Brock Osweiler had gotten off to a slow start with the Texans at OTAs, but had improved with each practice. I was looking forward to seeing if his progression in Bill O'Brien's offense would be apparent in this game. It wasn't.



Osweiler struggled, and the numbers back that up. He played slightly more than a quarter, going 4-of-7 for only 27 yards. Yes, that's a Brodie Croyle-like 3.86 YPA. Osweiler made a decent first pass to DeAndre Hopkins, but it was broken up by Tramaine Brock. Things only got worse from there, as he then held the ball too long on a second-and-2 and took a sack as a result. Osweiler then made 4-yard throws on third-and-9 and third-and-7. The quarterback most known for doing that in the NFL right now is Blaine Gabbert. You know you're not off to a good start with your team if you're being compared to Gabbert.



The silver lining is that it's still early. Osweiler can't possibly get worse, and with each week, he'll get more comfortable in O'Brien's system.



Here were Osweiler's targets:



C.J. Fiedorowicz: 1

William Fuller: 1

DeAndre Hopkins: 1

Braxton Miller: 3

Jaelen Strong: 1





Lamar Miller was also making his Houston debut, and unlike Osweiler, he looked pretty solid. Miller showed nice burst on a couple of his runs. He finished with 30 yards on just four carries.





DeAndre Hopkins did not log a single reception in the opener, as he was targeted only once. First-rounder William Fuller also saw one ball head his way, and he caught one of the aforementioned 4-yard completions.





Rookie Braxton Miller played most of the first preseason game - he was on the field with the first-stringers and also with the reserves in the third quarter - and his best play was a diving, 24-yard reception along the sideline from Tom Savage. Miller shouldn't be drafted - at least not yet - but he's someone to monitor for now, as he led all the starters in targets with three.





As for the 49ers, well, it's time for their fans to begin looking at whom they want in my 2017 NFL Mock Draft. They have the worst starting quarterback in the NFL, and Blaine Gabbert was in rare form in this contest. Gabbert began by throwing behind Carlos Hyde in the flat. He was then way wide of Hyde on a short toss on a third-and-9. What was even more depressing than his horrible accuracy on that pass was that Gabbert didn't even bother looking beyond the first-down marker. Rather than moving the chains, he was content to make a 4-yard completion.



The 49ers' broadcasting team mentioned a positive for Gabbert: his toughness. Gabbert took a bit shot on the second drive from Whitney Mercilus, and he was limping around for a while. He appeared to be OK though, as he later had a 13-yard scramble.



Gabbert finished 4-of-10 for 63 yards and a touchdown. Keep in mind that the Texans were missing J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney. Gabbert once again proved that he's not a starting-caliber NFL quarterback, but the 49ers don't have any other viable options.



Here were Gabbert's targets:



Shaun Draughn: 1

Bruce Ellington: 1

Carlos Hyde: 2

Vance McDonald: 2

Quinton Patton: 2

Torrey Smith: 1

DeAndre White: 1





Carlos Hyde had a rough preseason debut. He managed to sprint for a 22-yard run, but didn't do much else. His other four carries went for five total yards, and he also lost a fumble that was returned by John Simon for a touchdown. Hyde also showed no chemistry with Blaine Gabbert, as the beleaguered quarterback missed him on routine throws.





Bruce Ellington had a ton of hype entering the preseason opener, but he saw just one target from Blaine Gabbert. A lot of that was Gabbert's fault, but it's not like Ellington is suddenly going to have a better quarterback throwing the ball to him at some point this year.





One of the most impressive 49er players in this contest was Mike Davis. Taken in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft, Davis struggled last year because he was fat and out of shape. Those issues seem to be resolved. Davis has lost a lot of weight this offseason. It showed, as he was spinning around and running away from defenders, looking very much like the talented back who thrived at South Carolina.





Sixth-round rookie quarterback Jeff Driskel saw some action toward the end of the game. He showed off some great mobility, rushing for 61 yards on five scrambles. Unfortunately, his passing was horrendous. I haven't seen a quarterback so inaccurate in a very long time. Driskel went 4-of-12 for only 20 yards, as he was skipping passes to some receivers and overthrowing others. He was nearly picked a few times as well. Passing-wise, he could be the worst quarterback in the NFL.





