Thursday night is the real start to the 2014 NFL season. A total of six preseason games will take place, as fans prepare themselves for a month of exhibition action. While some will indicate that preseason games are meaningless, there is a whole heck of a lot that can happen between now and Week 1.
Young players will be given an opportunity to prove themselves. Veterans may end up being shown the door. And quarterback competitions will be settled. Let’s check in on the top storyline for each game taking place Thursday night.
Indianapolis Colts at New York Jets
Rex picks Geno to start first preseason game http://t.co/CM4TbAwtPB
— ESPN New York (@ESPNNewYork) August 4, 2014
How will Geno Smith fair in his preseason debut? That’s the question on the mind of many around the football world as he prepares for his second season as the Jets starter. While Smith isn’t likely to go more than a couple series in this one, he will have a chance to end any remaining questions about the possibility that Michael Vick could overtake him as the Jets’ starting quarterback. It’s also going to be interesting to see how Smith meshes with key additions to the offense, such as Eric Decker and Jace Amaro in the passing game.
New England Patriots at Washington Redskins
Ryan Mallett is happy, for now, as Patriots backup quarterback http://t.co/Ad3vaY3GuO pic.twitter.com/rkDH5VFs9b
— The Boston Globe (@BostonGlobe) August 7, 2014
A lot of the focus for New England this preseason will be on quarterback Ryan Mallett, who is once again drawing rave reviews around camp. Unlike past seasons, the Patriots simply cannot afford to hang on to Mallett in hopes that he nets them a nice return in a trade. If rookie Jimmy Garoppolo performs well, Bill Belichick and Co. might find it easier to part ways with Mallett prior to the start of the season. After all, there should be some real interest in his services from some quarterback-needy teams.
San Francisco 49ers at Baltimore Ravens
https://twitter.com/Tre9er/status/494251460452827137
Rookie running back Carlos Hyde will be making his NFL debut with San Francisco on Thursday night. He will be doing so as the 49ers primary running back with Kendall Hunter lost for the season and LaMichael James out until Week 1. As most of you already know, veteran Frank Gore plays very little during the preseason. It will be extremely interesting to see how Hyde performs against a deep Ravens front seven with an opportunity to take a stranglehold on the 49ers primary backup job.
Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs
Courtesy of Arrowhead Pine: Murray will be given a shot to shine on Thursday night.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid indicated that all four quarterbacks will play equal time (one quarter) in the preseason opener. While Alex Smith is the obvious starter here, it will be interesting to see how second-year player Tyler Bray and rookie Aaron Murray perform in the battle for Kansas City’s No. 3 quarterback job. Both are young enough to be considered potential long-term replacements, but both also need to show they they’re worth the Chiefs keeping them around.
Seattle Seahawks at Denver Broncos
All of a sudden, #Broncos’ RBs, like @MrHillman2U, have big camp opportunity: http://t.co/omTLRWCCHv pic.twitter.com/RTeweeQz2C
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) August 5, 2014
Can the Broncos avenge their disastrous Super Bowl loss to Seattle? Okay, that’s really not a storyline here. Instead, let’s focus on Denver’s running back situation. Montee Ball is out for the preseason after an emergency appendectomy on Monday, which means that Ronnie Hillman will get the start against the defending champs. While Hillman has looked good in camp, he’s done next to nothing in real-game action. With C.J. Anderson right behind Hillman on the depth chart, this game will be huge for both to show what they can do.
Dallas Cowboys at San Diego Chargers
Watching Weeden: Cowboys fans get their first real look at the new backup quarterback. http://t.co/CQMTptmtmU
— Blogging The Boys (@BloggingTheBoys) August 7, 2014
As crazy as it might sound, Tony Romo sitting for the Cowboys preseason opener could be good for the team. It will give them a chance to see what former first-round pick Brandon Weeden has to provide against a first-team defense. There is little doubt that Weeden struggled during his brief two-year tenure in Cleveland, but he’s currently the best option Dallas has behind Romo. If Weeden stinks it up against the Chargers starting defense, Dallas may very well have to look to the free agent or trade market for a viable backup. If he performs well, Jason Garrett and Co. could have one of their primary training camp concerns quieted for the time being.
Photo: Metro.us