Ten biggest winners and losers from Week 1 of the NFL preseason

After 16 games of NFL preseason action, things are for the most part still as murky as the green pools at the Rio Olympics. That said, it’s safe to say there were some clear winners and losers.

Among the winners is a rookie quarterback who proved the spotlight wasn’t to big and a famous backup who played well.

Among the losers are the two top picks of the NFL draft and a young receiver who might be blowing a huge chance.

So much can still change between now and the start of the regular season. But after one week of preseason action these are the biggest winners and losers.

Winner: Dak Prescott stuns in rookie debut

With Tony Romo out of the lineup on Saturday night in Los Angeles, rookie fourth-round pick Dak Prescott put on a show.

In fact, if you knew nothing about the game and didn’t know what happened this past April in the NFL draft, then you’d have certainly assumed Prescott was the No. 1 overall pick rather than his counterpart on the Rams, Jared Goff.

Prescott, showing good chemistry with Dez Bryant, completed 10-of-12 passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns — one of which Bryant hauled in on a back-shoulder type throw. Even more impressive is the fact that both incompletions were the result of drops by his receivers. 

Needless to say, owner Jerry Jones and Co. likely feel better about their backup quarterback situation today than they did heading into Week 1.

Loser: Jared Goff and Carson Wentz get off to rough starts

Right off the bat, let’s get this out of the way: Jared Goff and Carson Wentz showed some good stuff. They didn’t suck, showing off some of the traits that made them the top two picks of the 2016 NFL Draft.

However, there’s no doubt they both wish things had gone a little differently.

Wentz performed decently in the face of a ton of pressure, completing half his 24 passes for 89 yards with a bad interception.

He looked good moving around in the pocket to escape said pressure, but unfortunately he also suffered a hairline fracture in his ribs. This will keep him from playing the rest of the preseason — a big blow to him personally, even if it doesn’t really hurt the Philadelphia Eagles much right now.

Goff also suffered an injury after just two stalled drives of action. He was absolutely rocked a couple of times, leading to the (non-throwing) shoulder injury that caused head coach Jeff Fisher to keep him out of the game the rest of the way.

Winner: DeMarco Murray turns back the clock

Tennessee Titans running back DeMarco Murray appeared to take all the frustrations of a year ago out on the defense of the San Diego Chargers.

After a failed season with the Philadelphia Eagles (who featured a zone-blocking scheme), Murray looks right at home in Tennessee’s power-based rushing offense.

Finishing with 93 yards on six carries, the NFL’s leading rusher in 2014 turned back the clock on Saturday night. He doesn’t appear to have any inclination to let Heisman Trophy-winning rookie Derrick Henry take his job any time soon.

Loser: Chicago Bears offense stuck in reverse

Adam Gase’s influence on Chicago’s offense last year cannot be overvalued. His play-calling helped Jay Cutler have one of his finest seasons as a pro, when he passed for 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

Now under new offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains, the offense appears to need just a bit of tweaking. And by just a bit, we mean a lot.

The Bears gained just 130 yards and eight first downs Thursday night in front of their home crowd against the Denver Broncos. This inept display included seven three-and-outs on 12 possessions, while two others ended in a blocked punt and a safety, and nary a point was scored.

Being that this was just the first preseason game and that the starters barely played, there is no reason to panic. Still, we wouldn’t blame Bears fans for panicking just a bit.

Winner: Dolphins rookie Jakeem Grant showed off dangerous skill set

Back in March Jakeem Grant made headlines after he was reported to have broken Bo Jackson’s record for fastest 40-yard-dash time in modern NFL history.

His quickness and speed helped him get selected by the Dolphins in the sixth round of the past draft, even though he is one of the smallest guys to be drafted in a while (5-foot-7, 172 pounds).