NFL Preseason Announcers: The two broadcasters spent some time discussing whether Shane Lechler should be in the Hall of Fame. It only got worse after that, as the color analyst displayed some diarrhea-of-the-mouth syndrome, refusing to listen to his partner during the following exchange:



Play-by-Play Guy: Do you know how many 300-yard halves the 49ers had last year?



Color Analyst: I don't think so, no.



Play-by-Play Guy: They didn't, and you're watching one.



Color Analyst: I can't seem to recall one.



Play-by-Play Guy: There wasn't one, and...



Color Analyst: Maybe Week 1 versus Minnesota?



Play-by-Play Guy: They had no 300-yard halves, and they just had...



Color Analyst: Yeah, maybe they had one against the Vikings.



Follow me @walterfootball for updates.











Titans 27, Chargers 10





Most teams played their starters on one or two drives during the first week of the preseason. The Chargers did this as well, but Tennessee took a different approach. The Titans' starting offensive line, including Taylor Lewan, was on the field until halftime. That could perhaps explain why the Titans ran so well on the Chargers, so if you're one of the few San Diego fans remaining, don't be overly concerned about your team's rush defense. At least don't be yet.





DeMarco Murray rushed for 93 yards and a touchdown on just six carries in the preseason opener. This was highlighted by Murray's 71-yard burst toward the end of the opening quarter. It needs to be noted that Murray did this with his first-string offensive line versus San Diego's backup defense. However, I'm still going to give Murray a stock-up arrow because he looked good against the San Diego No. 1 unit as well; Murray's first carry was a 15-yard pitch. Now in an offense that fits his skill set, Murray is poised to rebound. It's also important to note that Murray received all of the carries, and Derrick Henry didn't get a touch until Murray left the game.





Like Murray, Henry ran extremely well. He broke tackles and made defenders miss with jukes and spin moves. His stat line was almost as impressive - he tallied 74 yards and a touchdown on 10 attempts. However, he was running behind a starting line versus San Diego's backups.





As for Marcus Mariota, his first pass was dropped perfectly into rookie Tajae Sharpe's lap for a gain of 31. This play was actually written up by a fan, who won an auction for $10,000. Tennessee's first two plays were auctioned off for $10,000 each, and the Titans managed 46 total yards on those snaps. Hilariously, they had three-and-outs on the next two series. Gotta love Mike Mularkey.



At any rate, Mariota completed all five of his passes for 45 yards. He was solid, though save for the Sharpe throw, unspectacular. Five passes is not any sort of legitimate sample size to determine anything.



Here were Mariota's targets:



Harry Douglas: 1

Andre Johnson: 1

Rishard Matthews: 1

Tajae Sharpe: 2





Rookie receiver Tajae Sharpe led the starters in targets from Marcus Mariota in the preseason opener, catching both of them for 35 yards. Sharpe, who has been solid in OTAs and training camp, could be a decent contributor for Tennessee this year. His solid route-running definitely gives him a chance. Unfortunately, he left the game early with a concussion.





As for the Chargers, they were on the field for one drive. Philip Rivers threw just three passes, and he completed two of them for 64 yards and a touchdown. The first was a connection with Keenan Allen to pick up a first down on a third-and-15. The next ended up being a 44-yard score on a screen to Melvin Gordon, thanks to a blown assignment by Tennessee's defense.



Here were Rivers' targets:



Keenan Allen: 1

Isaiah Burse: 1

Melvin Gordon: 1





Melvin Gordon started the preseason opener despite undergoing microfracture knee surgery in the offseason, and he appeared to be completely healthy. Gordon gained 12 yards on three carries, showing some nice burst. He also had a 44-yard receiving touchdown on a screen pass, thanks to a blown assignment by the defense. If Gordon stays healthy, he can be a solid RB2 this year. The concern is his knee, so he definitely comes with some risk. Still, this game was a positive development.





