All eyes were on the quarterbacks in Denver, as there is a three-man race to see who will start the season opener against the Panthers. Mark Sanchez was the first quarterback on the field last week, but it was Trevor Siemian's turn this time.



Siemian was on fire early. He opened with a nice, back-shoulder throw to Emmanuel Sanders. He made extremely accurate throws on every attempt during the opening drive, which was capped off by a C.J. Anderson touchdown run. Siemian began the game completing seven of eight passes, and it appeared as though he would be guaranteed the starting job.



And then disaster struck. Siemian started trending downward when he was too eager to throw short of the first-down marker when he had Sanders open downfield. Siemian then stared down his receiver, allowing Eric Reed to break on the ball to snatch an easy pick-six.



Many quarterbacks can bounce back from a brutal turnover. Siemian didn't appear to be able to do so. Siemian followed up his pick with a high throw to Cody Latimer, then threw wide of the mark on his next attempt. Siemian seemed very rattled after the interception, as he had a deer-in-the-headlights look. If I were Gary Kubiak, I'd be frightened to start Siemian after seeing this. Siemian finished 10-of-14 for 75 yards and the pick.



Here were Siemian's targets:



C.J. Anderson: 1

Virgil Green: 2

Cody Latimer: 1

Jordan Norwood: 4

Emmanuel Sanders: 3

Demaryius Thomas: 1





Sanchez was the next quarterback on the field. He made some nice throws on his initial drive, including a strike to Jordan Taylor on a third-and-5. However, despite this, I knew it was just a matter of time before Sanchez self-destructed. Sanchez has always been a ticking time bomb, and when things begin to go poorly for him, it cascades until he completely implodes. And that's exactly what happened in this contest.



Sanchez had a horrifying sequence at one point. He was nearly pick-sixed on a poor throw, but was fortunate the defender dropped the ball. He was then strip-sacked, displaying horrible ball security. He was strip-sacked once again on the ensuing possession. And on the drive after that, Sanchez was booed heavily when he made a late, high throw over the middle that was nearly intercepted. And then Sanchez made the exact same pass on the next play!



As this happened, color analyst John Lynch said it perfectly: "He has the look of a rattled quarterback." Much like Siemian, Sanchez was completely rattled and terrified. It would be a big mistake to start him. Sanchez finished 10-of-17 for 120 yards and the two fumbles.





But what about Paxton Lynch? It was quite the opposite of Siemian and Sanchez, as he didn't get off to a good start. He overshot his target on his initial pass on a bootleg to the left. Lynch didn't get anything going until his third drive, which featured a Ronnie Hillman drop. Lynch began completing intermediate passes, gaining confidence in the process. Lynch fired a blazing strike on a third-and-10 along the sideline, a pass numerous starting quarterbacks in this league cannot make.



Lynch also showed off his other qualities after that. For instance, he was nearly sacked because he held on to the ball too long, but he was able to use his strength to muscle out of a sack, scrambling for a gain of eight yards. A bit later, Lynch fired an absolute laser in between two defenders. There's no comparing his arm strength to that of Siemian and Sanchez. He's just on another level.



Siemian ended the game with an interception, but it was a desperate attempt on a final drive with about 30 seconds left, so I won't blame him for that. He finished 15-of-26 for 113 yards, two touchdowns and that pick. Lynch had some passes dropped, so he played better than those numbers indicate. In fact, John Lynch said that Paxton Lynch should start next week to see how he performs with the other starters, and I completely agree with that. Sanchez is a lost cause, while Siemian's meltdown really bothered me. If Lynch performs well in the next game, he could absolutely be the opening-day starter.





Elsewhere for Denver, C.J. Anderson looks like he's in terrific shape, unlike last preseason. Anderson gained 30 yards and a touchdown on just six carries. He has started slowly the past couple of years, but it appears as though Anderson may begin quickly this season.





I thought Devontae Booker impressed as well. Booker, running with power and quickness, generated 36 yards on nine carries. He was better than Hillman, who dropped a pass.





Moving on to the 49ers, they once again had pedestrian quarterbacking from Blaine Gabbert, though he was better this week. Gabbert went 6-of-9 for 69 yards, but missed some passes he shoudld've hit. Gabbert also threw short of the first-down marker on a third down, as he didn't even bother looking to see if he could move the chains. It was typical, pedestrian quarterbacking from Gabbert.



Here were Gabbert's targets:



Garrett Celek: 2

Carlos Hyde: 1

Vance McDonald: 4

DeAndrew White: 1





Vance McDonald appears to be Blaine Gabbert's favorite receiver. McDonald caught three of his four passes in the second preseason game for 38 yards. He's a decent TE2, but there are players with better upside.





Carlos Hyde rushed for 28 yards and a touchdown on six carries, though most of his yardage (20) came on one carry when Denver's starting defense was no longer on the field. Hyde didn't have any sort of running room otherwise. Hyde is a very unexciting low-end RB2.





I criticized Jeff Driskel last week, and rightfully so. He was horrible. However, Driskel was much more precise on his throws in this contest, going 6-of-7 for 66 yards. Christian Ponder also looked good, finishing 7-of-8 for 86 yards and a touchdown to go along with 21 rushing yards and a second score on the ground. Much is being made of the "competition" between Gabbert and Dead-Arm Kaep, but maybe one of Driskel or Ponder is the correct solution? Only in San Francisco...





NFL Preseason Announcers: I've made fun of Broncos play-by-play guy Ron Zappolo before, and he didn't disappoint tonight. Zappolo, at one point, said a player was "just short of the first down." The player was four yards short. Zappolo also called Jerome Simpson "Jerome Sampson" and DeAndrew White "DeAndre White."



Zappolo must have written this trivia question as well:







The answer was Steve DeBerg. Man, I can't believe Joe Montana and John Elway were such dicks to DeBerg, talking over him and stuff. I hate it when people talk over me!



Follow me @walterfootball for updates.











Texans 16, Saints 9





Houston's first-string offense was a bit underwhelming last week, so everyone was looking for a better performance from Brock Osweiler and his young receivers. That's exactly what we saw.



Osweiler opened with a dud of a pass, passing behind DeAndre Hopkins. However, he was mostly sharp after that, save for a couple of overthrows. He zipped a perfect touchdown in the end zone to Will Fuller and did a very effective job of moving the chains overall.



Osweiler finished 12-of-19 for 124 yards, one touchdown and an interception despite Hopkins not being on the field the entire time (more on that later). The pick didn't really matter; it was a fourth down in the red zone, and Osweiler had no one open. Had he just thrown the pass away, it would've been a turnover on downs anyway, so he correctly forced the issue to Fuller, who was tightly covered.



Here were Osweiler's targets:



Stephen Anderson: 1

C.J. Fiedorowicz: 1

Will Fuller: 7 (4 end zone)

Ryan Griffin: 1 (1 end zone)

DeAndre Hopkins: 2

Braxton Miller: 4

Lamar Miller: 1

Jay Prosch: 1

Jaelen Strong: 1





If you're concerned that Hopkins saw just two targets (one catch, eight yards), don't be. Hopkins wasn't on the field very long, as the Texans wanted Osweiler to work with his rookie and second-year receivers. Thus, the three wideouts for the most part were Will Fuller, Braxton Miller and Jaelen Strong.





Will Fuller was playing behind Jaelen Strong during OTAs and the early stages of training camp, but Fuller has definitely emerged as the No. 2 receiver. Fuller saw a team-high seven targets from Brock Osweiler in the second preseason game, and he played very well. Fuller caught four passes for 73 yards and a touchdown, and he nearly had a second score, but Osweiler missed him by just a bit in the end zone. As long as he's not overdrafted - first-round rookies tend to be - I like Fuller as a late-round option, as his role will grow with each passing week.





Braxton Miller had his second solid showing of the preseason. He caught three of his four targets for 34 yards, some of which were bubble screens. Miller is the favorite to be the No. 3 receiver.





Lamar Miller had a decent outing despite mediocre numbers. Miller gained 16 yards on six carries, but showed great patience on some of his attempts. He also caught a 4-yard pass. Miller is definitely an RB1, but I think he's being overdrafted a bit, considering that he has never handled a full workload.





Jaelen Strong caught three passes for 25 yards against the Saints, but he saw just one target from Brock Osweiler. Strong was ahead of Will Fuller in OTAs and early training camp, but that's not the case anymore. I no longer recommend Strong as a late-round flier. He appears to be the clear No. 4 wideout on the roster.





As for the Saints, they had a disappointing showing, struggling to move the chains against the J.J. Watt-less Texans. However, Drew Brees was playing without his top weapon, Brandin Cooks.



Brees went 5-of-8 for only 29 yards and an interception. The pick wasn't his fault, as rookie Michael Thomas was interfered with, yet the officials didn't throw a flag for some reason. Brees also should've completed a 35-yard pass, but Brandon Coleman dropped the ball. Brees also didn't get much help from his offensive line. He was sacked a couple of times, including once by Jadeveon Clowney for a loss of 14, as Clowney absolutely destroyed Andrus Peat. It wasn't even fair.



