While fans revel in the glorious spectacle that is the NFL, it’s crunch time for players on the roster bubble heading into Week 2 of the preseason.
First cuts aren’t happening until the end of August, but every single snap — during practice and in games — is being closely evaluated. There is no room for error for these players on the bubble, many of whom have a limited window to make an NFL roster.
There are 16 games on the schedule — six on Thursday night, three Friday night and seven on Saturday. So get your popcorn ready. These are the top storylines for each Week 2 NFL preseason game.
Philadelphia Eagles vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: Can Sammie Coates bounce back?
One of the biggest takeaways from Week 1 was Coates’ poor showing, when he fumbled twice and nearly lost another one on a screen pass.
A player the Steelers have been hoping will step up in the absence of Martavis Bryant (one-year suspension), the second-year receiver out of Auburn displayed extremely poor ball security — an issue that could force him to remain on the sidelines when regular-season games are played.
The Steelers were without Markus Wheaton for the first preseason game as he dealt with an undisclosed injury. He’s listed ahead of Coates on the depth chart, but both figure to be a big part of Pittsburgh’s offense this year if they can stay on the field.
Needless to say, Coates needs to have a bounce-back game on Thursday. Otherwise, it’s likely veteran Darrius Heyward-Bey will end overtaking him on the depth chart.
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Detroit Lions: Cincy’s wide receiver depth
It’s going to be interesting to see who steps up for Cincy on offense in the wake of Brandon LaFell’s injury (torn ligament in hand).
In particular, we’re interested to see if rookie Tyler Boyd can continue to shine. He caught a 40-yard bomb last week and figures to get plenty of action Thursday night against the Lions and has caught the eye of head coach Marvin Lewis.
“Tyler’s exceeded my expectations of things,” Lewis said, per Coley Harvey of ESPN. “He’s really entered training camp and come back and worked and done the things we expected him to do and be able to do. He’s taken it and he’s grasped it and ran with it.”
Mario Alford, James Wright and Cody Core also have a chance to show they can be trusted with more reps.
The Bengals, already without tight end Tyler Eifert, hope LaFell will be ready for Week 1, but he might need surgery. The team lost Mohamed Sanu and Marvin Jones in free agency, and there isn’t much depth at either the tight end or receiver positions.
Needless to say, it’s time for some youngsters to step up.
Chicago Bears vs. New England Patriots: Can Chicago’s offense find a rhythm?
The obvious thing everyone will be watching here is how well Jimmy Garoppolo performs after a nice showing in Week 1. But we’re not too worried about that situation.
Instead, we’ll be focusing on Chicago’s offense, which was abysmal against the Denver Broncos last week. The Bears gained just 130 total yards, averaged just 2.5 yards per pass attempt and were held to zero points in what was the worst showing of any offense around the league.
Not a single thing the Bears did looked smooth. The offensive line was pushed around and the running backs were indecisive.
One wonders if Jay Cutler and the first-team offense will play more this week. He threw just four passes, taking no deep shots down the field. Chicago’s offense needs to find a rhythm soon, or it could be another long season for the faithful fans in the Windy City.
Atlanta Falcons vs. Cleveland Browns: What to make of RG3?
Robert Griffin III showed some good things in his first outing, but he also clearly has room to improve (more on that here).
Head coach Hue Jackson shrugged off RG3’s so-so start.
“…I thought for a guy that hadn’t played in a while, I thought there were some positives there,” he said, via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.
It will surely help the quarterback this week if he gets better protection. Griffin III took some wallops last week, and given his injury history that’s worrisome.
He and Terrelle Pryor have been showing nice chemistry in camp, and they connected on a gorgeous 49-yard bomb on a fade route down the right sideline last week. It’s unlikely Josh Gordon will return to action this week, but rookie Corey Coleman (hamstring) might play after returning to practice this week.
Browns fans are excited about the upcoming season. But whether it is deemed a success or not has everything to do with RG3. He needs to start taking full command of the offense and playing with more consistency.
Oakland Raiders vs. Green Bay Packers: Brett Hundley’s chance to shine
After being held out of last week’s game with an ankle injury, Hundley is slated to see “a bunch of time” Thursday night in Oakland, per head coach Mike McCarthy. Aaron Rodgers isn’t going to play more than a series or two, if he plays at all.