Rookie tight end Hunter Henry caught three passes for 43 yards. He looks like he has some potential, but I'd like to see him work with the first-string offense and catch passes from Rivers.





Zach Mettenberger saw his first action with the Chargers. He didn't fare very well, going 2-of-8 for 22 yards and an interception. The pick was the byproduct of Mettenberger staring down his target, allowing the defender to undercut the route.





NFL Preseason Announcers: I think Tennessee's broadcast took this game a bit too seriously. That was evident when the narrator said the following as the telecast was underway:



"It's always darkest before dawn. But now the sun has risen in Nashville!"



Wow. Are they greeting the start of the NFL preseason or the end of the Zombie Apocalypse?



Follow me @walterfootball for updates.











Rams 28, Cowboys 24





When this game began, I assumed that my opening few paragraphs would detail how Jared Goff performed in his NFL preseason debut. Little did I know that I'd be ranting and raving about the quarterback the Rams probably should have taken No. 1 overall.



I've been covering the NFL for 17 years on this site, and I've watched every exhibition contest in the past dozen years. Dak Prescott had the best preseason debut of any quarterback I've ever seen. I'm not exaggerating.



With Tony Romo out, Prescott started. He played the entire opening half, and he went 10-of-12 for 139 yards and two touchdowns. Both of his incompletions were drops by the same person, Geoff Swaim. He also rushed twice for 13 yards on the ground. Prescott did this despite not playing with Tyron Smith, Ezekiel Elliott and Jason Witten. He also spent the entire second quarter with the reserves.



Stats can be misleading. Prescott's weren't. His first completion was a precise 15-yard slant to Cole Beasley. His next one was a great back-shoulder hurl to Dez Bryant along the sideline for a gain of 18. He eventually found Bryant in the end zone, placing the ball where only his stud receiver could snatch it. Prescott's second score was a perfectly placed ball to Terrance Williams for 32 yards that had Michael Irvin literally jumping around crazily in Jerry Jones' owner's box.



It wasn't just the throws. Prescott looked extremely poised and was in full command of the offense. He also did a number of intelligent things. For example, he had a third-and-26 on one occasion, thanks to some penalties, but instead of forcing the issue, he scrambled to pick up enough yardage to put Dan Bailey in position to attempt a field goal.



There was some speculation that the Cowboys would sign a veteran quarterback as insurance for Romo, but that's no longer the case. It was only one preseason game, but Dallas has to feel comfortable with Prescott as the backup this year, and the front office has to now feel excited about the future of the franchise once Romo moves on.



By the way, if you want to read more on Prescott, check out Charlie Campbell's Dak Prescott Scouting Report, where he compared Prescott to Donovan McNabb. That comparison looks great right now!





The Rams will never say it publicly, but I have to imagine that they're wondering what would've happened had they stayed put at No. 15 and then selected Prescott with one of their two second-round picks. Goff didn't have a horrible debut, but he wasn't nearly as impressive as Prescott.



Goff went 4-of-9 for 38 yards and an interception. He was on the field for two drives, but didn't play more because of a sore shoulder. Goff wasn't nearly as bad as those numbers indicate, as he endured two drops, while the pick occurred because he was hit upon releasing the ball. He made a bad overthrow at one point, but one of the drops was a deep ball that should've been snatched by Pharoh Cooper. He needs to work on not holding on to the ball too long in the pocket, but I think he's ready to start right away. The Rams battle a weak opponent on opening weekend (49ers), so why not give Goff the nod right away?





Goff should start, but not because Case Keenum performed poorly in this contest. Keenum was fine, going 6-of-7 for 58 yards. He didn't do anything great, but he was his usual steady self. Still, Keenum is nothing more than a quality NFL backup, and he's certainly not the future of the Rams. I don't see the point in starting him.



Here were Keenum's targets:



Tavon Austin: 1

Benny Cunningham: 1

Tyler Higbee: 1

Lance Kendricks: 2

Brian Quick: 1





With Todd Gurley sitting out, the Rams' top fantasy player on the field was Tavon Austin, who was underwhelming. Austin was given a 3-yard carry, and he happened to drop a pass. I'm expecting more out of him next week.





