The first week of the 2023 NFL preseason continued Friday night, with the Cincinnati Bengals hosting the Green Bay Packers, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Detroit Lions hosting the New York Giants, the Miami Dolphins hosting the Atlanta Falcons and the Cleveland Browns hosting the Washington Commanders. The Arizona Cardinals closed out the night with a comeback win over the Denver Broncos.
Several of Friday’s matchups gave glimpses of quarterback battles, including Baker Mayfield showing signs of progress for the Bucs and Jake Browning emerging as the possible No. 2 to Joe Burrow.
On Thursday, the New England Patriots hosted the Houston Texans and the Seattle Seahawks welcoming the Minnesota Vikings.
No. 2 overall pick C.J. Stroud got his first NFL reps in a start for the Texans, going 2-for-4 for 13 total yards and an interception before coach DeMeco Ryans turned to incumbent starter Davis Mills.
Mills went 9-of-12 for 99 yards and a touchdown before Case Keenum took over under center.
On the other sideline, Patriots fans will have to wait at least another week to see how quarterback Mac Jones has adjusted to Bill O’Brien’s new offense.
The Seahawks’ Pro Bowl quarterback Geno Smith watched as backup Drew Lock took the start. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the second of Seattle’s two first-round picks, got his first NFL action Thursday night, along with Vikings first-rounder Jordan Addison.
Here are the biggest takeaways from each game so far, along with the rest of the Week 1 preseason schedule.
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Packers: It didn’t take Jordan Love long to get going, and he didn’t stay in the game long, either. But the Packers should be encouraged by what they saw in their new starter’s two series. He completed 7 of 10 passes for 70 yards and a touchdown and connected with five different pass-catchers, including Romeo Doubs for the touchdown (a contested 9-yard fade) and for his longest completion (a 12-yard crosser). He was 4-for-5 for 28 yards on play-action. The only thing missing was a deep connection. He overthrew a wide-open Luke Musgrave to end the first series. One play earlier, his pass for Christian Watson got broken up. Love was never pressured on his 10 dropbacks even without his blind-side protector, David Bakhtiari, who likely won’t play in any preseason games. “I thought he looked poised, it looked like he was in total command,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said at halftime on the TV broadcast. “Obviously on that first series he’d love to have the throw back to Musgrave, but all in all I thought it was a very productive day for him.” Now, the Packers have to decide if that’s enough exhibition work for Love or if they’ll play him again next week. Rookie backup QB Sean Clifford led four scoring drives (three TDs and a field goal) in relief. — Rob Demovsky
Next game: vs. Patriots (8 p.m. ET, Saturday, Aug. 19)
Bengals: Could there be frontrunners in a couple of interesting position battles? Jake Browning, last year’s third-string quarterback, played the entirety of the first half with the rest of the second-team offense, while new signee Trevor Siemian played in the second half. Over at right tackle, Jonah Williams got the night off while Jackson Carman played in the game. Browning ran with the starters in the joint practice with Green Bay and had the favorable reps on Friday. As for the offensive-line tussle, between Friday’s participation (or lack thereof) and comments from assistant coach Frank Pollack earlier in training camp, Williams is the clear favorite to cement the right edge of the line. — Ben Baby
Next game: at Falcons (7:30 p.m. ET, Friday, Aug. 18)
Lions: All eyes were on wide receiver Jameson Williams during his first preseason game as he experienced a few highs and lows. As promised, Lions head coach Dan Campbell gave the 2021 No. 12 overall pick a ton of reps while he serves a six-game suspension for violating the NFL’s gambling policy. He delivered on a one-handed, two-point conversion reception after a 95-yard punt return touchdown by Maurice Alexander in the third quarter. However, on Detroit’s opening possession, backup quarterback Nate Sudfeld was picked off on a deep right pass intended for Williams by Giants safety Jason Pinnock. Sudfeld also tried to find Williams on another deep play in the first quarter, but they were out of sync as Williams cut to the middle of the field as the pass was thrown up the left side. Overall, Williams was targeted seven times, with two catches for 18 yards, including a deep-ball drop at 5:50 in the first quarter that prompted light boos from the stands. After a couple of joint practices with Giants during the week, the Lions rested many of their starters including quarterback Jared Goff, wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and defensive lineman Aidan Hutchinson. — Eric Woodyard
Next game: vs. Jaguars (1 p.m. ET, NFL Network, Saturday, Aug. 19)
Giants: Almost all of the Giants’ veteran starters were kept out of the preseason opener after joint practices earlier in the week. That left their draft class in the spotlight, and the results were a mixed bag. Third-round wide receiver Jalin Hyatt had one catch for minus-four yards on 16 offensive snaps. His speed had opened eyes from teammates at camp, with veteran cornerback Adoree Jackson even comparing his stride to being “like a Usain Bolt.” Aside from Hyatt being a non-factor in his first NFL game, first-round cornerback Deonte Banks had his ups and downs with a pass breakup while also benefitting from Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams dropping a deep pass. Meanwhile, center John Michael Schmitz, a second-rounder out of Minnesota, fared better while playing the entire first half, and sixth-round cornerback Tre Hawkins had mostly good moments (several passes defended) aside from a missed tackle. — Jordan Raanan
Next game: vs. Panthers (7 p.m. ET, NFL Network, Friday, Aug. 18)
Falcons: On a night where the Falcons sat nearly all their offensive and defensive starters, the biggest thing to pick up on was conceptually. This was clear on defense where Atlanta was clearly aggressive in the first half. Atlanta shut Miami out, 6-0, in the first half with a red-zone interception from safety DeMarcco Hellams and two other stops inside the Falcons’ 10-yard-line. In the regular season those would have been field goal attempts, but it’s still a good sign for the type of defense coordinator Ryan Nielsen wants to run. Hellams, the Falcons’ seventh-round pick fighting for a roster spot, was around the ball throughout the first half. In totality, Atlanta intercepted Miami’s quarterbacks three times, had five sacks and nine quarterback hits — a dominant display of the type of defense Nielsen would like. — Michael Rothstein
Next game: vs. Bengals (7:30 p.m. ET, Friday, Aug. 18)
Dolphins: The backup quarterback battle went nowhere. Mike White got the start and played the entire first half, completing 9 of 14 passes for 85 yards. He led a pair of trips to the red zone but threw an interception in the end zone on Miami’s opening drive before failing to convert on fourth down in the other. Skylar Thompson wasn’t any better, connecting on 10 of 16 attempts for 104 yards, two interceptions and a lost fumble. The quarterback play as a whole was uninspiring Friday night, and while White remains ahead in the race, neither player did much to help their case. — Marcel Louis-Jacques