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Top storyline for each Week 3 NFL preseason game

Dak Prescott

Week 3 of the NFL preseason is much more exciting than the others. It enables teams to play their starters through the first half.

It’s in this that we get an opportunity to see what teams might look like when the regular season comes calling.

Is all the hype surrounding Dallas Cowboys rookie quarterback Dak Prescott justified? With an opportunity to go up against the Seattle Seahawks first-team defense, we will learn more this week.

Meanwhile, will Colin Kaepernick take to the field for his first action under Chip Kelly? If so, how will the enigmatic signal caller perform?

Here’s a look at the top storyline for each Week 3 NFL preseason game.

Atlanta Falcons at Miami Dolphins: Home team’s running back situation

Arian Foster

It sure looks like Arian Foster will be getting a bulk of the action Thursday night. The former All Pro attempted just two rushes for negative five yards in his preseason debut last week. That’s unlikely to be the case when Miami takes on Atlanta.

“We didn’t have much to evaluate. Whatever carries he (Foster) had, there wasn’t much there to try to create. He did a couple of things on his own,” head coach Adam Gase said, via the Miami Herald. “Hopefully we can take a long look at him this week. I don’t want to overdo it with him. Obviously, his resume speaks for itself.”

This comes after the Dolphins spent most of the summer praising what Foster will bring to the table after they signed him back in July.

It also comes after second-year running back Jay Ajayi struggled in the team’s second preseason game, putting up just 19 yards on six attempts.

If Foster is able to put up a stellar performance in Miami’s biggest regular season tune up, it will go a long way in him locking up the starting job.

Dallas Cowboys at Seattle Seahawks: Dak Prescott vs Seattle’s No. 1 defense

We have no idea how long Tony Romo will play in the Cowboys regular season tune up this week. It likely won’t be as long as other starters. That much is for sure.

If this is the case, we are going to get an opportunity to see Prescott play against Seattle’s starting defense. It’s something Dallas itself might want to see, and it could go a long way in determining whether he’s ready to take on the primary backup role as a rookie.

The first-year player has been absolutely dazzling thus far during the preseason. He’s tallied 338 passing yards with six touchdowns and zero picks in two games. This past week saw Prescott lead the Cowboys to scoring drives on six consecutive possessions.

New England Patriots at Carolina Panthers: Jimmy Garoppolo’s toughest test

Jimmy Garoppolo

Much like Prescott, this young Patriots quarterback will have an opportunity to make a point this weekend. Unlike Prescott, it comes just a couple weeks before Garoppolo is slated to make his first regular season start.

Even if Tom Brady does play for the first time this preseason on Friday night, New England likely won’t have him out there much. The team needs to continue seeing what it has in Garoppolo prior to him replacing a suspended Brady for the first four games of the year.

The best indicator of where he stands would come against the Panthers’ starting defense this week. As of right now, it’s been nothing but positives.

The third-year quarterback has completed 27-of-39 passes for 349 yards with a touchdown and zero picks during the preseason.

Last week alone, Garoppolo led the Patriots on three second quarter scoring drives. If this should repeat itself come Friday night, New England will enter the regular season on a high note.

Buffalo Bills at Washington Redskins: Skins running backs minus Matt Jones

Now that Jones is out for the remainder of the preseason with a shoulder injury, it’s time for the Redskins to see what they have behind him on the depth chart.

Former fifth-round pick Chris Thompson proved to be a stellar receiving option for Washington last season. He recorded 35 receptions and a 73 percent catch rate as a third-year scat back in 2015.

Can the 5-foot-8, 195-pound Thompson prove to capable of shouldering a bigger load should Jones miss time during the regular year?

Cleveland Browns at Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Robert Griffin III’s emergence

There’s going to be no better indicator of where Griffin III stands in Cleveland than this week against the Buccaneers’ starting defense.Robert Griffin III

The former Washington Pro Bowler displayed an uneven performance in his Browns debut two weeks ago before putting up a show against the Atlanta Falcons last week.

All said, Griffin III threw two first-half touchdowns, both of which displayed what we saw from him during his rookie campaign back in 2012.

Griffin III will now have an opportunity to take on a first-team defense for at least an entire half.

That should tell us if his preseason performance has been a mirage or a sign of things to come.

Pittsburgh Steelers at New Orleans Saints: Steelers backup quarterback situation

Landry Jones threw four first-half interceptions against the Philadelphia Eagles last week. He was then replaced in the lineup by an equally unimpressive Dustin Vaughan.