Someone new who will be appearing in my Fantasy Football Sleepers list is fourth-round rookie tight end Tyler Higbee. The Western Kentucky product is a big, athletic talent who dropped in the draft because of character concerns. Higbee dominated the preseason opener, catching five balls for 49 yards. The Rams don't have much on offense, so Higbee could contribute right away.





The Rams' leading receiver was Nelson Spruce, whom Jon Gruden compared to Ricky Proehl, a former solid possession receiver for the Rams and Panthers who played about a decade ago. Spruce lived up to the hype, catching six passes for 51 yards and a touchdown. The fans loved him, eventually yelling "Spruuuuuuce" whenever he touched the ball. I could see him becoming Los Angeles' No. 3 receiver sometime soon.





As for the Cowboys, I mentioned earlier than Elliott didn't play. Darren McFadden sat out as well, prompting Alfred Morris to start. He looked good, picking up 11 yards on three carries. He also moved the chains on a 12-yard screen pass.





Bryant snatched two passes for 28 yards and a touchdown. He's healthy for the time being, which is good news. Bryant's score naturally had some controversy, as he dropped the ball as he was rolling around on the ground. I thought the officials would rule it incomplete, but they said it was a catch. I have no idea what to make of these rules anymore.





NFL Preseason Announcers: ESPN had a 2-minute montage on how great Los Angeles is to open the game. As someone who hates big cities despite living in Philadelphia, I found this annoying. I thought it was stupid as well. No one cared about the L.A. Rams the first time around. The stadium was always empty, which was why they moved in the first place. In fact, the great Al Bundy once said that if you lose to the L.A. Rams, you get kicked out of the NFL. Good thing for Dallas that this was just a preseason game!



Follow me @walterfootball for updates.











Colts 19, Bills 18





Injuries are the last thing anyone wants to see in any game, especially in preseason contests. There appeared to be a potentially serious one early when T.Y. Hilton nearly caught a pass along the sideline. Hilton came up gimpy and limped toward his own bench. It took him a while to get there, and he didn't reenter the game. Fortunately, it appears as though he'll be OK; no trainers surrounded Hilton after a while, so it appears as though Indianapolis averted disaster.



The Bills did not, as starting linebacker IK Enemkpali was carted off the field with a major knee injury. With Shaq Lawson already out, the Bills suddenly have some major depth issues at the position.





As for the players who made it through unscathed, Tyrod Taylor was the only starting quarterback to see action, as Andrew Luck sat out. So much for Matt Hasselbeck's insistance that these preseason games were so important for Luck.



Taylor was on the field for one drive, and he completed two of his three passes, but for only seven yards. His sole incompletion was an overthrow by just a bit to Marquise Goodwin. It's worth noting that Taylor was seeing action when it was raining hard. There was even some speculation that this game would have to be delayed, but that did not happen.



Here were Taylor's targets:



Marquise Goodwin: 1

LeSean McCoy: 1

Robert Woods: 1





LeSean McCoy certainly got off to a strong start to his 2016 campaign. He made a great cut on his only carry of the night, picking up nine yards. He also caught a 2-yard pass. McCoy appears to be in great shape, and he could definitely finish as a top-five fantasy running back this year.





Sammy Watkins was out, so no other Buffalo starters were worth noting. So, with that in mind, let's discuss the backups, namely the quarterbacks. E.J. Manuel threw a touchdown on his first possession, but it was clear that the fans don't like him very much. He was booed on the ensuing drive when he was nearly picked off. The Buffalo announcers said that they'd be comfortable with Manuel as the No. 2 quarterback, but that's crazy. I still have nightmares of last year's game in London.



Cardale Jones took the field in the second half. He impressed in his debut, though he did bobble the first snap. His initial pass saw him shed a tackle, and then he placed a perfect ball for a 13-yard gain. His second throw featured some great velocity for a 14-yarder hurled toward the sideline. He later made a nice pass when he rolled right to avoid pressure and floated the ball perfectly for a gain of 15.



