LMkzBF61
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) August 12, 2018
Kelly breathed life into a moribund Broncos attack.
The last two seasons the #Broncos have lacked swag, especially on offense and from the quarterback. To see it again is a lot of fun. Time for the team to see what Kelly can do with the twos at practice and next week against the #Bears.
— Ian St. Clair (@IanStClair) August 12, 2018
Recap for Vikings fans: Daily Norseman
Recap for Broncos fans: Mile High Report
Oakland Raiders 16, Detroit Lions 10
Straight outta 2008: Jon Gruden’s coaching on the sideline and Marshawn Lynch is flying past defenders. Alas, this was called back due to a hold:
Even though it didn't count, Marshawn turned on the wheels pic.twitter.com/FFXIuLn7am
— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) August 11, 2018
Lynch didn’t seem bothered much by it:
Reporter: “Talk about your speed on the second level.”@MoneyLynch:
— NFL (@NFL) August 11, 2018
Classic BeastMode. #DETvsOAK
: @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/HQQkmAa63Y
Recap for Lions fans: Pride of Detroit
Recap for Raiders fans: Silver and Black Pride
New York Jets 17, Atlanta Falcons 0
Teddy Bridgewater led a scoring drive on his first series in the game. Welcome back, Teddy!
Teddy touchdown pic.twitter.com/Pu5zVrseNR
— Arif Hasan (@ArifHasanNFL) August 10, 2018
Later, Sam Darnold was dealing too:
Sam Darnold’s first NFL TD comes on 3rd and long pic.twitter.com/fk1MWGSkcv
— Connor Rogers (@ConnorJRogers) August 11, 2018
It was also the Jets’ first ever preseason shutout at home, so that’s something. Not much, but something.
Recap for Falcons fans: The Falcoholic
Recap for Jets fans: Gang Green Nation
Indianapolis Colts 19, Seattle Seahawks 17
Whoa, the Seahawks lost a preseason game for the first time since 2016.
There’s nothing like preseason follies
The Colts wrapped up a 19-17 victory over the Seahawks, snapping a six-game preseason win streak for Seattle, but not before hilariously handing over seven points with a Bennie Hill-level blooper.
Lolwut? #TouchdownSeahawks pic.twitter.com/tEvQWvLFZ3
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) August 10, 2018
The center must’ve had preseason jitters because the ball flew about 15 yards in the air before it bounced another 8 or 9 yards. It squirted another 5 or so yards after about five different players couldn’t manage to grab it.
Hooray preseason!
Shaquem Griffin saw early action and took advantage
The Seahawks didn’t wait long to sub everybody’s favorite fifth-round pick into the game. Griffin entered on the Colts’ second drive of the game and got right to business with four tackles on his first defensive drive.
He didn’t stop there, either, adding this tackle for loss later in the game:
.@ShaquemGriffin on the hunt. #INDvsSEA pic.twitter.com/5WSHxidXPU
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) August 10, 2018
Griffin finished with a game-high nine tackles. On a defense with a lot of new faces, Griffin already looks like he belongs.
Andrew Luck looked like a functional quarterback again
Indianapolis has been extremely patient and cautious with the recovery of Luck, but let him throw a lot on his first drive back on the field. While he didn’t throw deep at all, Luck completed five of his seven passes for 55 yards on the Colts’ opening drive that went for a total of 12 plays and ended with a field goal.
He finished the night with six completions on nine attempts for 64 yards.
Andrew Luck leads 2 scoring drives in his 2018 preseason debut: https://t.co/vzGsiVsUYh pic.twitter.com/hID081w4Av
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) August 10, 2018
There’s still more steps for Luck to take, but there’s reason to for the Colts to feel really optimistic after his first preseason action.
Recap for Seahawks fans: Field Gulls
Recap for Colts fans: Stampede Blue
Houston Texans 17, Kansas City Chiefs 10
As excited as we were for Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson, neither quarterback played much or did much. The preseason, ladies and gentlemen!