Considering that Brees was dealing with a depleted receiving corps and blocking unit, I'm wondering why he even played. Sean Payton risked injury to his Pro Bowl quarterback, so it didn't seem like the smartest move to have Brees on the field for more than a single possession.



Here were Brees' targets:



Brandon Coleman: 2

Coby Fleener: 1

Mark Ingram: 1

Tommylee Lewis: 1

C.J. Spiller: 2

Michael Thomas: 1





The state of the offensive line also hurt Mark Ingram, who couldn't find any running room. He gained only 11 yards on seven carries. Ingram was surprisingly mixed in with C.J. Spiller (2 carries, 3 yards) despite Spiller being demoted to the fourth team on the official depth chart.





Brees seemed interested in targeting Brandon Coleman, but I'm not sure why. Coleman, as mentioned, dropped a 35-yarder, which actually would've been ruled a lost fumble had the official said it was a completion. Coleman almost certainly won't be ahead of Michael Thomas, who caught one of his two targets for five yards.





It's not looking good for 2015 third-rounder Garrett Grayson. He went 4-of-15 for 50 yards and an interception that was a desperation heave on the final play. Grayson did have a touchdown that was dropped, but that doesn't make up for his other poor throws, many of which were helplessly floated out of bounds or tipped up into the air and nearly picked off.





NFL Preseason Announcers: The Texans had a substitute play-by-play guy in this game. Why? Because the normal play-by-play person was on assignment at the Olympics, where he was undoubtedly getting destroyed by the Zika virus and/or Ryan Lochte's vandalism.



But seriously, Olympics over football? Someone needs to get their priorities in order. It would be like someone choosing some dish named fufu a la tutu at a fancy-shmancy restaurant over a bacon cheeseburger. You have to go bacon cheeseburger every time, right? Bacon cheeseburgers are awesome and American, like football. Fufu a la tutu is international and boring, like the Olympics. And the cherry on top is that the bacon cheeseburger doesn't come with the Zika virus!



Follow me @walterfootball for updates.











Rams 21, Chiefs 20





The most prominent storyline in this game was Jared Goff's play. Goff had a mixed debut last week that concluded prematurely because of a minor shoulder injury. Would he be able to rebound? Goff would play more than a half in this contest, and he had a mostly down performance.



Goff's first pass was dropped by Brian Quick. He was then strip-sacked on his second snap, as he tripped over his lineman's feet. Goff managed to complete his first pass on the next drive, which was a gain of 10 on a slant. However, he was strip-sacked again because he held on to the ball too long. Going into intermission, I noted that the game looked too fast for Goff. Based on what he did prior to halftime, he didn't appear to be close to ready for regular-season action.



Goff's pedestrian play continued in the third quarter, as he was nearly pick-sixed by Marcus Cooper, who broke on the route. Quick then dropped another pass, but mostly because it was a horrible throw. However, Goff was able to get into a rhythm in the final period, completing some quick, effective passes. The possession culminated with a touchdown - a back-shoulder throw, though the recipient had to make a one-handed catch because it was a bit too behind him.



Goff's final numbers aren't indicative of how well he played, as the stat box says he was 8-of-12 for 82 yards and a touchdown. The numbers don't detail the two fumbles or the nearly thrown interception, and they certainly don't describe the deer-in-the-headlights look Goff seemed to have prior to the fourth quarter.





With Goff struggling for the most part, it's quite evident that Case Keenum will be starting the regular-season opener. Keenum played just two drives, but did a solid job of moving the chains, going 4-of-5 for 53 yards and a touchdown. Not included in this stat line is a deep pass interference that he helped draw on the opening possession.



Here were Keenum's targets:



Kenny Britt: 3

Pharoh Cooper: 2

Lance Kendricks: 1





Jeff Fisher told the media that he was going to give Todd Gurley only one carry in this contest. Fisher lied, feeding the ball to Gurley four times on the opening drive. Gurley tallied 20 yards, and he scored a touchdown on his final touch. He's the overwhelming favorite to lead the league in rushing this year.





The Rams were still effective offensively after Gurley left the field, thanks in part to Benny Cunningham's nice running. Cunningham showed solid burst on his four carries, picking up 38 yards in the process. He'll need to be picked up immediately in the event of a Gurley injury, but I wouldn't draft him as a handcuff.





Keenum's sole aerial score went to Pharoh Cooper, which is significant because Cooper was responsible for a deep drop last week. The Rams will need players like Cooper to step up because their starting receivers are so underwhelming.





As for the Chiefs, Alex Smith played well overall, going 9-of-12 for 137 yards and a touchdown. He made just one poor misfire, overshooting a wide-open Jeremy Maclin. But Smith moved the sticks well overall in typical Alex Smith fashion.



Here were Smith's targets:



Chris Conley: 2

Demetrius Harris: 1

Travis Kelce: 4 (1 end zone)

Jeremy Maclin: 4 (1 end zone)

Spencer Ware: 1





Maclin played almost the entire first half, catching three of his four targets for 48 yards and a touchdown. However, he was ejected with about a minute remaining prior to intermission because he fought with Lamarcus Joyner. Neither player would've been kicked out of the game if this were last year, but everyone is more sensitive now in the wake of the Odell Beckham-Josh Norman Week 15 brawl.





Travis Kelce tied Maclin for the team lead with four targets, snatching three of them for 24 yards. Kelce seems poised for a big season; he's a solid, mid-TE1.





With Jamaal Charles out again, Spencer Ware started the second preseason game. Ware tallied 37 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. More importantly, he's well ahead of Charcandrick West in the pecking order. With Charles bound to sustain another injury at some point, Ware is one of the better handcuffs this year.





Chris Conley had a solid Week 2 preseason game. Showing off his excellent athletic ability, Conley caught three passes for 67 yards. Conley is a fine pick late in fantasy drafts, but I'd like him more as a sleeper if the Chiefs had a talented quarterback.





NFL Preseason Announcers: This game was very poorly announced. I knew something was up when the play-by-play guy exclaimed, "Alex Smith 4-for-4 for 45 yards early!" right after an incompletion to Maclin. He also said that Nick Foles was a fourth-round pick despite Foles being chosen in the third round.



Later on, color analyst Eric Dickerson cited Nick Foles' 2013 stats, saying that he accomplished this with Andy Reid. He then said it was natural for Foles to reunite with Reid after that terrific season - except Chip Kelly coached Foles in 2013. Dickerson wasn't done, giving us this grammatically debacled sentence: "Where is the real veteran players at?"



I will say that I enjoyed Marshall Faulk's analysis. In fact, he said the following:



"Alex Smith doesn't have a real strong arm, so he likes throwing to Travis Kelce."



This is the first time I've ever heard someone in the media say something not positive about Alex Smith. It was definitely refreshing, as everyone on TV seems to slurp Smith for some reason.



Follow me @walterfootball for updates.











Buccaneers 27, Jaguars 21





Many expect Jameis Winston to make great strides this year - myself included - but a performance like this makes you wonder. Winston was dreadful in the second preseason game, and if he plays like this all year, he'll be much worse than he was in his rookie campaign.



Winston went 3-of-10 for only 28 yards, one touchdown and an interception. He actually began 0-of-6 and the pick, which wasn't actually his fault because it bounced off the hands of Cameron Brate. Having said that, however, Winston was nearly intercepted on another play when he foolishly threw late across his body. Winston's accuracy was also poor, as he sailed several passes out of bounds and skipped some balls to his receivers.



That said, if you're a Buccaneer fan or a Winston owner, I wouldn't be too discouraged. Remember, Winston was putrid in the 2015 regular-season opener, and he went on to put together a terrific rookie campaign.



Here were Winston's targets:



Peyton Barber: 1

Cameron Brate: 4 (1 end zone)

Mike Evans: 5 (1 end zone)

Vincent Jackson: 1





Winston misfired toward Mike Evans the first three times he targeted him, but he managed to connect with him the next couple of occasions. Evans finished with two receptions for 18 yards and a touchdown, which was a great catch.





Doug Martin didn't play. Charles Sims started and had a nice run in which he broke a tackle and gained 12 yards. Sims finished with 20 yards on five carries. He's one of the better handcuffs this year, and he's more than that anyway, as he'll be moderately involved even when Martin is in the lineup.





If you look at the box score, you may notice that Austin Seferian-Jenkins led the team with three catches for 36 yards. All of this came with the second team, however. Seferian-Jenkins is clearly behind Brate in the pecking order right now.





Last week, second-round kicker Roberto Aguayo missed an extra point. Aguayo continued to struggle, whiffing on two of four tries in this contest, including a 32-yarder that was wide right. Aguayo's conversions were from 28 and 34. This just reinforces what 31 of 32 teams were aware of heading into the 2016 NFL Draft: It's extremely stupid to select a kicker during the first two days of the draft.