On the finial drive of the game, Jones dropped in a pass perfectly along the sideline for a gain of 22 yards. This was followed by a 40-yard strike across the middle. Then, on the last official play of regulation, Jones stood strong in the pocket and located an open receiver for a touchdown. That would've sent the game into overtime under normal circumstances, but the Bills opted to go for two. Jones, under pressure, tried to find a receiver, but the pass fell short because he was hit as he released the ball.



Jones certainly wasn't perfect, as he made some overthrows, and was nearly picked off on an inaccurate pass on his final drive because he didn't step into his attempt. However, he performed well overall in his debut, and he definitely looked like someone who could play in this league. Jones went 11-of-21 for 162 yards and a touchdown, and he also scrambled four times for 34 rushing yards.





As for the Colts, there isn't much worth noting beyond Hilton. Scott Tolzien started, and he was terrible. Tolzien's numbers don't look bad - 12-of-23, 140 yards, one touchdown - but his 42-yard score was really a short dump-off pass to his running back.





Rookie running back Josh Ferguson didn't impress in the preseason opener. He mustered only three yards on eight carries. I'll still consider him in the late rounds for now, given Frank Gore's age, but I'm less excited about him right now. He didn't look like anything special.





NFL Preseason Announcers: Nothing about the Bills' announcing team, save for the play-by-play guy seldom saying how long plays went for, which was annoying. However, the big take-away here is that the sideline reporter discussed that Ralph Wilson Stadium will be renamed. The new name? Get ready for it...



New Era Cap Company Stadium



I hope the Bills obtained a ton of money from New Era Cap Company because they may now have the worst-named stadium in the history of professional sports.



Follow me @walterfootball for updates.











Seahawks 17, Chiefs 16





Both first-string offenses were on the field for exactly one drive in this game. They both did a great job of moving the chains down the field, but the team with the superior signal-caller came away with no points.



Russell Wilson was precise with most of his throws until he reached the red zone. On his final play of the afternoon, he scrambled right to avoid pressure and fired a pass intended for Jermaine Kearse in the end zone. The ball was a bit late and slightly behind Kearse, which allowed Marcus Peters to jump the route and snatch the interception. Wilson finished 3-of-6 for 34 yards and the pick.



Here were Wilson's targets:



Doug Baldwin: 2

Jermaine Kearse: 2 (1 end zone)

Tyler Lockett: 1

Luke Willson: 1





Though Tyler Lockett hauled in just one reception, he looked great doing it. Lockett made a terrific leaping catch along the sideline to get a first down on a third-and-10. It was a gain of 11. Doug Baldwin, meanwhile, snatched both of his targets for 23 yards.





Thomas Rawls and C.J. Prosise were both out of the preseason opener. Christine Michael was given the opportunity to start, and he made the most of it. He opened with a quick burst to get nine yards, ultimately gaining 27 yards on four carries with the starters. Michael, who finished with 44 yards on seven tries, appears as though he's the favorite to be the No. 2 running back, given Prosise's injury situation. Michael, by all accounts, has enjoyed a terrific training camp thus far, as things have seemingly begun to click for him.





Three young Seattle players are worth noting. The first is Germain Ifedi, who was just taken in the opening round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Ifedi was whistled for a hold on a third-down conversion despite the play not even going in his direction. The second is receiver Paul Richardson, a 2014 second-rounder. Richardson made a big mistake by slowing down on a go route, and was consequently overthrown on what should've been a 33-yard bomb. Richardson has not developed and is on the roster bubble.



Trevone Boykin is the third. The Seahawks have decided to go with him as the second quarterback over Tarvaris Jackson. Boykin struggled in his debut initially, going 10-of-18 for only 66 yards, giving him a dreadful YPA of 3.67 prior to leaving the game. Boykin disappointingly did not utilize his legs enough, which are his best attribute; he rushed just once for five yards until the end. Boykin kept doing the same thing on numerous occasions, which was drifting backward in the pocket and lofting inaccurate balls downfield.