Patrick Mahomes was efficient early, but there were no fireworks
You get the feeling watching Mahomes that you’re always about two or three plays away from him throwing it 80 yards downfield. That didn’t happen in the first two drives against the Texans though, as the Chiefs offensive line struggled to keep the Houston pass rush — sans J.J. Watt, Whitney Mercilus, and Jadeveon Clowney — off of the second-year quarterback.
Still, Mahomes completed five of his seven passes on the first two drives for 33 yards with a couple completions each to Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill.
Deshaun Watson’s return was just a dip of his toes in the water
The preseason debut for the Texans was Watson’s first game back from an ACL tear that ended his spectacular 2017 season. Houston played it really safe, though.
Watson played in just one drive and threw just one pass before he was replaced by Brandon Weeden on the second drive of the game for the Texans. His only pass was a short dump to Bruce Ellington that totaled 4 yards.
Houston is taking things real slow with their young star.
Recap for Texans fans: Battle Red Blog
Recap for Chiefs fans: Arrowhead Pride
Cleveland Browns 20, New York Giants 10
Here’s what jumped out at us while we watched the Browns beat the Giants Thursday night.
Baker Mayfield and Antonio Callaway continued to create chemistry
Mayfield and Callaway got into a groove in the second half. Mayfield hit him once for a big gain while he was falling off his back foot, and the two connected for a 54-yard touchdown.
#Browns rookie Baker Mayfield 54-yard touchdown to rookie Callaway.pic.twitter.com/ABsTCfYcXr
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) August 10, 2018
Callaway made up for his two drops earlier in the game. Those are plays coaches can live with as long as the explosive plays are being produced.
That was the last throw of the night for Baker Mayfield. He finished the game going 11 of 20, for 212 yards and two touchdowns.
Baker Mayfield had a very encouraging first half
The raw stats didn’t look great (4 of 11, 70 yards, one touchdown), but Mayfield played really well in his first NFL action. He had a command of the pocket, picked up first downs with his legs, and looked comfortable extending plays against and NFL defense.
Tyrod Taylor’s performance today will continue to entrench him as the starting quarterback, but Mayfield showed promise.
Antonio Callaway had a case of the drops
At the midway point for the Browns game against the Giants, Antonio Callaway struggled to catch the ball. He has two drops trying to catch passes from Mayfield; not the game he needed to have coming off his marijuana citation over the weekend.
Baker Mayfield started heating up
The No. 1 overall pick didn’t do much of anything on the first drive, but he was back with a vengeance now. Mayfield marched the Browns down the field for a touchdown, converting third and fourth downs along the way.
Baker Mayfield picks up 3rd and 18. #OUDNA #Sooners pic.twitter.com/uzK0pnhXJY
— Sooner Gridiron (@soonergridiron) August 9, 2018
His touchdown throw to David Njoku was pretty solid, too.
First ever Baker Mayfield TD pass is gorgeous. Watch the eyes, watch the scanning of progressions. Njoku looks great too. #browns pic.twitter.com/DK7ae1KpDV
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) August 10, 2018
Rashard Higgins had a strong game
Mayfield to Hollywood Higgins could be the preseason’s Montana to Rice. The timing was perfect between the two on this comeback route.
Beautiful back shoulder ball from Baker Mayfield for 26. #browns pic.twitter.com/07oVT5CABe
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) August 9, 2018
Baker Mayfield had an uneventful first drive
Handoff for negative gain on first down. Missed deep on the second down throw. Another run for a negative gain on third down. Yes, the Browns ran it up the middle on third-and-11 in a preseason game.
Weak play-calling on Mayfield's first drive. Everyone on the planet knew the handoff was coming on first down and didn't even try on 3rd & 11
— Kevin Cole (@Cole_Kev) August 9, 2018
The Browns’ offense settled in on their second drive
Tyrod Taylor looked right at home in the Browns’ second drive of the game. He hit Rashard Higgins for two completions including a deep comeback along the sideline before throwing a strike to David Njoku for a touchdown.