With Winston struggling, Blake Bortles was easily the superior quarterback in this matchup. He didn't make any terrific throws until his final one, which was a beautiful toss over a defensive back to Allen Hurns in the end zone, where only Hurns could catch it. Bortles finished 8-of-11 for 85 yards and two scores.



Here were Bortles' targets:



Allen Hurns: 3 (1 end zone)

Marqise Lee: 2

Allen Robinson: 5

T.J. Yeldon: 1





Allen Robinson predictably led the team in targets with five. He caught four of them for 34 yards. He made a terrific grab over his head while falling out of bounds for a gain of 17 yards. He's going to have a monstrous year.





Despite Chris Ivory being selected earlier than T.J. Yeldon in fantasy drafts, Yeldon started his second game of the preseason against the Buccaneers. He carried the ball twice for 15 yards and also caught a 14-yard touchdown. Yeldon didn't see much work at all, as the Jaguars appeared to be preserving him, which is a great sign. Yeldon looked terrific, though Ivory ran the ball well, too, gaining 25 yards on six attempts. Still, Yeldon is Jacksonville's starter. Ivory will crash in from the goal line, but Yeldon should be selected in fantasy drafts before Ivory.





NFL Preseason Announcers: The Jacksonville broadcast kept saying that the season opener against the Packers is sold out, yet they kept adding, "Limited tickets are available!" Umm... if there are tickets available, the game isn't sold out. It doesn't matter if they are limited or not. It's not sold out if you have to beg people to buy tickets.



At any rate, I was praying that the Jacksonville broadcast would show the pool at the stadium. It didn't, unfortunately, but we did have this nifty graphic:







What the hell happened to Daryl Smith? How did he transform into a white man!?



Follow me @walterfootball for updates.











Ravens 19, Colts 18





Andrew Luck didn't play last week, so this was his first action of the preseason. There were some reports that Luck wasn't practicing all that well in training camp, which was hard to believe. Luck struggled in 2015, but only because he was dealing with multiple injuries. There was no reason to think he wouldn't bounce back.



Surely enough, Luck was terrific in his debut. In fact, he didn't fire a single incompletion. Luck connected on all eight of his passes for 71 yards. He played on two drives and produced just three points, but only because Dwayne Allen lost a fumble in the red zone. This was only a small sample size, but it doesn't appear as though the Colts should be concerned with Luck as long as he remains healthy.



Here were Luck's targets:



Dwayne Allen: 2

Phillip Dorsett: 2

Donte Moncrief: 2

Chester Rogers: 1

Robert Turbin: 1





T.Y. Hilton didn't play in the second preseason game, so Andrew Luck focused on getting the ball to Phillip Dorsett early. Luck tossed the ball twice to Dorsett, who ultimately finished with three catches for 37 yards. Dorsett is a solid sleeper, as Indianapolis will utilize frequent three-receiver sets this upcoming season.





Donte Moncrief looked good against the Ravens, catching both of his targets for 25 yards during two drives. Moncrief's highlight play was making a defender miss on a gain of 18. There's speculation that Moncrief will lead the Colts in receptions this year, and he appears to be off to a good start.





As mentioned, Dwayne Allen lost a fumble in the red zone. He snatched both of his targets for 10 yards.





Frank Gore started, but didn't do anything save for carry the ball once, gaining five yards. Robert Turbin served as the No. 2 back in this contest, which is significant because Gore is unlikely to stay healthy all year. Before you rush to pick up Turbin (7 carries, 18 yards), however, note that rookie Josh Ferguson was the second back last week. It's still up in the air as to who will serve as Gore's backup. Ferguson managed just six yards on five attempts in this contest.





I'd like to give you lots of analysis on the Ravens, but Joe Flacco didn't play despite NFL Network using his picture/video in their promo for this game. Once again, I think this sucks. We've seen more starting quarterbacks sit in Week 2 of the preseason than I can remember. Roger Goodell really needs to shorten the preseason to perhaps three contests. Maybe even two.





There are a couple of Ravens worth noting. Justin Forsett started, but struggled to find running room. He managed only 11 yards on five carries. Forsett's value will be in PPR leagues, as he specializes in catching the ball. Meanwhile, Kamar Aiken, who caught a touchdown, drew a deep pass interference flag on a ball from Ryan Mallett.





Speaking of Mallett, he went 6-of-8 for 47 yards and a touchdown. He had a solid scoring drive, but didn't do anything otherwise. I thought Josh Johnson (11-of-16, 72 yards, TD; 5 carries, 40 rush yards) was more impressive. I've always been a fan of Johnson as a backup; he's smart and mobile, and his accuracy is pretty decent. I don't know why he's not a No. 2 quarterback on some team right now.





NFL Preseason Announcers: Some preseason announcers do a good job of sounding unbiased. The Colts broadcasters didn't bother doing that. They were the ultimate cheerleaders, saying ridiculous things throughout the telecast. Check out how these two homers repeatedly referred to themselves as part of the team in these quotes:



"That's another penalty on us! We can't come apart in the red zone!"



"We'll take it! We'll go to second-and-long!"



"They're going to get us with a penalty here! I hope I'm wrong!"



"A flag comes down, unfortunately!!!"



"We have to finish it! We have to finish drives!"



"He got rubbed by his own guy!"



OK, that last one doesn't quite belong, but it sounded kinky, so I thought I'd include it.



Oh, and by the way, there was no first-down line in this game. Someone needs to tell the Colts broadcast that it's 2016; not 1986. Not having a first-down line is inexcusable.



Follow me @walterfootball for updates.





Bills 21, Giants 0





If you missed the news, Karlos Williams was cut today. Reports indicate that Williams was beginning to re-gain the weight he lost at the beginning of training camp, so the team just decided to get rid of that particular headache.



With Williams' suspension, he wasn't going to take many touches away from LeSean McCoy anyway. McCoy saw all of the action with the first team, but didn't run particularly well, gaining literally nothing on five carries. With Damon "Snacks" Harrison in the middle of the Giants' defensive front, no one is going to run on New York. The good news for McCoy though is that he caught four passes for 58 yards and a touchdown. It's a reminder that McCoy is going to produce even if he has a tough matchup on the ground.





Tyrod Taylor played extremely well in the second preseason game. One of his initial passes featured a spin move to get away from a potential sack, allowing him to hurl a 59-yard bomb to Charles Clay. Taylor continued to be impressive for the rest of the afternoon, finishing 7-of-10 for 132 yards and a touchdown. His numbers could've been much better as well; a second potential touchdown was fumbled at the 1-yard line by Jerome Felton, while a 32-yard reception by Reggie Bush was wiped out by replay review that allowed the official to see that Bush dropped the pass. Thus, Taylor could've gone 8-of-10 for 165 yards and two scores - despite missing Sammy Watkins! Taylor has a decent chance to finish as some sort of a QB1 this year.



Here were Taylor's targets:



Reggie Bush: 1

Charles Clay: 1

Jerome Felton: 1

Marquise Goodwin: 2

LeSean McCoy: 4 (1 end zone)

Robert Woods: 1





Reggie Bush saw some action, and as mentioned, he dropped a potential 32-yard reception. He also lost a yard on his only carry. Bush is not a solution to Karlos Williams' departure, and he should not be on an NFL roster anymore. One of Mike Gillislee or Jonathan Williams will have to step up. Gillislee left early with a concussion, while Jonathan Williams gained 15 yards and a touchdown on six carries.





Discussing Buffalo's backup quarterbacks, E.J. Manuel got off to a slow start. He made a dumb throw into double coverage with no Buffalo player in the area, yet somehow wasn't picked. He then took a sack because he held on to the ball forever. Manuel got better as the game progressed, however, finishing 8-of-13 for 69 yards and a score. One of Manuel's incompletions was a dropped touchdown by Greg "Mr. Reliable" Little.



As for Cardale Jones, he had a pretty mixed performance. He finished 6-of-12 for 83 yards and an interception, which occurred on an underthrow because Jones didn't step into the pass. This occurred right after Jones made a great touch throw to Walter Powell for 31 yards. Jones made other nice tosses, including a 12-yarder on a rollout on his first play to Mr. Reliable and a 21-yard gain to Dezmin Lewis. However, Jones missed a tight end for a big gain, and he was also called for intentional grounding at one point.





The Giants couldn't do anything offensively, gaining about two yards per play, which is absolutely pathetic. The offensive line was a big problem, as it failed to protect Eli Manning. Marshall Newhouse was particularly brutal, routinely getting schooled by Jerry Hughes.



Manning failed to complete half of his passes, going 4-of-9 for 44 yards. Most of the problem was with the blockers, but Manning did overthrow Odell Beckham Jr. for a potential touchdown. I'm not going to drop Manning in my rankings just yet, as I trust him to play better in real action; it doesn't seem like Ben McAdoo wants to show anything in the preseason.