Having said that, the Seahawks re-inserted Boykin into the lineup after Jake Heaps was even worse. Boykin was much better the second time. He actually scrambled and eventually threw a Hail Mary to win the game. Despite this, however, he didn't seem to understand how to manage the clock. It took him forever to call plays when he should have spiked the ball. Boykin definitely has good talent, but he doesn't seem prepared to be a No. 2 quarterback just yet. Jackson needs to be re-signed ASAP.





As for the Chiefs, Alex Smith did his typical dinking and dunking to his tight ends, as Demetrius Harris and Ross Travis caught his first two passes. Smith made a great play after that, however, as he scrambled left and launched a pass to find Jeremy Maclin at the 1-yard line. Smith finished 3-of-4 for 36 yards.



Here were Smith's targets:



Demetrius Harris: 1

Jeremy Maclin: 1

Ross Travis: 1





With no Jamaal Charles, it was a question of whether Spencer Ware or Charcandrick West would start the preseason opener. Ware got the nod and looked good, gaining 24 yards and a touchdown on five carries. West (4-35) also ran well. If you're looking for a handcuff for Charles - not a bad idea considering that Charles can now be considered injury-prone - I'd go with Ware, but he and West would likely split touches if Charles is unavailable.





Nick Foles played several drives after Smith left the game. Reunited with Andy Reid, Foles completed half of his passes (4-of-8) for 37 yards. He wasn't horrible; he should be a half-decent backup for the Chiefs.



Speaking of Kansas City's reserve signal-callers, Aaron Murray was the best one in this contest, as he went 3-of-5 for 52 yards. Kevin Hogan was easily the worst. The Stanford rookie finished just 2-of-6 for 21 yards and an interception. The pick was horrible, as the pass was way behind his intended target. With Foles on the team and Murray in the mix, Hogan will have a tough time making the final roster.





Holy s***, I can't believe what happened at the end of this game, by the way! I had the Seahawks +2.5, and I was resigned to losing it, especially when Boykin stupidly took his time calling plays on the final drive rather than spiking the ball. I laughed for like a minute straight after Boykin converted on the Hail Mary. Wow.





NFL Preseason Announcers: The Chiefs' broadcasting team was one of the league's best several years ago. They had the legendary Kevin Harlan calling the plays and Trent Green giving great analysis. And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Rachel Santschi, quite possibly the best sideline reporter of all time. Seriously, just Google her if you don't believe me.



Now, it's all gone to hell. Green is still there, but Santschi has moved on to work for the Spurs. The play-by-play guy, meanwhile, is some new dude who was knowledgeable, but made some mistakes. For instance, he said the Chiefs had "nothing doing on that carry" when they picked up a first down. He also failed to mention any players on the Seahawks, so I had to look at the depth chart to figure out who caught each pass. And if that wasn't bad enough, he and some guy who works for the Chiefs spent the entire second quarter discussing the parking situation at Arrowhead Stadium. Let me tell you, that was some exciting television!



Oh, and one more thing. Check out this guy's hair:







What the hell is that, Kwame? It's like Don King meets Slimer from Ghostbusters.



Follow me @walterfootball for updates.





Packers 17, Browns 11





Aaron Rodgers didn't play in the preseason opener, so the Packers made sure to feature the running game early and often. They fed the ball to Eddie Lacy on the first four plays of the game, and Lacy gobbled up gains of six, three, 11 and four. Lacy looked much more spry than last year, and he some spicy broken tackles on a couple of his runs. Those were Lacy's sole carries of the evening, as he slurped up 24 yards on those four attempts. Eager to rebound off his disastrous 2015 campaign, Lacy seems hungry enough to do so this upcoming year, so I wouldn't have any beef with anyone taking him in the early rounds.





With no Rodgers or Brett Hundley, someone named Joe Callahan started for the Packers. I'll be honest: Prior to two weeks ago, I had never heard of Callahan, and I'm willing to bet that most of you hadn't either. In fact, I'm beginning to think this whole Joe Callahan thing was a gimmick by the Packers where they held a sweepstakes for some random fan to start the first preseason game.



