The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of Week 1 in the NFL Preseason
THE GOOD
PATRIOTS RB RHAMONDRE STEVENSON
The best rushing performance this week goes to rookie RB Rhamondre Stevenson. Stevenson, a fourth-round rookie out of Oklahoma, gashed the Washington defense by rushing for 127 yards and 2 touchdowns. Stevenson also had a 91-yard touchdown during the game. In a running back room featuring the likes of Sony Michel, Damien Harris, and James White, Stevenson made a fantastic first impression.
THE YOUNG QBS SHOWED OUT
There were a lot of solid performances from young QBs this week. Let’s start with Chicago Bears QB Justin Fields. Fields made a great case to be a starter by tossing for 142 yards and 2 total touchdowns. In a make-or-break year for Broncos QB Drew Lock, he gave fans a bit of hope that he can be their guy. Lock tossed for 151 yards and 2 passing touchdowns on just 7 passes. Patriots QB Mac Jones looked very accurate in his debut, going 13 for 19 for 87 yards. 49ers QB Trey Lance had 128 yards and a passing touchdown, which included an 80-yard bomb.
Finally, we have Packers QB Jordan Love. With a messy relationship between management and the face of franchise QB, Aaron Rodgers, hanging over the team, many fans are left wondering what life will be like when the future Hall of Famer inevitably leaves. Love was able to put a little faith into the fanbase with a very solid performance. Despite being blown out, Love passed for 122 yards and had a passing touchdown, looking very comfortable during his limited playing time.
THE BAD
SAINTS QBS
The news down in the bayou is that Head Coach Sean Payton is still noncommittal about which QB will get the nod against Green Bay Week 1. Both Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill showed flashes and struggled. Every Saints QB that played threw an interception in the game. However, Winston was able to separate himself from the pack by being the sole quarterback to throw a touchdown pass. Hill started off really hot before cooling down, Winston was quite the opposite, starting shakily before regaining composure and streaking the ball downfield. This QB battle is like picking between two girls. Do you go with the girl with a ton of potential but you can’t trust her (Winston) or do you go with the girl you don’t see wife qualities in but have more history with (Hill)? The battle doesn’t seem like it will be decided this week, so we’ll see who pulls ahead next week.
BUCS QB RYAN GRIFFIN
QB Ryan Griffin has been a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers since 2015. Never been promoted higher than third string, the 31-year old’s career looks to be on the rails after an abysmal preseason performance. Griffin went 6 for 11 for 47 yards and threw 2 interceptions in the 19-14 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bucs have Tom Brady and Blaine Gabbert entrenched as the starter and backup respectively as well as drafting University of Florida quarterback Kyle Trask in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft. To simply put it, there’s no room for Griffin. In a crowded QB room, Griffin did nothing but prove why it makes more sense to move on from him. If Griffin is on the Bucs final 53 man roster for Week 1, I’ll be adamantly shocked.
THE UGLY
ARTHUR SMITH’S HEAD COACHING DEBUT IN ATLANTA
Your first game as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons and it’s against your former team too, what could go wrong? Well, everything. Smith’s offense was atrocious: QBs AJ McCarron and Feleipe Franks COMBINED for 52 passing yards in 4 quarters. No RB on the team got over 20 yards on the ground and no WR caught more than 2 passes or finished with more than 20 yards. I mean come on! Your leading back had 18 yards and your leading WR had 15! The only players on the Falcons that did anything meaningful were the kicker and punter. You got blown out 23-3. The most pathetic showing in all of Preseason Week 1.
KICKING IN THE HALL OF FAME GAME
Both kickers in this game weren’t just bad, they were absolutely terrible. Cowboys K Hunter Niswander only made 1 kick out of 3 on the night. After making a 29 yarder, he had another kicked blocked. But it was the 52-yard attempt to get us to halftime that may be one of the poorest attempts I’ve ever seen. That kick went so far right it could get a job at Fox News. It was so terrible that It hit the score clock. Feel free to turn in your pads and playbook at the end of the game with a kick like that.
Not to be one-upped, Steelers K Sam Sloman decided to get in on the fun with his own terrible performance. In an ‘anything you can do I can do better’ style, Sloman’s 49-yard attempt looked like it opted to do the cha-cha slide the way it went to the right, to the right, to the right, the right, the right. The misses in this game were absolutely awful, I haven’t seen this many bad misses since the Bachelor ended. I don’t see either kicker being on the roster when Week rolls around, but they do have some time to get things right.