Here were Manning's targets:



Odell Beckham Jr: 3

Rashad Jennings: 1

Tavarres King: 1

Roger Lewis: 1

Sterling Shepard: 1

Will Tye: 3





Beckham was tied for the team lead in targets from Manning with three. He caught only one pass for 22 yards though. As mentioned, Beckham was open for a touchdown, but Manning sailed the ball over his head.





Hyped rookie Sterling Shepard did nothing in this contest. He saw one target, but couldn't come up with it. Manning simply didn't have a chance with Buffalo dominating the trenches so easily.





The Giants' offensive line didn't only struggle to pass protect. Run blocking was a problem, too. Rashad Jennings managed 10 yards on four carries, but he had an 11-yard scamper that was a byproduct of a draw on third-and-19 that the Bills were more than happy to relinquish. Take that away, and Jennings would've lost one yard on three attempts.





I discussed the Buffalo backup quarterbacks, so I'll be fair and talk about the Giants' No. 2 signal-caller as well. I mentioned Ryan Nassib struggling last week, and he was even worse in this game. Nassib was a dreadful 2-of-12 for 25 yards. Though he endured two drops, he was horrible. He was strip-sacked, tripped over a guy on the ground to take another sack, nearly picked and skipped a pass to Roger Lewis. The Giants have to think about signing a better backup like Tarvaris Jackson.





NFL Preseason Announcers: BILLS RUN DEEP. BILLS RUN DEEP. BILLS RUN DEEP. BILLS RUN DEEP. BILLS RUN DEEP. BILLS RUN DEEP. BILLS RUN DEEP. BILLS RUN DEEP. BILLS RUN DEEP. BILLS RUN DEEP. BILLS RUN DEEP. BILLS RUN DEEP.



This is all I saw throughout the Bills' broadcast, as this graphic flashed onto the screen every 20 seconds:







If it was this station's intent to brainwash its audience, it did a great job doing so. Because BILLS RUN DEEP. BILLS RUN DEEP. BILLS RUN DEEP. BILLS RUN DEEP. BILLS RUN DEEP. BILLS RUN DEEP. BILLS RUN DEEP. BILLS RUN DEEP. BILLS RUN DEEP. BILLS RUN DEEP. BILLS RUN DEEP. BILLS RUN DEEP. BILLS RUN DEEP. BILLS RUN DEEP. BILLS RUN DEEP. BILLS RUN DEEP. BILLS RUN DEEP. BILLS RUN DEEP. BILLS RUN DEEP. BILLS RUN DEEP.



Follow me @walterfootball for updates.





Panthers 26, Titans 16





There has been a lot of speculation from the Carolina beat writers that Devin Funchess would out-produce Kelvin Benjamin this year. With Benjamin and Funchess seeing extended action with Cam Newton, this was a good chance to see if those predictions could come to fruition.



Kelvin Benjamin saw three targets right away in the second preseason game, snatching two of them for 29 yards. But then Cam Newton began targeting Devin Funchess heavily. Funchess eventually led the starters with five balls thrown his way. As with Benjamin, he secured two for 19 yards. It's not the best stat line, but it's encouraging that Funchess was such a big part of the offense. Funchess is definitely worth drafting at his 11th-round ADP.





As for Newton, he was pretty sharp despite missing Greg Olsen, who is dealing with some back spasms. Newton opened with a strike to Benjamin for 16 yards. He then fired a pass to Ted Ginn in which the receiver broke out of a tackle from Antwon Blake to sprint 61 yards into the end zone. Newton finished 8-of-12 for 162 yards and a touchdown, looking very much like he's in mid-season form.



Here were Newton's targets:



Kelvin Benjamin: 3

Philly Brown: 1

Devin Funchess: 5

Ted Ginn: 1

Jonathan Stewart: 1

Fozzy Whittaker: 1





Jonathan Stewart didn't get much of a chance to do anything. He was given four touches, three of which were carries. He gained 10 yards on the ground and also caught a 6-yard pass. It'll be interesting to see if Stewart can actually live up to expectations prior to his bye week this year.





Marcus Mariota played extremely well in the second preseason game. He completed all but one of his 10 passes, generating 104 yards and a touchdown. He also picked up 13 rushing yards on two scrambles. His sole misfire was an interception, however. It was a low throw, and Mariota didn't see Bene Benwikere in coverage. That was his only blemish though, and Mariota looked great against one of the NFL's best defenses. He converted numerous third-and-long opportunities, appearing to be light years ahead of where he was at this point last summer. Mariota could definitely finish as some sort of a QB1 at the end of this season.



Here were Mariota's targets:



Harry Douglas: 3 (1 end zone)

Tajae Sharpe: 6

Delanie Walker: 1





I listed Tajae Sharpe in my Fantasy Football Sleepers list in the wake of the Dorial Green-Beckham trade, but I didn't even expect him to perform this well. Sharpe had an amazing preseason Week 2 performance. He led all Tennessee starters in targets with six, and he managed to snatch all six balls for 68 yards in a quarter-and-a-half of action. Sharpe made two terrific leaping grabs, gaining 20 and 16 on the receptions. The 20-yarder helped Marcus Mariota convert a third-and-14. Sharpe needs to be on your fantasy roster; take him in the final couple of rounds, and you won't be disappointed. I know he's just a fifth-round rookie, but he's Mariota's No. 1 receiver, and he runs routes like a seasoned veteran. He'll be a solid backup at the very least.





DeMarco Murray finished with 20 yards on five carries. Once again, he saw all of the first-team touches, with Derrick Henry entering the game when Murray was done for good. Henry had better numbers - 31 yards on five attempts - but it needs to be noted that he did this with his starting offensive line against the Carolina backups. Henry has feasted on reserves through two games this preseason. I'd like to see how he'd fare versus opposing first-stringers.





NFL Preseason Announcers: The announcers were good, but I want to mention something interesting that Charles Davis said during the telecast. Davis said that the Titans are beginning to call their running back tandem "thunder and thunder."



Isn't that kind of lame? Thunder and lightning makes sense. Thunder and thunder is just stupid. Without lightning, where does the thunder come from? It's almost like the Titans are saying their running backs just make a lot of noise but don't do anything.



Follow me @walterfootball for updates.





Chargers 19, Cardinals 3





Philip Rivers sat out this game. Is it just me, or have there been an obscene amount of starting quarterbacks sidelined in Week 2 this preseason? Could this be the coaches sending a message to Roger Goodell that they want fewer exhibition contests? I sure hope so, because four is one too many.



Carson Palmer was in the game, fortunately, so this wasn't a complete snooze fest. Seriously, I was looking forward to watching Palmer and Rivers sling the ball around, and I'm sure the fans who paid good money did as well. They were disappointed, and Palmer didn't even have Larry Fitzgerald or John Brown at his disposal.



Palmer did not perform very well in the second preseason game. He was basically sacked on the first play - the officials should've called him in the grasp - and then he slightly underthrew a deep pass to Michael Floyd. It only got worse from there, as Palmer was pick-sixed on a lazy toss to Jaron Brown, as Brandon Flowers read Palmer's eyes perfectly. Palmer was then nearly pick-sixed again on a weak throw to Floyd toward the sideline. He finished 4-of-8 for 37 yards and the interception. He has struggled in the preseason thus far, as something doesn't look quite right with him. Perhaps his age - 37 in December - is the true culprit.



Here were Palmer's targets:



Jaron Brown: 2

Michael Floyd: 3

Chris Johnson: 1

David Johnson: 1





With Fitzgerald and Brown sidelined, Michael Floyd was the only starting receiver in the lineup. He was targeted thrice, but came up with just one reception for two yards. As mentioned earlier, Palmer underthrew Floyd deep down the sideline.





David Johnson couldn't find any room to run, as San Diego limited him to five yards on three carries. The Chargers were woeful versus the rush last year, but attempted to make the appropriate adjustments this offseason to improve in that regard.





Palmer wasn't the only quarterback who struggled for Arizona. Backup Drew Stanton, who played poorly last week, went 2-of-7 for 32 yards and an ugly interception that was way overthrown. Stanton endured a couple of drops, but his pick was inexcuseable.





Despite Rivers being absent, Melvin Gordon and Keenan Allen both were on the field. Gordon gained 18 yards on six carries, most of which came on a 12-yard burst that he broke outside. Allen, meanwhile, caught both targets from Kellen Clemens for 41 yards. One was an impressive leaping grab over a defending cornerback for 13 yards.





NFL Preseason Announcers: I was waiting the entire time for color analyst Dan Fouts to say something crazy, but he was subdued this evening for some reason. His partner referred to Deone Bucannon as a rookie at one point, but was otherwise clean.



One weird thing occurred when the sideline reporter interviewed this bespectacled man in the third quarter. He was asked about the new stadium, and he basically taunted the Cardinals and Broncos for having to pay for San Diego's new stadium. I have no idea how this wizard plans to pull this off, but I'm excited to find out.