TYGOD pic.twitter.com/AL4BG8sFce
— Ben Baldwin (@benbbaldwin) August 9, 2018
Through two drives, Tyrod Taylor is 5/5, 99 yards, and the aforementioned touchdown.
Saquon Barkley looked like Saquon Barkley on his first NFL carry
This kid makes it look so easy. His patience at the line of scrimmage and ability to burst through it will hopefully allow him to create more of these big runs into the regular season.
This Saquon guy might be good pic.twitter.com/kEEx00v1Zk
— Ben Baldwin (@benbbaldwin) August 9, 2018
Recap for Browns fans: Dawgs By Nature
Recap for Giants fans: Big Blue View
What happened in the rest of Thursday’s games
Here’s a quick rundown of the other nine games:
San Francisco 49ers 24, Dallas Cowboys 21
Dak Prescott didn’t play much, but he connected with rookie Michael Gallup for a beauty of a TD early in the game:
Dak drops a dime to Michael Gallup for the TD! #DALvsSF pic.twitter.com/mVUpbS17Vw
— Adam Collins ✭ (@AdamCollinsCN) August 10, 2018
The 49ers’ backup backups ended up scoring the game-winning touchdown with 18 seconds left against the Cowboys’ backup backups.
Recap for Cowboys fans: Blogging the Boys
Recap for 49ers fans: Niners Nation
Carolina Panthers 28, Buffalo Bills 23
Look, Josh Allen had some good throws. We’re not trying to be haters, but lawd, this play:
Josh Allen knows this isn't Madden, right?pic.twitter.com/J25RzIog35
— Stadium (@WatchStadium) August 10, 2018
Recap for Panthers fans: Cat Scratch Reader
Recap for Bills fans: Buffalo Rumblings
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 26, Miami Dolphins 24
The Bucs got the win, but their kicker curse struck again:
Bucs kicker Chandler Catanzaro misses a 53-yard field goal attempt in the fourth quarter. It sailed wide right. He missed an extra point attempt in the first quarter as well.
— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) August 10, 2018
Luckily, Catanzaro ended up making the game-winning kick.
Recap for Bucs fans: Bucs Nation
Recap for Dolphins fans: The Phinsider
Cincinnati Bengals 30, Chicago Bears 27
Andy Dalton only had one bad throw, but we also can’t blame him much here:
Andy Dalton throws a pick six. He started running down the field to make a tackle, then came to the sudden realization that it's a preseason game and stopped trying.
— Michael David Smith (@MichaelDavSmith) August 9, 2018
Recap for Bears fans: Windy City Gridiron
Recap for Bengals fans: Cincy Jungle
Pittsburgh Steelers 31, Philadelphia Eagles 14
Neither team’s Super Bowl-winning quarterback was out on the field Thursday night (Carson Wentz isn’t quite ready for game action either). Instead, it ended up being the JuJu Smith-Schuster show:
Recap for Steelers fans: Behind the Steel Curtain
Recap for Eagles fans: Bleeding Green Nation
New Orleans Saints 24, Jacksonville Jaguars 20
Not many starters played for the Saints, but they still managed to put together a comeback win. And although the Jags took the L, they got to see a glimpse of what a weapon rookie D.J. Chark can be:
Lets watch DJ make this tackle on SP.