Hundley was a steal in the fifth round last year. He didn’t throw a single pass during the regular season, which was a good thing for him and the Packers. A raw product out of UCLA, he needs time to season before his natural skill set will translate to on-field success at this level.
Still, the Packers have nobody behind him that can win games consistently if Rodgers does go down for any amount of time. As durable as the gunslinger has been throughout his career, Rodgers did take 46 sacks last year. And Green Bay’s offensive line could still be a problem.
This means every single rep Hundley gets right now is invaluable to him and the Packers. It’s going to be interesting to see how he performs against Oakland’s dangerous defense.
Minnesota Vikings vs. Seattle Seahawks: Teddy vs. Legion of Boom
Teddy Bridgewater opened some eyes last week when he connected with receiver Charles Johnson on a 49-yard touchdown bomb down the right seam (watch here).
In total, he finished with 92 yards on six-of-seven passing with the touchdown and no interceptions against the Bengals — a team that features a solid all-around defense.
The difficulty level is getting jacked up this week, however, because Bridgewater and the Vikings are heading to the Pacific Northwest to take on the Seahawks and their Legion of Boom. Stacked with game-changing talent at all three levels, Seattle’s defense should pose a tremendous test for the Vikings’ offense.
A solid showing by Bridgewater would lend more credence to the idea he’s finally ready to break out and become the quarterback Minnesota needs to take its next step towards a championship.
New York Jets vs. Washington: Can Washington’s first-team offense find a running game?
The answer to that question was undeniably “no” in Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons when Matt Jones and Chris Thompson rushed for one yard on three carries.
As a team, Washington managed just 3.3 yards per carry, with most of the production coming in the second half.
“We’re not going to panic after the first preseason game, but we also understand that these games, you are what you are based on what you put on the tape,” head coach John Gruden said, per the Associated Press. “We have got to make sure we continue to work on it and get better at it. That’s all you can do. Our backs have got to continue to see it, but we have got to give them more opportunities.”
Gruden said he wants to see Jones, in particular, rattle off a few runs in a row to get into some kind of groove. The sledding will be tough against New York’s outstanding front seven, however.
It should be a battle worth watching.
Miami Dolphins vs. Dallas Cowboys: The return of Arian Foster
It’s funny how life works sometimes. Foster was dumped by the Houston Texans, who signed the man Foster might be soon replacing in Miami, Lamar Miller.
After sitting out the first week of preseason action, Foster is expected to play this week and run with the starting unit.
Second-year back Jay Ajayi has been listed atop the depth chart this summer, but nobody should be shocked if Foster jumps him and becomes the lead back for the Dolphins.
A player head coach Adam Gase has admired for years (more on that here), he brings a multi-dimensional skill set that could greatly aid Ryan Tannehill. Friday night will be the first time he’s played in a game since he tore his Achilles tendon in Week 4 last year.
Arizona Cardinals vs. San Diego Chargers: Melvin Gordon for real this year?
Fantasy football owners are keeping a close eye on Gordon, who was a complete dud last year in the real world and in fantasyland. Averaging just 3.5 yards per carry with no touchdowns whatsoever, it was quite a humbling experience for the rookie.
Now in his second year, Gordon appears to be primed to break out. He’s been lauded throughout camp as an improved player, which showed up during Week 1. Against the Tennessee Titans, he rushed for 12 yards on three carries and hauled in a 44-yard touchdown pass, looking quick and decisive.
The Cardinals feature a dynamic front seven that should offer a nice test for the former Wisconsin Badger. How he performs this week should be a nice indicator of what we can expect going forward.
Carolina Panthers vs. Tennessee Titans: DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry’s first real test
Tennessee’s offensive line treated the defense of the Chargers like it was made of silk cushions last week.
The big guys up front led the way for Henry and Murray to have a humongous game. The duo combined to rush for 167 yards and two touchdowns, and the Titans finished with 288 yards and three scores on the ground.
It was a glorious display of power rushing, and it’s something the Titans hope is a regular occurrence this year. But it came against San Diego, which is nowhere near Carolina’s level when it comes to shutting down the run.
If Murray, Henry and the rest of Tennessee’s running backs have a big game against the brutish front seven of the Panthers, then it will be safe to say the Titans really have something special.
New York Giants vs. Buffalo Bills: Rex Ryan’s juggling act
No IK Enemkpali, no Manny Lawson, no Shaq Lawson? No problem, says Bills head coach Rex Ryan, who is already dealing with a ridiculous set of circumstances this preseason.