Follow me @walterfootball for updates.





Cowboys 41, Dolphins 14





Dallas fans were undoubtedly excited to see Tony Romo for the first time since Thanksgiving, but they had to be frustrated right away when the Cowboys were whistled for three holding calls on their first five plays. One such snap saw Romo complete a 17-yard pass to Cole Beasley.



However, the Cowboys finally broke out of their funk and stopped making mistakes on the ensuing possession. Romo was able to lead the team on a touchdown drive, and that was it for the night. Romo went 4-of-5 for 49 yards, though he should've been 5-of-6 for 66 yards had the completion to Beasley stood.



Here were Romo's targets:



Cole Beasley: 1

Dez Bryant: 2

Alfred Morris: 1

Jason Witten: 2





With Romo done early, it was time for the Dak Prescott show to begin. I wrote last week that Prescott had the best debut of any rookie quarterback I've ever seen in the preseason, and Prescott certainly didn't disappoint in the encore. Prescott's first completion was to Geoff Swaim for 22 yards on a bootleg - this being significant because Swaim was responsible for Prescott's only incompletions last week, thanks to a duo of drops.



Prescott continued to fire sharp passes, showing off very impressive ball placement. He threw a perfect touchdown to Dez Bryant, squeezing the pass between the sideline and the defender, where Bryant was the only person who could catch the ball.



Prescott made one mistake in this contest, which occurred on the next possession. He threw an interception because he was off-balance while releasing the ball. Fortunately for Prescott, this was wiped out by a roughing-the-passer call.



That wasn't all for Prescott, as he scored three touchdowns after that. The first was via a rush in which he used an effective pump fake that fooled the defenders. The second was on a back-shoulder toss to Brice Butler just one play after hitting Butler with an awesome 58-yard bomb. The third was a simple sneak. That happened to be Prescott's final snap of the evening.



Prescott finished 12-of-15 for 199 yards, two passing touchdowns, three scrambles, 28 rushing yards and two scores on the ground. It's only the preseason, but Prescott appears to be the real deal. The front office and fans have to be absolutely excited about the possibilities going forward. Once again, check out Charlie Campbell's Dak Prescott Scouting Report, where he compared Prescott to Donovan McNabb. That comparison looks great right now!





Ezekiel Elliott and Darren McFadden were both out, allowing Alfred Morris to start. Morris was very impressive behind Dallas' elite offensive line, which was once again missing Tyron Smith. Morris gained 85 yards on 13 carries. If he's asked to start in the event of an Elliott injury, he'll be able to easily post RB2 numbers.





Dez Bryant caught two passes for 46 yards and a touchdown. His score actually came via Prescott. I forgot to bring up this point last week, but with Prescott presenting a viable option in the wake of a Romo injury, Bryant will be able to keep posting great numbers with his backup quarterback.





The Dolphins didn't show much last week, but they gave their fans more reason to be optimistic in this showing. Ryan Tannehill went 12-of-20 for 162 yards and two touchdowns, and three of his passes were dropped. And get this - all three drops occurred in the end zone!



Tannehill didn't start all that well, taking a sack on third down of the opening drive, but he followed that up with a perfectly placed 55-yard bomb to Kenny Stills while scrambling right. It's just a shame for him that there were three dropped touchdowns.



Here were Tannehill's targets:



Jay Ajayi: 1

Jordan Cameron: 2 (1 end zone)

Jarvis Landry: 6 (2 end zone)

DeVante Parker: 4 (1 end zone)

Isaiah Pead: 1

Dion Sims: 1

Kenny Stills: 5 (3 end zone)





Jarvis Landry led the starters with six targets, but he disappointed overall. He caught four passes for 33 yards, including one off a deflection that was intended for Stills. He also had a one-handed catch for a gain of 11. However, two of the aforementioned drops in the end zone were Landry's fault. Landry also appeared to lose his cool at one point, slapping a Dallas player in the face. Somehow, the Cowboy was called for the personal foul.





Jordan Cameron had the third dropped touchdown. Unlike Landry, however, Cameron didn't really make up for it. He caught one pass for five yards.





Kenny Stills had a big game, hauling in three receptions for 71 yards and two touchdowns. I don't think the Dolphins can count on Stills to be consistent, as he's just a situational deep threat. It needs to be noted that 55 of Stills' 71 yards came on one play.





DeVante Parker saw four targets, and he caught two of them for 16 yards. This was a nondescript game for him, and I still think he's being overdrafted.





Arian Foster saw his first action as a Dolphin in the second preseason game. It's safe to say that he disappointed. He was given two carries, and he lost five yards in the process. It's obviously a small sample size, but Foster didn't appear to have any explosion, which can't be a surprise because he's coming off a torn Achilles. He's being taken way too early in fantasy drafts right now.





NFL Preseason Announcers: I don't know why, but the three announcers the Cowboys had in the booth were whispering the whole time. I actually had to raise the volume on the TV to hear them. It was like they were broadcasting a golf match, or a golf game, or whatever you call those boring things that no one watches.



Follow me @walterfootball for updates.





Redskins 22, Jets 18





Kirk Cousins had the day off today, perhaps because it was his birthday. That's what the Redskins TV announcers said, anyway. It's a good thing for Washington fans that Cousins' name day doesn't fall during the regular season!



Despite Cousins sitting out, the biggest fantasy-related story to come out of the second preseason game was an injury that Matt Jones sustained. Jones walked off the field, grasping his left shoulder. Color analyst Joe Theismann said that Jones is "hanging that left arm ina way that doesn't look normal." Jones went into the locker room, where it was determined that he suffered an AC sprain. Jones will be out for a couple of weeks, but he might be able to return for the opener. This is good news, as it could've been much worse.





As for the Jets' offense, they struggled, failing to pick up a single third down until the reserves did so in the middle of the third quarter. Ryan Fitzpatrick was 4-of-9 for only 35 yards. He would've completed more than half of his passes had Brandon Marshall not hurt him with a drop, but Fitzpatrick was also at fault for some bad tosses, including one in which he sailed a pass over Eric Decker's head.



Here were Fitzpatrick's targets:



Jace Amaro: 2

Kellen Davis: 1

Eric Decker: 2

Brandon Marshall: 2

Bilal Powell: 1

Kenbrell Thompkins: 1





Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker each caught one pass for five and 13 yards, respectively. It's still too early to panic, but if Fitzpatrick plays like he did in his dreadful season finale at Buffalo, Marshall and Decker will both disappoint. Marshall, as mentioned, dropped a pass because of a severe case of alligator arms. Decker was overthrown on one of his two targets.





Matt Forte was missing in action again, allowing Bilal Powell to start the second preseason game. Powell looked good, picking up 23 yards on just three carries, highlighted by a gain of 13 in which he impressively broke a tackle. Powell makes for a solid late-round pick.





With Geno Smith struggling - he threw an ugly interception and also failed to complete half of his passes - New York's best quarterbacking came in the second half. Bryce Petty went 16-of-26 for 242 yards and two touchdowns. Petty's highlight play was a 50-yard bomb to Robby Anderson. He had some other impressive throws as well, but he was inconsistent, missing some wide open receivers at times. Christian Hackenberg, meanwhile, didn't play once again. Does Todd Bowles even know that Hackenberg is alive?





Jalin Marshall needs to be noted. The undrafted free agent caught four passes for 37 yards. On one play, he broke out of a tackle to pick up a first down on a 10-yard reception.





Moving back to the Redskins, Colt McCoy started and played very well, going 13-of-16 for 159 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. As the numbers indicate, he was accurate for the most part, but made a crucial mistake when he forced a bad pass in the end zone that was picked off by Darrelle Revis. McCoy was otherwise great, and his stats could've been even better had some big gains not been wiped out by illegal shifts. McCoy also made a crazy spin move to get out of a sack.





A very cool play that occurred was one that wouldn't end up counting. Jamison Crowder scored a touchdown in the first quarter, juking Marcus Williams so bad that Williams' unborn grandkids will be humiliated. Unfortunately, Crowder's score was negated by offensive pass interference. He ended up with three receptions for 38 yards.





NFL Preseason Announcers: The color analyst was Joe Theismann, who went on a rant about how there shouldn't be any such thing as an uncatchable ball because "every ball is catchable." Whatever that means. Theismann's partner, meanwhile, repeatedly called Robby Anderson "Robby Thompson."



As for the sideline reporter, it was Clinton Portis, who was kind of awkward. After each interview, he'd tell the person he was asking questions, "Appreciate it you guys, back up to y'all."



You guys? How did his interview subjects suddenly become multiple people?



Speaking of Portis' sideline interviews, check out this graphic they flashed as he was talking to Kirk Cousins (thanks, Michael L):







Wow, those are like NFL records and stuff. Or, maybe this was possible because Portis is the only one who isn't crazy, and the people he's interviewing are actually multiple individuals!