Friday night in New York, the rookie put on quite a show, catching four passes for 68 yards and combining on 113 yards in the return game.

https://twitter.com/JoshNorris/status/764939535876812800

During his career at Texas Tech, Grant was a prolific receiver and kickoff return man. It now appears he’s prepped to make Miami’s final roster and potentially become a star.

Loser: Sammie Coates’ butterfingers may push him down the Steelers’ depth chart

Heading into the first preseason game, Sammie Coates was being lauded almost unanimously for emerging as a potential replacement for Martavis Bryant, who is suspended the entire season.

Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley recently praised Coates for making tough catches in traffic, noting how important confidence is for the second-year receiver out of Auburn.

“It’s very important, not only for his confidence but for the confidence of the quarterback, the confidence of the staff, the confidence of the players,” Haley said, per Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Consider that confidence shattered after Coates fumbled not once, but twice during the first preseason game.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin abhors turnovers, like all coaches do. Coates likely won’t play much if mistakes continue to happen during games.

Winner: Jimmy Garoppolo passes first test with flying colors

Was it flashy? No. In fact, as the first quarter got underway and Jimmy Garoppolo endured a couple early sacks, Patriots fans were probably squirming in their seats a little bit.

But after he and his offensive line settled down a bit, Garoppolo started delivering strikes to his receivers, running backs and tight ends. Finishing with 168 yards on 11-of-18 passing, he didn’t turn the ball over and played within the flow of the offense.

Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels isn’t going to put Garoppolo into a tough position during the first four games. Like we saw on Thursday, he’s going to keep things simple and let the running game do much of the heavy lifting.

But at the same time, Garoppolo doesn’t need training wheels. He’s been in this system ever since being drafted in Round 2 back in 2014 and clearly understands what’s expected of him within the offense.

If he plays like this during the regular season, the Patriots won’t have a hard time maintaining the status quo.

Loser: Colts still can’t run the ball

Andrew Luck better be darn good, and his offensive line better be able to protect him. If not, the Colts’ offense is doomed in 2016. Because Indianapolis still can’t run worth a darn.

Saturday night in Buffalo, the Colts managed just 30 yards on the ground on 23 carries, and rookie Stephen Morris out of Miami had 19 of those yards on three carries.

Free agent Robert Turbin might find himself outside the final roster looking in. He only managed two yards on four carries and also put forth a ridiculously poor effort on this passing play.

At this point, it’s looking like veteran Frank Gore is going to be wearing out the oxygen tank on the sideline due to all the work he’ll be getting unless Morris can prove a reliable backup as a rookie.

Winner: Cody Latimer finally emerging for Broncos

The Denver Broncos have a young receiver with loads of upside in Cody Latimer. A player who has been expected to break out the past two years running, he caught just eight passes during that stretch and has been a disappointment to this point in his career.

Latimer had himself quite a first outing this year, however, when the Broncos played the Bears in Chicago. Catching seven passes for 82 yards, he was the leading receiver for Denver by a long shot.

Interestingly, the third-year pro out of Indiana credits Peyton Manning’s departure as a key reason he’s doing so well this summer (more on that tale here).

If Latimer can continue to emerge and becomes a reliable third option behind Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders, whoever starts at quarterback will have three tremendous receivers to play with.

Loser: Colin Kaepernick and his “arm fatigue” 

Colin Kaepernick was a late scratch Sunday evening in Santa Clara as he continues to deal with “arm fatigue” following shoulder surgery.

You have to believe it was killing him, too, especially because Blaine Gabbert stunk up the joint early. Both men are fighting for the chance to start for the 49ers this season, but Gabbert has been garnering all the praise this summer.

Right before leaving Sunday’s game Gabbert hit tight end Vance McDonald on a 43-yard touchdowns strike down the right sideline, making his ugly outing look much better.

Kaepernick doesn’t appear to have much of a real chance to earn the starting job. He’s been less than impressive in camp for the most part, and missing the first preseason game will hurt him.

At this point, we’re wondering if the “competition” for the starting job is nothing more than a farce.