Ten biggest winners and losers from NFL preseason Week 3

The 16 games that comprised the NFL’s preseason schedule in Week 3 gave us plenty to chew on as the exhibition season moves into its final stage.

We saw one player return to action with a glorious reminder of his dominance after missing more than a season and a half. A former Super Bowl quarterback’s death knell with his current team was also on the menu.  One of the game’s top stars clutched his back in agony, while a rising star in Texas made his team proud.

Every game has its winners and losers. There were plenty to choose from this week. We’ve highlighted 10 we feel were the most significant as the beginning of the regular season looms large next month.

Winner: Seattle’s offense comes alive

Last week we highlighted Seattle’s offensive line as one of our “losers” after failing to protect Russell Wilson. After reshuffling the deck, so to speak, offensive line coach Tom Cable had his guys going strong against Dallas on Thursday night.

Not only did Wilson stay clean in the pocket, but he exploded for 192 yards on 16-of-21 passing with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

Of course, in typical Dangeruss fashion, he performed a few magic tricks along the way.

Another encouraging development for Seattle’s offense was the continued emergence of former cast off Christine Michael (more on that here).

The biggest key for the Seahawks this year offensively is obviously protection up front. Wilson suffered through 45 sacks last year and still had his best statistical season as a pro.

If he can continue to stay off the turf, then Seattle will be incredibly tough to beat.

Loser: Tony Romo just can’t stay healthy

Based on the past few years, it seemed like it was only a matter of time before Romo was injured again. After barely playing in Week 2, it only took three plays Thursday night to see Romo on the ground, holding his back in agony.

Seahawks defensive end Cliff Avril sacked Romo, landing on him in the process. As a result of that injury, Romo now has a broken bone in his back that could sideline him up to 10 games. Though, if you ask head coach Jason Garrett, he could still potentially play in Week 1 (more on that here).

At this point, the only reason Jerry Jones isn’t working on an ulcer and Cowboys fans aren’t weeping in dark corners is the emergence of Dak Prescott. For the first time in a decade, it finally appears the team has Romo’s heir apparent.

Still, as impressive as Prescott has been this preseason, nobody should expect him to dazzle quite this brilliantly once the regular season rolls around. Because of this, don’t be surprised if Romo ends up being trotted out under the power of epidural injection as soon as he’s able.

Winner: Josh Gordon’s triumphant return

After missing 11 games in 2014 and the entire 2015 season, Gordon’s return to the field for the Cleveland Browns was highly anticipated.

He did not disappoint.

Showing off the same size/speed combo that made him the league leader in receiving yards in 2013, he caught both passes thrown his way.

First he made an easy catch on a 44-yard bomb down the right sideline after slipping between zones (watch here). Then quarterback Robert Griffin III hit Gordon down the right sideline once again, this time for a 43-yard touchdown.

This one was more impressive than the first. Gordon had to adjust to a poorly thrown ball and maneuvered his body around his defender to haul it in.

Two catches for 87 yards, and it feels like this guy is just getting started.

The Browns will have to wait until Week 5 to see Gordon in action during the regular season. After being conditionally reinstated by the NFL, he’s still set to serve a four-game suspension to open the year.

Loser: Cam Newton lays an egg

Watching Newton and the Carolina Panthers offense on Friday was like stepping into a time machine and going back to 2014.

For Newton, poor mechanics ruled the day, despite the fact he was well protected throughout most of the game. Playing the majority of the first three quarters, he was atrocious. Never once did he show any semblance of rhythm with his receivers.

All told, Newton managed just 100 yards on 13-of-29 passing with no touchdowns and two interceptions — a truly putrid result the likes of which we haven’t seen in years.

Afterwards, the veteran quarterback rightly brushed off the poor showing, saying “It’s preseason.”

He also noted he wasn’t the only one who made mistakes, which is a true statement. One of his interceptions was tipped by a receiver, and a few other incompletions were straight drops.

But things need to get cleaned up quickly before the regular season. It’s hard enough rebounding after losing a Super Bowl. Any regression from last year’s MVP will make it darn near impossible.

Winner: Jameis Winston and Mike Evans put on a show

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers appear to have the makings of quite a potent offense in the coming years. Two of the two players that will be leading the charge — second-year quarterabck Jameis Winson and third-year receiver Mike Evans — were magnificent in Week 3.

Winston passed for 259 yards on 16-of-25 passing with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Evans caught five balls for 115 yards and one of those touchdowns. On the same drive, he caught a 47-yard pass deep down the right sideline and a 34-yard touchdown down the middle of the field over a defender.

https://twitter.com/TrevorSikkema/status/769343279842418690

It was all kinds of impressive, but let’s not get TOO excited here, fantasy football owners. It did come against the Browns, who don’t exactly inspire fear on the defensive side of the ball these days.

Still, it looks like something special is brewing in Tampa Bay between these two young stars.