— Laurie Fitzpatrick (@LaurieFitzptrck) August 10, 2018
Oh boyyyyyyy this team is a problem!!! #CharkWeek @DJChark82 pic.twitter.com/qgnC16PscE
Recap for Saints fans: Canal Street Chronicles
Recap for Jags fans: Big Cat Country
Baltimore Ravens 33, Los Angeles Rams 7
Joe Flacco, Lamar Jackson, and RG3 all played well against a Rams team that phoned in their first preseason game. However, the play of the game belonged to Jackson:
Lamar Jackson is out here breaking ankles and scoring touchdowns pic.twitter.com/5y0hx6fzPa
— SB Nation (@SBNation) August 10, 2018
Recap for Rams fans: Turf Show Times
Recap for Ravens fans: Baltimore Beatdown
New England Patriots 26, Washington 17
Tom Brady wasn’t out there, but the Patriots mounted a big comeback in the second half anyway. Worse news for Washington: rookie running back Derrius Guice left with a knee injury. And brutally, just like that, his season is over:
Derrius Guice tore his ACL, per source. Player recently informed.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 10, 2018
Recap for Washington fans: Hogs Haven
Recap Patriots fans: Pats Pulpit
Green Bay Packers 31, Tennessee Titans 17
Aaron Rodgers sat out, and in the battle to be his backup, Brett Hundley still has the edge over DeShone Kizer.
Recap for Titans fans: Music City Miracles
Recap for Packers fans: Acme Packing Company
News
Player protests continue
Malcolm Jenkins, and other members of the Eagles, wore pregame shirts to bring attention to social justice issues, including the mass incarceration of people of color.
Before we enjoy this game lets take some time to ponder that more than 60% of the prison population are people of color. The NFL is made up of 70% African Americans. What you witness on the field does not represent the reality of everyday
— Malcolm Jenkins (@MalcolmJenkins) August 9, 2018
America. We are the anomalies... pic.twitter.com/gCeNKuTl1d
Jenkins continued to raise a fist during the national anthem.
Kenny Stills also wore a message on his pregame shirt:
Check out #Dolphins Kenny Stills T-Shirt @nbc6 @NBC6Sports pic.twitter.com/aH4rtYSjwv
— Chris Fischer NBC6 (@FischerNBC6) August 9, 2018
Stills and teammate Albert Wilson kneeled during the anthem while another Dolphins player, Robert Quinn, raised his fist.
Elsewhere, several Jags and Seahawks players chose to remain in the locker room during the playing of the anthem.
The NFL said its policy still prohibits demonstrations during the anthem, though the league will not enforce any discipline while its discussions with the NFLPA continue.
Cam Newton vs. Kelvin Benjamin
After Benjamin took a shot at his former quarterback last week, Newton confronted him before the Bills-Panthers game. It did not appear to go well:
Cam Newton shares words with Bill's Kelvin Benjamin video by @jsiner #keeppounding pic.twitter.com/THqZybFLpg
— Matt Walsh (@MWalshMedia) August 9, 2018
Following the game, both players didn’t have much to say, at least not publicly.
Pregame
The first full week of NFL preseason is set to kick off on Thursday evening with 12 games scheduled.
We will get our first look at the first overall draft pick Baker Mayfield and second overall pick Saquon Barkley as the Cleveland Browns will face the New York Giants. The reigning Super Bowl champions Philadelphia Eagles will take on Antonio Brown and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Washington will get its first look a newly acquired quarterback Alex Smith when the team plays the New England Patriots on the road. Houston Texans’ second-year quarterback Deshaun Watson, who suffered a season ending ACL injury in 2017, is expected to play in the preseason opener against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Indianapolis Colts’ quarterback Andrew Luck will be making his return to football after missing the entire 2017 season due to a shoulder injury.
NFL Preseason Week One Schedule:
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Miami Dolphins, 7 p.m.
Carolina Panthers vs. Buffalo Bills, 7 p.m.
Chicago Bears vs. Cincinnati Bengals, 7 p.m.
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Philadelphia Eagles, 7 p.m.
Cleveland Browns vs. New York Giants, 7 p.m., NFL Network
New Orleans Saints vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, 7 p.m.
Los Angeles Rams vs. Baltimore Ravens, 7:30 p.m.
Washington vs. New England Patriots, 7:30 p.m.
Tennessee Titans vs. Green Bay Packers, 8:00 p.m.
Houston Texans vs. Kansas City Chiefs, 8:30 p.m.
Dallas Cowboys vs. San Francisco 49ers, 10:00 p.m., NFL Network
Indianapolis Colts vs. Seattle Seahawks, 10:00 p.m.