Posted on August 23, 2019, by Travis Pulver
The third preseason game is often the time when teams give their starters a lot more playing time. Not every team takes that route, but many do which can make what goes on during Week Three of the Preseason much more relevant than any other week.
Of course, at the same time, not every team does. The Packers held out 33 guys from last night’s game in Canada against the Raiders. So, while there are things that can be learned from some games, there isn’t necessarily something noteworthy from every game.
Thursday Night’s Observations
· The Giants are going to have a real PR problem on their hand the first time Eli Manning has a bad game. After watching Daniel Jones turn in a good performance against the Bengals (9-11 for 141 yards), fans are going to be ready to ditch Eli the first time he gives them a reason to.
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· The same could be said for the Bengals and Andy Dalton after another solid performance by Ryan Finley (14-20 for 155 yards).
· Washington Redskins running back Derrius Guice, who tore his ACL in his first preseason game last year, made his return against the Falcons. He busted off a nice seven-yard run on his first carry and went on to run for 44 yards on 11 carries in the first half.
· The Redskins are no closer to naming a starter for Week One. Keenum looked like the better passer against the Falcons (9-14 for 101 yards; Haskins was 7-13 for 74 yards) but had a turnover. Haskins led the team to three second-half scores but was helped by a pair of turnovers.
“I’m excited to see Dwayne make some throws from the pocket,” Redskins head coach Jay Gruden said after the game, via ESPN. “I like some things Case did. Obviously, the turnover was disturbing….They both have done some good things this preseason.”
The only sure thing is that Colt McCoy will not be the starter since he is still recovering from the broken leg he suffered last year.
· Tom Brady got in the game a little against Carolina—and looked like the Tom Brady fans know and love. Also, Jarrett Stidham is staking a serious claim to his No. 2 after having another good night (15-19 for 134 yards).
· It looks like the Carolina Panthers have a good one in rookie Brian Burns who recorded two more sacks in Thursday night’s game against the Patriots. But fans are likely more concerned about the sack Cam Newton took that knocked him out of the game. He is said to have an ankle sprain and is not guaranteed to start in Week One now.
· It will be interesting to see what happens when the Ravens realize they can’t make Lamar Jackson become a better passer than he is—especially when they have what appears to be a capable passer in rookie Trace McSorley (16-24 for 203 yards and two touchdowns in the first half).
· As expected, Carson Wentz did not play for the Eagles Thursday night. Cody Kessler returned from his injury (concussion), but he didn’t play long. Recently unretired Josh McCown played most of the game and didn’t look too bad (17-24 for 192 yards and two touchdowns).
· With the Packers holding out 33 guys and the field being only 80 yards long, it is hard to take anything of substance from the Packers/Raiders game. Although, Nathan Peterman had a goodnight for the Raiders going 23-37 for 210 yards and two touchdowns.
· Josh Rosen didn’t get into Miami’s game against the Jaguars until late in the third quarter. But in the time that he played, he looked like the kind of guy you’d want starting in Week One. However, his results have to be taken with a grain of salt. He was playing mostly against guys who will be without a job in a couple of weeks.