In all seriousness, Callahan was just OK. He went 16-of-23 for only 124 yards and a touchdown. He didn't do anything too horribly, but he didn't appear as though he was anywhere close to being ready to play in the NFL. He was skittish in the pocket and made some minor mental mistakes. For instance, he could've run for a first down, but chose to fire a pass while scrambling, which was inaccurate. He did run the 2-minute drill well prior to halftime, so perhaps there's some potential. But he's just a No. 3 quarterback at best right now, which I guess is what he is in Green Bay.





Jared Cook caught two passes for 10 yards in his Packer debut. I'm looking forward to see if he can finally live up to his potential with Rodgers throwing the ball to him. Hopefully we'll find out soon.





With most of Green Bay's first-stringers out, we can safely move to the Browns, who started Robert Griffin. The former Redskin began the game with a bang, launching a 49-yard bomb to Terrelle Pryor on the first play. Soon after, Griffin made a nice completion to Pryor again to move the chains while getting hit. Things seemed to be going well, but then disaster struck. While in the red zone, Griffin fired a wild, inaccurate pass into double coverage, which was picked off. If there's a silver lining, the Packers took over on their own 1-yard line and were promptly tackled in the end zone for a safety.



Griffin didn't do anything well on his second of two drives. He overshot Gary Barnidge downfield and would've drawn a pass interference flag had the official ruled it catchable. Griffin then missed his intended receiver by a mile. This was his final throw, as he finished 4-of-8 for 67 yards and an interception. Griffin will get some acclaim for his first pass, but if that's excluded from his stat line, he would've gone 3-of-7 for 18 yards and the pick. Not good.



Here were Griffin's targets:



Gary Barnidge: 4

Taylor Gabriel: 1

Terrelle Pryor: 2





To be fair to Griffin, three of his best wide receivers didn't play, as Corey Coleman, Josh Gordon and Andrew Hawkins were all out. Still, Coleman's just a rookie, while Gordon won't be available for the first four games, so Griffin better get used to working with pedestrian teammates.





Both Isaiah Crowell and Duke Johnson were given one carry each. Crowell was blown up in the backfield by linebacker Joe Thomas. Johnson, on the other hand, looked good on his scamper. Johnson is the better running back and human being, so hopefully he receives more of a workload this year.





I have to say that I was impressed with Raheem Mostert's running. Mostert broke numerous tackles in this contest, accumulating 43 yards on five carries. He appears to be the favorite to be Cleveland's third running back.





Cody Kessler saw some brief action at the end of the game. He completed both of his passes for 15 yards. One was a touchdown to rookie receiver Rashard Higgins on a nice back-shoulder throw. Unfortunately for Kessler, he made a bone-headed play when he ran out of the back of the end zone for a safety. It was hilarious to hear the crowd laugh at him.





NFL Preseason Announcers: I've never seen a 2-minute warning sponsored before, but there's a first time for everything, apparently. The Green Bay play-by-play guy had to say that the 2-minute warning was sponsored by the Wisconsin lottery. "Get your Packers scratch-offs!" he exclaimed.



Yes. Buy stupid lottery tickets that will fund the crooked government while emptying out your checking account. Sounds like a great idea!



Follow me @walterfootball for updates.





Raiders 31, Cardinals 10





The Raiders have gotten a ton of hype this offseason, but it was time to play an actual game against the Cardinals. The first-string offense had a mixed outing, with some flashes tossed in with some glaring errors.



Derek Carr failed to complete half of his passes, going 3-of-7 for 44 yards. He made a couple of wildly errant throws, both to Amari Cooper. The first missed Cooper for what would've been a 59-yard touchdown; Cooper beat third-round rookie Brandon Williams badly, but Carr led Cooper out of bounds. Later on, Carr once again overshot Cooper, who was once again open.



Here were Carr's targets:



Amari Cooper: 4

Michael Crabtree: 2

Marcel Reece: 1 (1 end zone)





Cooper led the Raiders with four targets, but all he could muster was a 6-yard reception. He could've had a much bigger evening, however. As mentioned earlier, Cooper was open for two potential huge gains, but Carr whiffed on both passes. Cooper was also at fault on one occasion, dropping a completion for what would've gone for about 15 yards. Cooper is still one of my favorite early second-round targets.