Follow me @walterfootball for updates.





Patriots 23, Bears 22





Tom Brady was supposed to play a couple of series in this game, but he injured himself prior to kickoff with a pair of scissors. That was definitely one of the strangest things I've ever heard until I opened up my ball deflation manual and saw that scissors are, in fact, required in the process. I guess you learn something new every day.



OK, Pats fans, calm down. I'm only kidding. It's only August, so don't get a seizure quite yet. There will be many more deflation jokes to come.



With Brady out, Jimmy Garoppolo played into the third quarter. His stats say he was great - 16-of-21 for 181 yards and a touchdown - but some of that came against Chicago's reserve defense. I tracked how Garoppolo did against the starters versus the backups, and here's what I came up with:



Vs. Starters: 8-of-10, 89 yards

Vs. Backups: 8-of-11, 92 yards, TD



In other words, Garoppolo did just about the same. He played well overall, making just two bad throws. The first was his initial pass, where he fired behind Aaron Dobson. The other was his final one, as he was nearly intercepted on an end-zone shot to James White. Garoppolo was nearly flawless in between those throws.



Here were Garoppolo's targets:



Martellus Bennett: 2

Brandon Bolden: 1

A.J. Derby: 4 (2 end zone)

Aaron Dobson: 2

Tyler Gaffney: 1

Clay Harbor: 2

Chris Harper: 1

Chris Hogan: 6 (2 end zone)

James White: 2 (1 end zone)





As you can see, Chris Hogan and A.J. Darby led the Patriots in targets from Garoppolo. If you translate that to the regular season, that would be Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski, respectively. That said, it was encouraging to see Hogan so involved, as he'll be Edelman's replacement once the injury-prone wideout sustains his inevitable injury.





Martellus Bennett saw just two targets, but he wasn't on the field the entire time with Garoppolo. Color analyst Christian Fauria said the following of Bennett, which has to be encouraging: "When Jimmy goes through his progressions, you see him looking for Bennett. They're finding each other."





It's hard to believe, but LeGarrette Blount appears to be in great shape. Blount trampled Chicago's defense in the second preseason game, tallying 69 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. Blount displayed nice footwork and was pretty spry. He made a great move to get to the outside on one run when there was nothing in between the tackles, picking up a gain of 21. Blount is being selected in the ninth round of mock drafts, and he provides some solid value there.





Jacoby Brissett took over for Garoppolo in the middle of the third quarter and played the rest of the way. Brissett struggled last week, but was much better in this contest, going 9-of-13 for 87 yards. A couple of his incompletions were sideline shots where he led his receivers a bit too much; otherwise, he would've connected with him. A third misfire should've been a 39-yard touchdown. Brissett launched the ball perfectly, but seventh-round rookie Devin Lucien dropped the ball, all while committing a completely unnecessary offensive pass interference.





As for the Bears, their offense was stagnant last week, but they played with much more energy this time around. Jay Cutler had a solid outing, finishing 8-of-12 for 83 yards. One of his incompletions was a drop by Kevin White. Cutler made just one poor throw, where he was nearly picked by Malcolm Butler on a pass to Deonte Thompson.



Here were Cutler's targets:



Rob Housler: 1

Alshon Jeffery: 2

Jeremy Langford: 1

Marc Mariani: 1

Tony Moeaki: 6

Deonte Thompson: 1

Kevin White: 3





Alshon Jeffery caught both of his targets for 41 yards. One of his receptions was an amazing, leaping catch over a cornerback for a gain of 29 yards. Jeffery should have a big year if he can stay healthy.





Kevin White saw three balls go his way, but managed to haul in just one of them for six yards. He dropped a pass that would've gone for a gain of eight yards.





Save for Alshon Jeffery, the best player on Chicago's offense in the second preseason contest was Jeremy Langford, who showed off some solid running ability. Langford accumulated 55 yards and a touchdown on only eight carries, and he would've had a bigger night had gains of eight and nine not been negated by holding penalties. On the nullified 9-yarder, Langford made a nice spin move to shed a tackle, so it was a shame that the play was wiped out. I'm going to move up Langford in my rankings after this showing.





I wouldn't make anything of Tony Moeaki leading the Bears in targets with six. I honestly don't know what that was all about. Moeaki finished with four receptions for 28 yards.





I want to mention Brian Hoyer briefly because he made his return to New England. Patriot fans quickly realized that they don't miss Hoyer as a backup, as he went just 4-of-14 for 85 yards and an interception. The pick was an abomination. Hoyer not only telegraphed the pass, but it seemed like the weakest throw of all time. Second-round rookie Cyrus Jones snatched what would be the easiest interception of his career.





NFL Preseason Announcers: The Patriots broadcasters rapped and talked about street cred last week, and they once again did the same thing. They apparently had a competition called 98 Mile where they competed in a rap contest. I'm not making this up.



The graphics guy may have been too busy thinking about his rap career because he posted this:







Notice some players missing there? Like, I don't know, Tom Brady? Julian Edelman? Dion Lewis? Why even bother mentioning Keshawn Martin?



Meanwhile, the telecast once again went to two Bob's Discount Furniture employees for analysis for some reason. It was typical fan speak, as one of the guys had this to say:



"I don't think the Patriots' starting running back is on the roster yet. They should trade for Bishop Sankey!"



Trade for Bishop Sankey? What would be a fair deal? Sankey for a water bottle? I'd actually rather have the water bottle.



Follow me @walterfootball for updates.





Packers 20, Raiders 12





Aaron Rodgers missed yet another preseason game, so I'll begin with the Raiders, as Derek Carr played the entire first half. Carr had a mixed outing, as he connected on nine of his 13 pass attempts. He also started well, fitting the ball perfectly to Amari Cooper, squeezing it between two defenders for 20 yards. However, Carr's nine completions went for 38 yards. That gave Carr a YPA of 2.92, which Brodie Croyle can actually laugh at. Seriously, Croyle is probably sitting in his basement right now, gawking maniacally at Carr's stat line.



Carr's numbers are a bit misleading, however. One of his passes was dropped, while another was picked off because Damarious Randall was able to get away with pushing off on Amari Cooper. Even the Packer announcers were complaining that there was no pass interference. Later on, Carr had a 17-yard scramble negated by a hold.



Here were Carr's targets:



Amari Cooper: 3

Michael Crabtree: 1

Andre Holmes: 1

Taiwan Jones: 2

Latavius Murray: 1

Jamize Olawale: 1

Marcel Reece: 1

Seth Roberts: 3





Amari Cooper tied the team lead with three targets received from Derek Carr. Cooper caught two of them for 21 yards, but the third was an interception. As mentioned earlier, Damarious Randall got away with pass interference, but Cooper could've put forth more effort on the play to break up the pass.





Latavius Murray handled the entire workload with the first-team offense in the second preseason game, but he didn't look very good. Murray spent the entire night running into a pile, ultimately finishing with 19 yards on six carries. It'll be surprising if Murray makes it through the entire year as the starter. Unfortunately, DeAndre Washington didn't really make his case, as his five carries went for just eight yards. Green Bay's reserve defensive line dominated Oakland's backup front, so Washington had no running lanes available.





Connor Cook went 6-of-9 for 104 yards and an interception. A few plays stand out. His second pass was an impressive, back-shoulder completion for a gain of 20 yards. A bit later, Cook panicked a bit in the pocket, but regained his composure just in time to find Roberts downfield for a gain of 33 yards. Cook's pick was an underthrown pass.





Speaking of young quarterbacks, Brett Hundley started in place of Rodgers and looked good, going 5-of-7 for 67 yards. Hundley displayed better footwork and released the ball quicker than he did during last year's preseason. He's definitely made great strides, so it was a shame to see him get hurt in the second quarter. Hundley made a great 31-yard completion to Davante Adams on a back-shoulder throw, but aggravated his already-troublesome ankle. It didn't sound overly serious, however, as the sideline reporter said he was kept out as a precaution.





With Hundley out, Joe Callahan played most of the rest of the game. The numbers don't look pretty, as he went 9-of-17 for only 65 yards. Callahan was accurate on slants and had a nifty play where he danced around the pocket and found a target for 12 yards. However, on a fourth down, he had a completion available to him to move the chains, but hesitated and forced a bad throw that fell incomplete.





Eddie Lacy definitely looks much better than he did last year. Playing only one drive, Lacy munched through Oakland's defense, chewing up 45 yards and a touchdown on nine attempts. Lacy was stuffed at the goal line once, but popped into the end zone on the following play. Lacy looks like a star again, regaining his burst, and he's likely to feast upon opposing defenses this year.





NFL Preseason Announcers: The color analyst suggested that the Raiders should attempt an onside kick, down 17-6 wih 11:17 remaining in the fourth quarter.



"They need something," he said. "They need a spark! They have no energy!"