These are the two quarterbacks vying to be Ben Roethlisberger’s primary backup this season. Combined, they have led Pittsburgh to three scores and five turnovers on 24 possessions during the preseason.

It’s definitely going to be interesting to see how these two perform come Friday night against the Saints. Even with Big Ben set to make his preseason debut, there’s no reason for Pittsburgh to play him too long.

That will give Jones and/or Vaughan an opportunity to play against the Saints top defenders. Should both falter, Pittsburgh will then have to make a decision prior to the season. Maybe that decision will include bringing back Michael Vick.

Green Bay Packers at San Francisco 49ers: All eyes on Colin Kaepernick

Blaine Gabbert, Colin Kaepernick

It sure looks like Kaepernick will make his preseason debut in Chip Kelly’s offense Friday night (more on that here).

Should that happen, San Francisco will finally have an opportunity to begin the seemingly non-existent competition between Kaepernick and incumbent starter Blaine Gabbert.

When Kelly signed on to coach this squad, the running theory was that he would be able to work well with the enigmatic quarterback. After all, Kelly’s offense fits Kaepernick’s skill-set to a T.

However, off-season surgeries coupled with a trade demand forced this marriage to be delayed a great while.

How Kaepernick performs in his first action in Kelly’s spread offense could tell us a lot about his future in San Francisco. And as absurd as it might sound, a single preseason game against the Green Bay Packers could be the determining factor here.

Kansas City Chiefs at Chicago Bears: Jordan Howard’s opportunity

With Jeremy Langford nursing a foot injury, it’s safe to assume he’s not going to take the field this weekend. That will give this rookie mid-round pick an opportunity to prove himself with Chicago’s starters.

Howard and Langford entered training camp even in the competition to replace Matt Forte as Chicago’s featured back. But after a strong performance from the latter during the summer, it looks like Langford will be given the first opportunity.

Though, with him out, Howard could very well prove that he has what it takes to play a major role as a rookie. Through two preseason games, he’s averaging just 3.6 yards on 16 attempts.

Detroit Lions at Baltimore Ravens: Who runs with the Ravens’ first-team offense?

If you’ve been reading this one scribe’s articles all summer, you’d know by know how high he is on Ravens rookie running back Kenneth Dixon. The first-year player from Louisiana Tech has an opportunity to be a three-down back with Baltimore relatively early in his career. Heck, that could some during his initial campaign in the NFL.

Dixon has put up 66 yards on 16 attempts through two preseason games. Meanwhile, incumbent starter Justin Forsett has seen action for just two possessions thus far. He’s rushed five times for 11 yards during that span.

With Forsett set to get the start against Detroit, the expectation has to be that he’ll get extended play with the first-team. It is, however, when Dixon comes in that will be the most-interesting aspect of the game.

Dixon may have gotten off to a slow start this summer, spraining his MCL during training camp. But he’s been extremely impressive since then. Should the rookie perform at a high level this week, it should enable him to see extensive action when the regular season gets going.

Philadelphia Eagles at Indianapolis Colts: Any sort of running game for Indy?

Frank Gore won’t play much this weekend against Philly. The Colts already know what they have in the 33-year-old back. There’s absolutely no reason to risk injury in an otherwise meaningless preseason game.

And while the Colts don’t seem inclined to place a pitch count on Gore this year, his age may force the team to do just that. Without a capable backup behind the veteran, this team could be in trouble.

Through two preseason games, backup quarterback Stephen Morris leads Indy in rushing yards. Needless to say, that’s not a sustainable situation.

Un-drafted rookie free agent Josh Ferguson was having himself a stellar training camp. Unfortunately, he’s totaled nine yards on 13 attempts in the preseason. Meanwhile, no one else on the Colts roster has stepped up.

Outside of the fact that he’s 33 years old, Gore has a ton of tread on his tires. There’s simply no telling when he’s going to hit that proverbial brick wall. Should that happen this season, and without Indy possessing a capable backup, the team will be in trouble.

New York Giants at New York Jets: Victor Cruz’s return

Victor Cruz

We could have gone with the Jets’ backup quarterback situation, but that’s something no one outside of New Jersey really cares about. In fact, raise your hand if you’re tired of talking about Geno Smith?