Loser: Colin Kaepernick shows why he’s not the answer in San Francisco

Whatever you think about his political/civil rights statement, be advised it has nothing to do with why Kaepernick is included here.

This is purely coming from a football perspective. Kaepernick was unwatchable against the Green Bay Packers. This is easily seen just glancing at his stat line: 14 yards on two-of-six passing (2.3 yards per attempt).

He added another 18 yards on four rushing attempts. But all of that yardage came on plays where he was running for his life after he failed to pull the trigger in the passing game.

Just as we saw before he was replaced last year, Kaepernick lacks the pre-snap awareness to diagnose what defenses are presenting. He also lacks the vision to see the entire field after the snap.

During the few drives Kaepernick was in the game, he looked completely lost and the offense was a herky-jerky mess.

Head coach Chip Kelly maintains there has been no discussions about who will start behind center for the 49ers this year. But it’s clear Gabbert has already won the job by default.

We made the case that it’s time for San Francisco to finally cut ties with Kaepernick. Now there is a report that he’s facing an “uphill battle” to remain on the roster. He’s clearly not one of the top 53 players on the roster, which is remarkable considering he led this team to a Super Bowl not long ago.

Winner: Sam Bradford got into a groove

Maybe the sky isn’t falling in Philly after all.

For the second week in a row, Bradford was efficient running the Philadelphia Eagles’ offense. He finished with 167 yards on 17-of-20 passing with two touchdowns and one interception.

Even better, one of those touchdowns went to the newest addition to the roster, receiver Dorial Green-Beckham.

The past two weeks, Bradford has passed for 282 yards while completing 79.5 percent of his passes. That’s impressive. He’s also been sacked just twice, which is also a big plus.

The only real caveat here to consider is that this production has come against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Indianapolis Colts (minus both starting corners). Neither team features dynamic pass defenses at this time.

Still, Bradford’s strong play should give Eagles fans reason to feel optimistic heading into the regular season.

Loser: Chicago’s offense = dumpster fire

The Chicago Bears clearly miss last year’s offensive coordinator, Adam Gase, and running back Matt Forte. The team’s dress rehearsal Friday night was a potpourri of noxious fumes. At this point it’s clearly systemic, rather than a one-game issue.

Jay Cutler completed just six-of-15 passes for 45 yards against the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday. Combined with his first two games, he’s now thrown for 146 yards on 17-of-31 passing (54.8 percent, 4.7 yards per attempt).

Even worse than the atrocious passing attack the Bears are trotting out there right now is the team’s non-existent running game. While Forte acclimates himself to a new climate in the East Coast, Ka’Deem Carey, Jeremy Langford and Co. have been practically invisible two of the three games played thus far.

Carey and Langford, the top two backs on the depth chart, managed just 26 yards on 10 carries against the Chiefs. So far this preseason, the Bears have averaged just 3.5 yards per carry.

At this point, fans in the Windy City might be wise to invest in tissue paper, because tears will be shed aplenty watching this team struggle.

Winner: Brock Osweiler razor sharp against tough Arizona defense

Through three preseason games, Osweiler is starting to make the Houston Texans look awfully smart for paying him some big money to jump ship.

Overcoming a poor first game against the 49ers, the former Denver Broncos signal caller looked solid in Week 2 against the New Orleans Saints. He then upped his game in a major way against a very good Arizona Cardinals defense on Sunday.

Playing for a good portion of the first half, Osweiler was precise, confident and cool under pressure. He finished with 146 yards on 11-of-13 passing with a gorgeous touchdown to rookie Will Fuller in the back right corner of the end zone.

His stats would have been even better if not for a drop on a deep pass to Fuller a bit earlier in the game.

It’s still preseason, and the Texans have some serious concerns on the offensive line (more on that here). But for now, Osweiler is looking very much like a franchise passer who can help lead Houston to a winning season.

Loser: Matty Ice looks lost

Something is wrong with Matt Ryan. Dating back to last season, he seems to have lost a bit of zip on his passes, his touchdown numbers are down and his interceptions are up.

On Thursday night, Ryan never got into a groove and was inconsistent. He finished with just 129 yards on 12-of-22 passing with no touchdowns and one interception, which occurred in the red zone and was thrown right into the arms of safety Reshad Jones.

One thing that stands out consistently the past year-plus as Ryan has worked with offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan is that he struggles in the roll-out game that Shanahan loves to feature so much. It’s going to be interesting to see if an adjustment is made or if they continue to attempt pounding this square peg into a round hole.

So far this preseason, Ryan has accumulated just 207 yards on 18-of-37 passing (48.6 percent), throwing no touchdowns and the one pick.

It’s strange seeing him struggle so badly after watching him blossom from 2010-14. If he doesn’t fix whatever’s broken soon, the Falcons are going to be at risk of finishing in last place in the NFC South.