Inside: Risers and fallers after the preseason’s first week, Patrick Mahomes (again) leads Sando’s new QB Tiers and Dianna’s sources remain skeptical of Shedeur Sanders.
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Preseason Week 1: Takeaways
Each Monday, we update you on how players, coaches, teams and schemes are trending across the NFL. And with all 32 teams in preseason action, there’s plenty to cover. We’ll start in New York:
📈 Big Apple quarterbacks. Both the Jets (30-10 over Green Bay) and Giants (34-25 over Buffalo) won their first preseason games, but more importantly, their first-team offenses led scoring drives against talented first-team defenses. In their only series:
- The Giants’ Russell Wilson relied on short passes and running back Tyrone Tracy as he got to the Bills’ 27-yard-line before penalties forced them to settle for a field goal. Wilson finished 6 of 7 for 28 yards.
Jaxson Dart had the most promising debut of New York quarterbacks, however. This year’s 25th overall pick by the Giants completed 12 of 19 passes for 154 yards with one touchdown, while showing off his wheels with 24 yards on three runs. Most of his production came against the second-string Bills defense, but Dart still joins Wilson and Abdul Carter atop Charlotte Carrol’s list of Giants trending up.
📈 Preseason kickers. Last preseason, Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey hit an impressive 66-yard field goal that had opponents cheering. This preseason, Jaguars kicker Cam Little said hold my beer, hitting an unofficial* NFL-record field goal of 70 yards:
* Preseason stats don’t count, but an exception should be made, folks. A parody account using the kicker’s name posted this on X: “Don’t stress about the record. This won’t be the last 70 yarder.” Love it. Until then, Justin Tucker’s 66-yarder remains the record to beat.
📈 Chiefs’ offensive line. The Super Bowl scapegoats look much improved, thanks to impressive rookie left tackle Josh Simmons, a potential top-10 pick who fell to Kansas City at the end of the first round due to injury concerns.
Simmons arrived ahead of schedule, stood out in training camp and impressed against the Cardinals, posting the second-highest PFF grade among Chiefs starters, behind only Mahomes. Must be nice, KC fans.
📉 Packers’ offense. Penalties, drops and poor decision-making cost Jordan Love’s first-team unit, which gained just 31 yards of offense as Love finished 1 of 5 for seven yards (on two drives). Worse still, receiver Jayden Reed was spotted in a walking boot, with his Week 1 status uncertain.
The lone bright spot was rookie receiver Matthew Golden, who turned two third-down targets into one catch and one defensive pass interference call against corner Sauce Gardner. “I’ve got a lot of confidence in MG right now,” said Love.
📈 Points in New England. Their 48-point outburst against the Commanders was a preseason franchise record, triple last preseason’s 15-point average. As Chad Graff wrote in his Patriots stock report, Mike Vrabel’s unofficial debut was exceptional across the board.
I’m already clamoring for TreVeyon Henderson to get more touches. New England’s most explosive player, the rookie running back split reps with Rhamondre Stevenson while playing two series with Drake Maye. Henderson showed Jahmyr Gibbs-like burst and hands, catching three passes and taking his only handoff 18 yards:
As for his first touch of any kind, Henderson returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown. No biggie.
📉 Points allowed by Buffalo. Their defensive line looks solidified after a strong debut from 30-year-old edge Joey Bosa, as well as rookie tackles T.J. Sanders and Deone Walker. All three new additions improve the depth for a line that, despite lacking a current superstar, can be one of the league’s best.
Just enough from J.J. McCarthy. The Vikings’ 22-year-old quarterback wasn’t perfect, finishing just 4 for 7 with 30 passing yards, no touchdowns and no turnovers. His accuracy is a work in progress, notes beat reporter Alec Lewis, but McCarthy played a clean game and got his timing down.
A turnover-free performance might be enough for the talented Vikings, but that’s not the case in Cleveland. Over to Dianna.
What Dianna’s Hearing: Sanders still has work to do
Shedeur Sanders was the talk of the weekend after his preseason debut for the Browns; even LeBron James took notice. But I spoke with two player evaluation sources from different NFL teams, both of whom still advised caution about the fifth-rounder’s first pro snaps.
“He’s still not the most disciplined player, something we saw on his Colorado tape,” one source said. “He had some moments that were solid and others that were not impressive.”
The other source agreed, noting that Sanders missed some easy throws and held onto the ball too long at times on Friday night. “He bailed out the back of the pocket multiple times, and his ball security wasn’t where it needs to be,” he said. “If he’s going to take the next step, he’s got to learn to play on time more consistently.”
So while the numbers looked good (138 passing yards and two TDs), Sanders remains a work in progress in the eyes of some. Still, he’s giving the Browns something exciting to think about.
Back to you, Jacob.
QB Tiers: The league’s starters, ranked
Each summer, Mike Sando’s Quarterback Tiers grant us a look into the minds of NFL coaches and executives, who share their perspective on the top veteran quarterbacks.
This year’s 34 ranked QBs are in five tiers, with each coach and executive granted anonymity to candidly share their thoughts. The leaders of each of the first four tiers exemplify their groupings. Presented below, with one comment each from panelists:
- Tier 1: Patrick Mahomes. “Mahomes has the Brady seat now, until someone proves otherwise.”
- Tier 2: Jayden Daniels. “I want to see another year. Get me halfway through that second year and I’ll have a good feel. The defensive coordinators will have all had their shot.”
- Tier 3: Kyler Murray. “He has ‘2’ talent but is still a ‘3’ to me. Is he committed to it? He always tends to tail off as the season goes on.”
- Tier 4: Russell Wilson. “What he had that was magical about him — the ability to create plays on the move — is gone.”
You’ll want to read the full article to see who wins the Josh Allen vs. Lamar Jackson debate.
Extra Points
🛩 Brady’s jab at Jets. I doubt Tom Brady writes his own jokes, but he sure delivers them well. At the Friday-night unveiling of his 12-foot statue outside Gillette Stadium, Brady aimed this line straight at his former AFC East rivals, against whom he went 31-8:
“This statue isn’t just for Pats fans. It’ll also give all the Jets fans something to throw their beers at as they leave the stadium every year. Probably in the second quarter.”
👀 James Cook refused to play. While the Bills’ running back dressed for Saturday’s preseason game, he never saw the field, despite head coach Sean McDermott’s wishes. The contract-related issues drag on for Cook, who is yet to receive an extension on his four-year, $5.83 million rookie contract.
🏈 The football dreams of Marshawn Lynch came crashing down when Russell Wilson made that fateful pass in Super Bowl XLIX. An excerpt from Michael-Shawn Dugar’s new book, “A Curated History of the Legion of Boom Era,” tells the story behind that playcall.
🐻 Bear tie. A 24-24 tie in Chicago against Miami left new head coach Ben Johnson without his first unofficial win, but that wasn’t the focus. “Preseason games don’t count, but they matter,” he said. Kevin Fishbain shares the Bears’ five key takeaways from a game without most starters.
▶️ Friday’s most-clicked: Undrafted Buccaneers safety Shilo Sanders can’t be his father, Deion — or demand the same attention as his younger brother, Shedeur. As Mike Jones writes, that works for Shilo.
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(Photo: Bryan M. Bennet, Justin Casterline / Getty Images)