Instead, let’s look at what could be the feel-good story of the 2016 NFL season. For the first time in nearly two years, Cruz might very well see the field this weekend. It’s been a long time coming for the former Pro Bowler (more on that here).

Cruz last suited up in a game against the Philadelphia Eagles back in October of 2014. It’s the very same game that saw him tear his patella tendon. Since then, he’s dealt with a multitude of injuries that’s kept him from playing.

Now facing competition from rookie Sterling Shepard for a huge role on offense, Cruz will have an opportunity to prove himself. It will come against a good Jets’ first-team defense with Eli Manning tossing him the rock. This should be interesting.

Tennessee Titans at Oakland Raiders: Titans running back situation

There isn’t a ton of controversy here. Barring injury, DeMarco Murray seems to be guaranteed the starting job. That much was made clear by the Titans on Wednesday.

Honestly, you really can’t read between the lines here. Tennessee is paying Murray to be the starter. Though, the team did exhaust a second-round pick on Henry.

The biggest take away from Mularkey’s comments has to that the Titans know they must find a way to utilize Henry.

Through two preseason games, Henry ranks third among all NFL running backs with 105 yards on 15 attempts. Unfortunately for the rookie, Murray is second in that category with 71 of those yards coming in just one run.

In reality, this is a good position for the Titans and second-year quarterback Marcus Mariota to be in. After all, here’s a squad that ranked 25th in the NFL in rushing last season.

This doesn’t mean that it won’t be interesting if the team decides to give Henry first-team reps against Oakland.

Los Angeles Rams at Denver Broncos: Defining moment for Broncos’ quarterbacks

There’s so much on the line here that it’s hard to believe this is an actual preseason game. Three quarterbacks vying for one starting job for the defending Super Bowl champs. The one veteran among the trio also battling for a spot on the roster.

What else could head coach Gary Kubiak and Co. ask for heading into the most-important preseason game a defending champion has ever faced?

Barring any setbacks regarding his shoulder injury, second-year signal caller Trevor Siemian will get the start against Los Angeles. After that, it’s anyone’s guess.

Though, reports during the week have indicated that rookie Paxton Lynch will see more playing time than Mark Sanchez. Should Lynch impress like he did last week, it’s quite possible Sanchez will be released.

Despite all the noise surrounding the Broncos’ quarterback situation, it’s all real simple. Whoever is under center when Week 1 comes calling needs to perform at a high level. If that doesn’t happen the defending champs won’t be crowned as repeat champs next February.

San Diego Chargers at Minnesota Vikings: Teddy’s availability

John Sullivan Vikings

After sitting out last week with a sore shoulder, it looks like Teddy Bridgewater will play against the Chargers this weekend.

With a total of seven pass attempts under his belt, it will be important for Bridgewater to gain valuable experience with Minnesota’s first-team offense. That’s taken a whole new level when it comes to Teddy’s relationship with rookie receiver Laquon Treadwell.

It should be a good test against what promises to be a solid Chargers secondary. As long as Bridgewater shows something come this weekend, Minnesota can enter the regular season on a high note.

Arizona Cardinals at Houston Texans: Carson Palmer’s struggles

It seems like Palmer hasn’t quite rebounded from his disastrous six turnover performance in the NFC Championship game. As crazy as that sounds for a seasoned veteran, it might very well be the case.

Stats might not mean a whole lot for vets during the preseason, but Palmer’s 7-of-13 stat line isn’t impressive. Neither is the tape that’s shown him to be flustered in the backfield and inaccurate when throwing down field.

Arizona surely has the talent to compete with a mediocre quarterback under center. However, this team can be dominant should Palmer play at the level we saw last season.

A strong performance against Houston’s elite-level defense would go a long way in helping Palmer gain confidence. That’s for sure.

Cincinnati Bengals at Jacksonville Jaguars: Jags young defenders

Myles Jack will take first-team reps for the Jaguars on Sunday. That’s absolutely huge news for the talented second-round pick. He’ll be joined on the field by second-year EDGE rusher Dante Fowler Jr and rookie defensive back Jalen Ramsey.

It’s in this that Jacksonville should be confident in its ability to compete for a playoff spot this season. With that young talent on defense and an ever-growing foundation on offense, the sky seems to be the limit.

Taking on a strong Bengals offense in the third preseason game, this Jaguars defense could prove itself even before the season starts. That’s the biggest story in this otherwise meaningless game.

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