While the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers opened the 2021 NFL preseason with their Hall of Fame game last week, preseason really starts this week as all 32 teams will be on duty for week 1.
It started with two games on Thursday night when first-round quarterback Mac Jones led the New England Patriots past the Washington Football team on his NFL debut, while former first-round player Dwayne Haskins was impressive when the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Philadelphia Eagles. Three more games will take place on Friday, with the Julio Jones Bowl in Atlanta standing out between the Tennessee Titans and Jones’ former team, the Atlanta Falcons. It is very unlikely that Jones will play against his former teammates, but still.
Saturday is the big day of this week with 10 games. In the afternoon, the Denver Broncos will travel to play the Minnesota Vikings in a home game for quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. Bridgewater, the Vikings’ first round pick in 2014, played for the Vikings from 2014 to ’17, competing with Drew Lock for the Broncos starting quarterback. The NFL’s two newest stadiums will also host their first games with fans when the Las Vegas Raiders battle the Seattle Seahawks at Allegiant Stadium, while the Los Angeles Chargers battle the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium.
The table ends in Indianapolis on Sunday as the Colts host the Carolina Panthers. We get a first glimpse of how the Colts are planning to replace injured quarterback Carson Wentz and what Sam Darnold looks like in a Panthers uniform.
Quick links:
Full schedule | Depth charts | PickCenter
Jump to a matchup:
PIT-PHI | WSH-NE
NFL preseason week 1 schedule
Games on Thursday
Outstanding performer: Steelers QB Dwayne Haskins: 16-of-22 pass, 161 yards, 1 TD
Dwayne Haskins won this preseason backup quarterback war battle with Mason Rudolph in the Steelers’ win over the Eagles. Haskins completed 16 of 22 passes for 161 yards and one touchdown. He orchestrated two more touchdown drives and a field goal drive. Haskins had moments when he looked like the Washington Football Team-designed first-round quarterback, like when he threaded the needle on Cody White for an 18-yard win just before the two-minute warning, but there have been other times when he threw shaky passes, sailed throws, or was slow in making decisions. Rudolph completed 8 of 9 attempts for 77 yards, but had promising drives that stalled thanks to two holding penalties against Pat Freiermuth and Trai Turner and a 10 yard sack. The backup quarterback fight is far from over, but on Thursday, Haskins did what Rudolph couldn’t by getting the ball into the end zone. – Brooke Pryor
Next game: vs. Lions (7:30 p.m. ET, Aug 21)
Jalen Hurts played two series, finishing 3-of-7 for 54 yards (7.7 yards per try) with a 69.9 quarterback rating. The most important thing coach Nick Sirianni wanted to see was an improvement in Hurts’ rhythm, and Hurts showed progress in this area by getting the ball out largely on time and with precision, especially in the first series. He’s been the victim of a couple of drops, giving Quez Watkins a deep throw that could have been a touchdown, but it was a decent preseason debut for Hurts who will try to build on the performance when the Eagles host the Patriots next Thursday. Meanwhile, Watkins continues his quest for a bigger role on the offensive. He showed off his jets in a 79-yard catch-and-run towards the end of the first quarter after a pass from Joe Flacco. Watkins was the Eagles’ attacking star this summer and could end up in the starting XI if he continues. – Tim McManus
Next game: vs. Patriots (7:30 p.m. ET, Aug 19)
Outstanding performer: Patriots K Quinn Nordin: 3-for-3 FG with a long of 50
2 relatives
Cam Newton started and played the first two series (with an FG drive on top) before Mac Jones replaced him and played the next five series (two FG drives). Newton finished 47 yards with 4 of 7 and was not helped on the opening drive when LT Isaiah Wynn snapped at DE Chase Young in third place, putting Newton in danger. Meanwhile, Jones’s best throw could have been an incompleteness, a beautiful deep ball to WR Kristian Wilkerson in the end zone that was out of Wilkerson’s hands. Jones finished 13 of 19 for 87 yards while mostly in command of the line of scrimmage. Bill Belichick has said that Newton is the starter while leaving Jones the door open to compete for the job when he shows he’s ready. The gap between them could be closing faster than Belichick expected. – Mike Reiss
Next game: at Eagles (7:30 p.m. ET, Aug. 19)
Defensive end Chase Young ended 2020 strong – and started this year the same way. As he turned the corner, he forced an incompleteness, forcing Cam Newton into what looked like a sack at first. Young also pulled a suspension penalty on a run and was in a great position to defend a screen because he was quick to diagnose it. Young also made a nice stop, using his speed in a second and 20th runs; In the game he was blocked by the tight end on the inside, but Young quickly got around him as the game went on the outside. The back cut open and Young dropped it for a three yard win. He has shown a lot of his skill: the ability to conquer the lead, attention on the screen and hectic for a short profit. He does flash plays, but also a lot of small ones that make a big difference. – John Keim
Next game: vs. Bengals (8 p.m. ET, Friday)
Games on Friday
Tennessee at Atlanta, 7 p.m. ET
Buffalo at Detroit, 7 p.m. ET, NFL Network
Dallas, Arizona, 10 p.m. ET, NFL Network
Saturday’s games
Miami in Chicago, 1 p.m. ET, NFL Network
Denver at Minnesota, 4 p.m. ET, NFL Network
Cleveland at Jacksonville, 7 p.m. ET, NFL Network
More people play on ESPN than anywhere else. Join a league or create a league in fantasy football game # 1! Register for free >>
New Orleans in Baltimore, 7 p.m. ET
New York Jets at the New York Giants, 7:30 p.m. ET
Cincinnati at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. ET
Houston at Green Bay, 8 p.m. ET
Kansas City, San Francisco, 8:30 p.m. ET
Seattle in Las Vegas, 9 p.m. ET
Los Angeles Chargers at Los Angeles Rams, 10 p.m. ET, NFL Network
Game on sunday
Carolina in Indianapolis, 1 p.m. ET, NFL Network
[ad_1]
