We are in the thick of Week 2 of the preseason after a doubleheader on Friday and a full slate of games on Saturday, with more to come on Sunday and Monday.
Titans-Falcons and Chiefs-Seahawks got things rolling to begin the week, and Saturday’s action was filled to the brim with storylines that’ll have ramifications for the start of the regular season. That included a continued quarterback battle in Indy between Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones, along with Cleveland Browns third-round pick Dillon Gabriel making his debut.
Let’s take a look at some of the key takeaways from the early slate.
Jaxson Dart continues to impress
The New York Giants rookie quarterback was sharp again on Saturday night.
After a strong performance last week against the Buffalo Bills in his preseason debut, Dart proved to be a big storyline in Week 2 of the preseason.
The rookie accounted for two touchdowns against the New York Jets on Saturday, one throwing and one running on a quarterback sneak. He finished 14 of 16, including 13 straight completions at one point, for 137 yards and has impressed this preseason. Dart has shown a good command of the offense and has been making the right decisions and getting the ball out quickly.
Dillon Gabriel has up-and-down showing
After missing the preseason opener due to a hamstring injury, it was Gabriel’s turn to try and endear himself to the coaching staff as Cleveland still figures out its quarterback masthead. The third-rounder out of Oregon was efficient, completing 13 of his 18 passes for 143 yards on the afternoon. However, he also battled turnovers. Gabriel threw a pick-6 and then was credited with a fumble on a botched handoff. Those turnovers don’t exactly put him in the best light as he tries to make a case to climb the depth chart.
Daniel Jones slightly better than Anthony Richardson
The Indianapolis Colts are still trying to figure out their Week 1 quarterback, and the battle between Jones and Richardson continued in Week 2 of the preseason. We have a deeper dive into how each signal-caller fared, but the offense did look much smoother with Jones under center. The former Giants QB had nice completions of 20-plus yards to Michael Pittman Jr. and Tyler Warren during his brief showing (two drives), and was able to lead a scoring drive.
Richardson led the lone touchdown drive between the two, but it was more volatile. He had a beautiful deep ball to Anthony Gould that was called back due to a penalty, but also had some errant throws, particularly a deep ball into major traffic in the end zone.
Again, it’s close, but Jones gains the slim victory in this head-to-head on Saturday.
TreVeyon Henderson’s explosive summer continues
New England’s second-round rookie made waves last week with his 100-yard kickoff return to start the game, and continued to flash his explosiveness in Week 2 of the preseason. Henderson played sparingly, but rushed for 20 yards on four carries, which included a nifty touchdown run on third-and-4. Given how impressive he’s been this summer, Henderson should have a sizable role in the Patriots backfield, if not start out of the gate.
As for the rest of the Week 2 action, you can keep track of it all below in our live blog. We’ll have news, highlights, and analysis from all the games.
