USA TODAY International Edition
Allen moves up; Cousins tumbles down
With the Ravens 20-19 victory over the Colts, the second week of the preseason is through. That means each squad’s most important game is yet to come. Week 3 of the preseason is widely known as the dress rehearsal game, where starters get a good chunk of playing time and much of what fans will see then is the result of what happened over the weekend.
Winners and losers from Week 2.
Winners
Josh Allen: Though many considered him to be the least pro-ready of the elite quarterbacks in the draft, Allen might be the one making the strongest case to start. In Friday’s 19-17 victory against the Browns, Allen led the Bills on scoring drives on each of the three series he played, going 9 of 13 for 60 yards and one score. Most impressive was that Allen showed pocket awareness and poise and kept his eyes shifting through his progressions when defenders charged toward him.
The latest sign of momentum? In Monday’s practice, the Bills worked Allen with the first string. By the afternoon, the team announced he’d start Sunday against the Bengals.
The Jets: An organization that has spent years searching for a franchise quarterback, New York suddenly might have multiple options.
Rookie Sam Darnold has impressed in his first training camp. Teddy Bridgewater has flashed in his comeback from a major knee injury two years ago — completing 10 of 15 passes for 127 yards with one touchdown and one interception — and might be the best option to play right now. And veteran Josh McCown is steady and an excellent leader in the locker room, though he’s not a long-term option. The Jets can go in several directions, but one appealing route might be to appoint McCown or Darnold as the QB1 and trade Bridgewater for more assets.
James Conner: With Le’Veon Bell’s continued absence from the Steelers, slimmed-down Conner is taking advantage. Though he has carried the ball only nine times this preseason, including five times for 57 yards and one touchdown in Thursday’s loss to the Packers, Conner has proved he can elude defenders and can be a contributor in the regular season. Just take a peek at this 26yard scamper to see how.
Joe Flacco: He has struggled in recent years as his supporting cast lacked star talent, but the Ravens quarterback looked poised and comfortable Monday against the Colts.
He completed 7 of 9 passes for 72 yards and one touchdown. But more important, he looked to build rapport with new receivers Michael Crabtree (nice, zone-beating, 29-yard catch down the left sideline), John Brown (7-yard touchdown grab in traffic) and tight end Hayden Hurst (15-yard reception in between defenders).
Tyreek Hill: The Chiefs receiver broke out last season, catching 75 passes for 1,183 yards and seven touchdowns. With strong-armed Pat Mahomes taking over the starting quarterback job, Friday’s 28-14 Kansas City victory flashed a glimpse of what Mahomes can do with Hill, one of the fastest players in the NFL, at his disposal on a 69-yard touchdown.
Losers
Dez Bryant: Long maintaining that he needed to get his mind right before returning to football, unsigned Bryant might have missed his best chance to latch on to an ascending roster. Bryant live-tweeted the preseason opening game for the Browns on Aug. 9 and announced he would be making a visit to the franchise. He did Thursday, but it was after star receiver Josh Gordon announcing his return to the team after an extended hiatus as he worked on his
mental health. Now, Cleveland apparently does not need Bryant, which means he’ll likely have to keep waiting to find a suitor.
Kirk Cousins: Granted, it’s just one preseason game, so no need to overreact, especially given how strong the Jaguars’ first-string defense is. But Cousins had a rocky night in a 14-10 loss, going 3 of 8 for 12 yards. In his four drives, the offense twice sputtered to three-and-outs. Cousins is clearly the franchise quarterback in Minnesota, but Saturday’s game might be an indication there will be some growing pains against top-tier defenses.
AJ McCarron: It’s bad enough that McCarron was the weakest of the three Bills quarterbacks in Friday’s game, completing just 3 of 6 passes for 12 yards, but he also suffered a shoulder injury. The Bills said McCarron is still having further tests to determine the severity of the injury. But with the regularseason opener less than three weeks away and with Allen making strides and Nathan Peterman keeping steady in the competition, it’s a near certainty McCarron will — again — be relegated to the bench. Dolphins rush defense: Miami ranked 14th last year with 110.5 rushing yards allowed per game (14th), and that was with Ndamukong Suh commanding the middle. After Friday’s 27-20 loss to the Panthers, the Dolphins showed how vulnerable they might be after moving on from the five-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle. On 31 carries, the Panthers earned 226 yards (7.3 yards per attempt) and three touchdowns, including a 71yard score by Christian McCaffrey.
The Patriots: Yes, it looked like Trent Brown was going to take over the starting left tackle spot anyway, but losing a first-round pick to a torn Achilles is an undeniable blow. Tackle Isaiah Wynn, who was taken with the No. 23 overall selection, was expected to at least rotate in and out of the lineup and might have been poised to take the right tackle gig from Marcus Cannon. New England should recover from the loss, but it’s a big hit to the team.