Maybe that's because, I don't know, the result of this game doesn't matter?



Meanwhile, the sideline reporter had a very strange interview with Lacy. He asked the running back about his thoughts on the Louisiana flooding, and Lacy gave his condolences to all those involved, and seemed rather sad about it. So, how did the reporter follow that up?



"Hey, Eddie, what's your favorite cartoon!?"



He seriously asked this. Sideline reporters were already pathetic, but this is now an all-time low for them.



Follow me @walterfootball for updates.





Falcons 24, Browns 13





I've fallen into the Cleveland quarterback trap before, and I don't want to do it again. So many Browns signal-callers have thrived in exhibition contests in recent years, and all of them have ultimately failed. But will Robert Griffin follow that trend, or break it? The only thing I know is that I'm excited to find out.



I can't believe I'm typing this, but Griffin was excellent in his second preseason game. He legitimately looks like a new man, and his stats - 6-of-8, 96 yards, two touchdowns; three carries, 36 rush yards - correctly detail how well he played. Griffin opened with a 50-yard bomb to Terrelle Pryor, who beat Desmond Trufant in coverage. On the next drive, Griffin was able to impressively spin away from a sack and throw the ball away, which is something he didn't do often in Washington. Griffin's best throw, meanwhile, was probably a 29-yard touch pass that he dropped right into the bucket to Gary Barnidge for a touchdown. Griffin appears as though he has taken to Hue Jackson's offense, and he seems different mentally, as he's very decisive on his throws.



Now, I know what you're thinking: It's only the preseason. Sure, that's true, but Griffin was an abomination in the preseason last year. I'm not saying that he's definitely going to return to 2012 form, but I think it's at least possible that he will do so, especially with Jackson capable of getting the most out of him.



Here were Griffin's targets:



Gary Barnidge: 2

Rashard Higgins: 1

Duke Johnson: 3

Terrelle Pryor: 2





If Robert Griffin continues to play well into the regular season, Terrelle Pryor will obviously benefit. Pryor saw two targets in the second preseason game, with his one reception being a 50-yard touchdown bomb. It was a hell of a bomb, as Pryor absolutely torched Pro Bowl cornerback Desmond Trufant, getting several steps on him. I don't know if I'd draft Pryor yet, but he's at least in the conversation as a late-round flier.





Cleveland's running back rotation was what you'd expect. Isaiah Crowell had the carry advantage over Duke Johnson by about a 2:1 ratio, but Johnson was the one catching all the passes. Crowell gained 28 yards on seven carries, while Johnson led the starters in targets with three. Johnson messed up once when he dropped a 15-yard reception, but he made up for it on the next play when he picked up the first down on a fourth-and-2 run.





Perhaps the most hilarious play of this game took place when new center Cameron Erving snapped the ball 20 feet over Griffin's head. Literally, 20 feet. The Cleveland play-by-play guy even joked, "We had a punt that didn't go that far!" Despite the hilarity, it's actually a serious situation for the Browns, who have to move on from Pro Bowl center Alex Mack. It remains to be seen if Erving is up for the challenge, and he's not off to a good start.





Speaking of young players, third-round rookie Carl Nassib has played well thus far. He recorded a sack last week, and he was disruptive once again, accumulating lots of pressures throughout this contest. He also knocked down a pass and recorded a strip-sack, though he was unblocked on that play.





Another Cleveland rookie, Cody Kessler, was on the field for just one drive. While he threw an impressive back-shoulder throw last week, he didn't get a chance to do much in this contest. He started off with a short pass in the flat and then floated a ball out of bounds toward Jordan Payton. Kessler's final attempt was made short of the first-down marker on a third-and-6. Kessler finished 2-of-3 for 10 yards.





Moving on to the Falcons, Matt Ryan had a typical showing for himself. Ryan went 6-of-11 for 78 yards, though a big chunk of that - a 32-yarder - came on a short dump-off pass to Mohamed Sanu. Ryan curiously targeted Julio Jones just once, preferring to go to Sanu repeatedly instead, as you can see right now...



Here were Ryan's targets:



Julio Jones: 1

Aldrick Robinson: 1

Mohamed Sanu: 6

Jacob Tamme: 1

Nick Williams: 1





Sanu snatched three of his six targets for 45 yards. The majority of this came on a 32-yard dump-off pass, as the Browns had a blown coverage and weren't in position. Sanu doesn't look great, but he seems like a fine No. 2 receiver in real life. He doesn't seem like much of a fantasy option.





Devonta Freeman made some mistakes last week, but ran with a lot of burst in this contest. He was given just four carries, but he made the most of them, gaining 42 yards and a touchdown. That's the good news. The bad news was that Tevin Coleman was mixed in almost evenly, as he used his five rushes to gain 16 yards.





I wrote it last week, and I'll repeat it: Matt Schaub doesn't appear to be broken anymore. The announcers last week said that Schaub has regained his confidence, and he certainly looks like it. If Schaub is forced into action, I don't think it'll be a guarantee that he throws a pick-six during the game.





NFL Preseason Announcers: The Browns' broadcast opened by informing us where we can find professional football this year:



"The NFL is back, only on News 5!"



Only on News 5? So, FOX, CBS, ESPN and the NFL Network aren't carrying NFL games this year? Only News 5 is? That kind of sucks.



Meanwhile, there were a couple of strange quotes to come out of this game. One was from the color analyst:



"Terrelle Pryor started off as a project, but I don't think we can say that anymore!"



Look, I know Pryor made one great play, but can you honestly say that he's done being a project? Like, Pryor is a finished product now? Really?



Here's something even more outlandish:



"I don't see why we can't be a playoff team this year." - Joe Thomas



Whoa, there, Joe. Time to put down the crack pipe.



Follow me @walterfootball for updates.





Vikings 18, Seahawks 11





No one knew anything about Teddy Bridgewater sitting this game out. Everyone fully expected him to start, yet he was a very late scratch. It's still unclear why Bridgewater sat, but Mike Zimmer said it was his decision. Zimmer is one of the better coaches in the NFL, so it's probably wise to trust his judgment.



Zimmer probably felt validated once he saw Russell Wilson get knocked around so much. Wilson was pummeled mercilessly by Minnesota's blue-chip defense, though Seattle's weak offensive line didn't help matters. Wilson was sacked four times in just one half of action. With Russell Okung out, Seattle's blockers looked much worse than they already were, which is saying a lot.



The pressure was so strong that Wilson didn't even complete half of his passes, going 5-of-11 for 77 yards. He connected on some deep throws, including a perfectly placed 31-yard touch pass to Tyler Lockett, but he had issues maintaining drives. The Seahawks still have time, but they need to figure out how to make their offensive line play much better, or Wilson may not make it through the entire season.



Here were Wilson's targets:



Doug Baldwin: 2

Alex Collins: 1

Jermaine Kearse: 1

Kenny Lawler: 1

Tyler Lockett: 3

Christine Michael: 1

Brandon Williams: 1

Luke Willson: 1





Tyler Lockett led the Seahawk starters in targets with three in the second preseason game. He caught two of them for 39 yards in one half of action. Lockett's one long reception, a 31-yarder, was very impressive, as he didn't even raise his arms to alert the covering cornerback, Terence Newman, that the ball was about to arrive. It was a move a savvy veteran would've made, yet Lockett is only in his second season. He has immense potential this year, though his production will depend on whether Russell Wilson will have enough time in the pocket to get the ball to him.





Doug Baldwin didn't catch either of his two targets, but that doesn't mean that he played poorly. Baldwin actually had a couple of steps on Terence Newman on one play, but Wilson underthrew him by a yard or two, allowing Newman to break up the deep pass.





Thomas Rawls sat out, allowing Christine Michael to shine once again. Michael rushed for 55 yards on 10 carries in the second preseason game. There was nothing artificial about those numbers; Michael achieved those impressive stats against one of the best defenses in the NFL, and he looked great whenever he had the ball in his hands. He truly appears to be a new man.





Speaking of Seattle running backs, the other top, healthy reserve, Alex Collins, didn't perform very well. He was given two opportunities to pick up a single yard in the first quarter, but failed on both occasions. He also dropped a pass that was almost intercepted. Collins gained just 13 yards on six carries.





Continuing the trend of discussing reserve Seattle backs, Troymaine Pope had Twitter buzzing throughout the second half. Pope gained 86 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries, showcasing a myriad of skills. He was able to run downhill quickly, resembling Rawls to some degree. It could be difficult for Seattle to cut Pope, as they'd have to let one of their drafted rookies go. But it could be worth it, especially if Collins continues to struggle. Oh, and I know, it's difficult to take someone named Troymaine seriously, but trust me, he looked excellent.





Trevone Boykin had a chance to lead the Seahawks on a game-winning drive again, but he hurled a game-losing pick-six, as he was back-peddling and displaying poor mechanics. Boykin made up for it a bit on the next drive by launching a 53-yard pass that drew an interference flag, but he's still a major project. Boykin went 10-of-20 for 127 yards and the back-breaking interception. He definitely has the raw talent, but he's going to take a while to develop.