In addition to losing Enemkpali for the year, rookie Lawson for half the year (at least) and the veteran Lawson for the first game of the season, defensive tackle Marcell Dareus has been suspended the first four games of the year.
Despite all this, Ryan still thinks his defense will be better this year than it was in 2015 (more on that here).
Depth up front is a serious problem for Ryan’s Bills on the defensive side of the ball. Any more injuries and/or suspensions will turn a terrible situation into a travesty. As things currently stand, it’s quite possible this defense will be a dumpster fire, anyway.
With that in mind, we look forward to seeing how Ryan handles this situation.
Baltimore Ravens vs. Indianapolis Colts: Return of Andrew Luck
Despite Luck saying that this upcoming game is no big deal, it’s a big deal.
The young quarterback hasn’t played in an NFL game since lacerating his kidney last year, and it’s going to be interesting to see what he looks like.
Based on training camp reports, his return to action is very much a work in progress, with interceptions coming in bunches.
The Colts drafted center Ben Jones out of Alabama in Round 1 this past April, and he should help protect Luck from further injury. Still, it’s not like Indy is suddenly featuring an outstanding offensive line.
Luck better have his head on a swivel.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Jacksonville Jaguars: Young talent galore
Both teams in this one feature some outstanding young talent.
Tampa Bay’s Jameis Winston leads an offense that features a relatively young offensive line, a couple of young receivers in Mike Evans and Kenny Bell (who needs to work on his hands) and a couple of young running backs.
On the defensive side, rookies Noah Spence and Anthony Hargreaves should be fun to watch as well.
For Jacksonville, we already know about the young offense. But it’s the defensive pieces that were added through the draft that will have us watching with keen interest.
Linebacker Myles Jack already made his presence known in a huge way in Week 1 (watch here), Dante Fowler has been impressive this summer and cornerback Jalen Ramsey might play for the first time on Saturday.
New Orleans Saints vs. Houston Texans: Paging Brock Osweiler
The Texans didn’t exactly see a glowing performance from Osweiler in his debut against the San Francisco 49ers last week.
Completing four-of-seven passes for just 27 yards, his performance was bland, at best. Osweiler threw in front of the sticks, didn’t try to push the ball down the field and absorbed a sack.
He never got into a groove, and it wasn’t like the 49ers were exactly throwing the kitchen sink at him.
If ever there was an opponent that should make things easier for Osweiler to show he’s worth the money the Texans paid him, it’s the Saints. New Orleans doesn’t feature a pass rush that scares anyone. And the secondary isn’t known for shutting people down, either.
Osweiler needs to show up, and show up big. Otherwise, the feeling of buyer’s remorse will start early in Houston.
San Francisco 49ers vs. Denver Broncos: Sanchez vs. Siemian vs. Lynch
All you need to know about Gary Kubiak’s confidence in Mark Sanchez and Trevor Siemian is that Paxton Lynch has been getting practice reps with the first-team offense.
Lynch will play the entire second half, meaning Sanchez and Siemian will have limited time to impress.
San Francisco’s defense could offer a nice test, too. The 49ers gave Osweiler a hard time last weekend and feature an underrated defense at all three levels.
Something’s gotta give here. Week 3 is typically when teams leave their starters in for a full half, if not three quarters. It takes in-game reps for offenses to develop chemistry.
If the Broncos are still juggling quarterbacks next week we could be looking at an awkward situation heading into the start of the season.
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Los Angeles Rams: The rise of Jared Goff?
Goff’s first couple of series in the NFL offered quite the learning experience. He completed just four-of-nine passes for 38 yards, threw an interception after getting blasted on a delayed blitz and left the game early with a banged up shoulder on his non-throwing arm.
His rookie counterpart, Dak Prescott, looked like he was the first overall pick and was the most impressive rookie quarterback of all who played in Week 1.
Thankfully for Goff, he should get more than two series of work this Saturday when the Rams host the Chiefs. Head coach Jeff Fisher wants to see Goff work with the first-team offense (more on that here), which means he should have better protection up front.
Goff has been uneven in camp, and to this point it seems Case Keenum will open the year as the starter. At the same time, it seems quite clear the Rams would love for Goff to step up and take the job.
Kansas City’s defense will offer a brutal test. If he passes with flying colors, then Fisher could have a tough decision to make heading into Week 3.