As for the Vikings, Shaun Hill actually thrived in Bridgewater's place, going 10-of-17 for 129 yards. He did this against Seattle's starting defense, so the Vikings have to feel pretty secure if Hill has to start for a game or two this season.





Hill liked to throw to Kyle Rudolph, who caught two of his three targets for 54 yards. Rudolph looked good. More importantly, he seems healthy, which hasn't been a common occurrence in his career.





While the Minnesota veteran quarterback excelled, the rookie receiver struggled. Laquon Treadwell saw four passes go his way in the second preseason game, but couldn't come up with a single reception. He actually almost caught a pass on one occasion, and the sideline clamored for pass interference, to no avail. Later on, Joel Stave overthrew Treadwell, who wasn't really open. Treadwell doesn't look ready to play yet, so drafting him right now wouldn't be very wise.





With Adrian Peterson out, Jerick McKinnon drew the start. McKinnon managed only 15 yards on nine carries, but he did score a touchdown. McKinnon also dropped one of the two passes thrown to him.





NFL Preseason Announcers: Some graphical errors were the story here, both online and on TV. First, CBS gave us this weird play, where the Seahawks somehow converted a fourth-and-1 with a zero-yard gain:







I don't even know what to make of that. If teams can now convert fourth-and-1s with no gains, that's really going to change the landscape of the NFL.



Seattle's TV broadcast screwed up as well:







Somewhere, there is a novice football fan scrambling right now, feverishly trying to figure out what a yrad is.



Follow me @walterfootball for updates.





Bengals 30, Lions 6





Matthew Stafford played well on his only drive last week, but the offensive line betrayed him on his final snap, as rookie left tackle Taylor Decker was beaten for what would be a strip-sack. Playing a better defense this week, Detroit's offensive line would have a tougher challenge to protect Stafford.



I didn't think the Lions' blockers could do it, but they certainly got the job done. Stafford was sacked just once in a quarter-and-a-half of action. Even more encouraging, Decker wasn't beaten from what I saw. This was a very positive development for Detroit's offense.



Thanks to improved protection, Stafford completed eight of his 11 passes for 113 yards. He made just one bad throw when he missed Theo Riddick in the flat. Stafford will be able to post low-end QB1 numbers this year despite missing Calvin Johnson if his offensive line keeps holding up.



Here were Stafford's targets:



Anquan Boldin: 1

Marvin Jones: 5

Theo Riddick: 1

Golden Tate: 4 (1 end zone)





The talk of Detroit's second preseason game has to be Marvin Jones. He made a great play last week, and he once again showcased his talent against his former team. Matthew Stafford found Jones along the sideline on the first drive, and Jones did a terrific job of tapping both feet in bounds, picking up 32 yards. Jones then made another impressive catch despite being illegally contacted. Jones caught four passes for 65 yards in a quarter-and-a-half of action, and he led all starters in targets with five. Now playing with a talented quarterback, Jones seems poised for a breakout season. The sky is the limit for him.





Golden Tate was next in the pecking order with four targets. He snatched three balls for 41 yards. He should be a solid PPR wideout this year, but Marvin Jones appears to be the preferred receiver in standard formats.





Ameer Abdullah was once again out of the lineup. Riddick started and gained 17 yards on seven carries. He didn't look like anything special, and Abdullah will be the featured back when he returns.





As for the Bengals, Andy Dalton did a solid job of moving the chains when he was on the field, going 7-of-9 for 78 yards. Like Stafford, he made just one poor throw - a high pass to Tyler Boyd that was nearly intercepted. The pass flew way over Boyd's head.



Here were Dalton's targets:



Giovani Bernard: 1

Tyler Boyd: 2

A.J. Green: 2

Jeremy Hill: 1

Brandon Tate: 3





A.J. Green caught just two passes for 22 yards, but one of his receptions was impressive, as he skied in the air and snatched a ball for 15 yards. Green remains a mid WR1.





Rookie receiver Tyler Boyd did some quality things in the Bengals' second preseason game. He made a terrific diving catch on the opening drive for a gain of 26 yards. Later on, he caught a back-shoulder touchdown from A.J. McCarron. Boyd's two grabs went for 38 yards. He'll be asked to work out of the slot as a rookie, and he's worth a late-round flier, though there are probably better upside players.





Jeremy Hill was much more impressive than Giovani Bernard at Detroit. Hill was given thee carries and turned them into 16 yards and a touchdown. Bernard, meanwhile, managed just two yards on as many attempts. Cincinnati's coaching staff likes Hill much more, and by all accounts, Hill is in much better shape this year.





NFL Preseason Announcers: Nothing really stood out from the Lions' broadcasting team - save for the sideline reporter, who exclaimed the following during the first half:



"The Lions' offense is growing: Fifteen players caught passes last week!"



Umm... you do know that lots of players tend to catch passes in the preseason, right? This would be like someone being shocked that there's lots of snow on the ground in winter.



Follow me @walterfootball for updates.





Eagles 17, Steelers 0





Ben Roethlisberger, Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown were once again out for the Steelers, so save for two exceptions, most of the fantasy analysis will be focused on the Philadelphia players.



With Roethlisberger missing, Sam Bradford was the best quarterback on the field, but only by default. Bradford tossed just one pass last week, but played the entire first half in this contest. The numbers say he played well. He completed 14 of his 19 passes for 115 yards. However, stats can be misleading, and Bradford was not nearly as good as the box score indicates.



Most of Bradford's production came against the Pittsburgh backups. When the Steelers' first-string defense was on the field, Bradford was 6-of-8 for only 38 yards, giving him a YPA of worse than 4.75. That's horrible. Granted, Jordan Matthews wasn't in the lineup, but all Bradford did was dink and dunk. It was evident he was content to do this when he tossed a short pass to Josh Huff on the initial drive on a third-and-8. Bradford didn't even try to get the first down.



To be somewhat fair to Bradford, he didn't seem like he trusted his offensive line, and rightfully so. However, Bradford is not a good quarterback to begin with, so it's not a surprise that he couldn't do anything until the backups subbed in.



Here were Bradford's targets:



Nelson Agholor: 3

Brent Celek: 3

Zach Ertz: 4 (1 end zone)

Josh Huff: 2

Rueben Randle: 3

Darren Sproles: 4

Paul Turner: 2





Zach Ertz tied Darren Sproles for the team lead in targets from Bradford. Ertz did fine in terms of production - he caught three passes for 24 yards - but he was guilty of an offensive pass interference at one point. Bradford barely missed him for a touchdown at the end of the first half.





Nelson Agholor served as Philadelphia's No. 1 wideout with Matthews missing. Agholor made a nice play when he skied for a 22-yard reception, but then dropped the next pass thrown to him. He's still very inconsistent, and he's undraftable as a result.





Ryan Mathews gained 18 yards on five carries. Nothing special here. Mathews didn't have much to work with in terms of blocking.





As for the Steelers, there are two receivers worth talking about:



Sammie Coates was a favorite Fantasy Football Sleeper of mine a couple of weeks ago. I dropped him a bit last week when he did nothing but fumble. He was even worse in the second preseason contest. He caught two balls for 30 yards, most of which came on great leaping catch along the sideline that had to be reviewed. It was evident that the potential is there for Coates, but he still doesn't seem like he knows how to be a professional football player. For example, Landry Jones threw a pick-six because Coates didn't fight hard for the ball when Nolan Carroll jumped the route. Coates was then whistled for offensive pass interference on Carroll. And on one of his final plays, a scrub Philadelphia cornerback basically ran the route for Coates, coming up with an interception in the end zone. I'm going to drop Coates once again, and I no longer recommend him as a late-round flier.



With Sammie Coates struggling, and Markus Wheaton being very mediocre, one Steeler receiver to consider is Eli Rogers. The team was high on Rogers entering the preseason, and he has lived up to the hype. He caught six passes in the exhibition opener, and he snatched four balls for 39 yards against Philadelphia. At this point, I think I'd rather take a chance on Rogers than Coates.





I mentioned Landry Jones earlier. He was so bad that traffic was spiking on my Free Agent Quarterback Rankings page. Jones went 12-of-20 for 111 yards and FOUR interceptions in one half of action. I don't understand why the Steelers continue to insist that he belongs in the NFL.





Steelers seventh-round rookie Tyler Matakevich made a great tackle on third down to stop a drive. Matakevich should've been drafted earlier, so perhaps he'll be able to contribute down the road.





Philadelphia kicker Caleb Sturgis was a late scratch because he sustained a concussion when a punt doinked him on the head prior to kickoff. It's confirmed that kickers are chicken wusses.





**** NOTES FOR EVERY GAME WILL BE UP AS SOON AS I WATCH THEM **** Follow me @walterfootball for updates.