Michael Crabtree caught both of his targets for 38 yards. One of his receptions was a nice, sliding catch. Crabtree figures to be a WR3 this year.





Latavius Murray ran well in the preseason opener, gaining 21 yards on four carries. However, rookie DeAndre Washington was more impressive, tallying 39 yards on six tries. Washington's best run was breath-taking; he made a nice cut and then embarrassed a defender miss with a great juke for a gain of 25 yards. He later caught a pass from Connor Cook and picked up 32 yards, showing off some impressive speed. The Raiders' coaching staff has expressed frustration with Murray in the past, so this performance by Washington could bode well for his rookie campaign. He's definitely worth taking in the mid-to-late portions of your draft.





Connor Cook had a solid debut. He went 7-of-11 for 71 yards, and that really should've been 8-of-11 for 91 yards, but a 20-yard completion of his was wiped out by a bogus offensive pass interference call. Cook should be the No. 2 quarterback, as he outplayed Matt McGloin by a mile.





Some bad news for the Raiders: Mario Edwards was carted off the field with some sort of leg injury. Chosen in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft, Edwards played well as a rookie last year. Losing him would definitely hurt, as the Raiders would be limited in their pass rush outside of Khalil Mack.





As for the Cardinals, it almost began disastrously, as Carson Palmer had a pick-six dropped on his first pass, which was thrown toward Larry Fitzgerald. However, Palmer settled in after that, finishing 3-of-5 for 38 yards. He was missing John Brown.



Here were Palmer's targets:



Larry Fitzgerald: 2

Michael Floyd: 1

J.J. Nelson: 1





David Johnson is a freak of nature. He carried the ball just three times in the preseason opener, but made those opportunities count, gaining 31 yards in the process. Johnson showed off some great vision on a gain of eight. On his next try, he displayed terrific speed to break outside and pick up 23 yards. It could be argued that Johnson should be the second running back selected in fantasy leagues this summer. He won't be sharing his touches. He's too good.





Arizona fans on Twitter were demanding a new backup quarterback during this game. That's because Drew Stanton was woeful. He was guilty of some very shaky accuracy. He was picked off on an overthrow and then came close to launching another high interception. He then overshot an open Troy Niklas for what should've been an easy touchdown. Stanton went 2-of-6 for 42 yards and the pick.





Speaking of Niklas, he caught two passes for 44 yards. A 32-yard gain of his was impressive. He broke a tackle and bounced off a defender, showing off some great strength. As mentioned, he also should've scored a touchdown. Niklas is a forgotten man, but he was the team's second-round pick in 2014. Perhaps he'll finally be able to contribute.





NFL Preseason Announcers: This was an Arizona preseason game, so I was excited. It was time for Ron Wolfley! Arizona's color analyst is one of the craziest people on the planet, and he says the strangest (and most awesome) things. Here's what he said with his extremely hoarse voice throughout the evening. I have no idea what any of this means:



"It's like he ate a pack of sausages and then drills it through the uprights."



"It's kind of like Mr. Miyagi, wax on, wax off. You gotta have them both!"



"Why would you watch a butcher grind a hamburger if you're not going to eat it?"



"That was ticky-tack like taffy. Ticky-taff."



"He's basically a stick with lips."



At one point, the play-by-play guy seemed so annoyed that he had this to say:



"Can you stop slobbering into my microphone? You're like 10 inches to my left."



Follow me @walterfootball for updates.





Dolphins 27, Giants 10





Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. weren't set to play, and adding insult to injury, this game was delayed for more than half an hour because of thunderstorms. Both the coaching staff and Mother Nature gave the middle finger to those who were forced to pay big money to see this game. Somewhere, Roger Goodell is smiling right now.





Despite Eli Manning's absence in the exhibition opener, Sterling Shepard stood out. The second-round rookie enjoyed a terrific offseason, and that has continued into the preseason. Shepard opened this game with a nice block on a 19-yard gain by Shane Vereen. Shepard then beat coverage and would've had a deep touchdown, but Ryan Nassib overthrew him. Shepard finally got on the board with a great diving catch along the sideline for 24 yards. Shepard was able to get open by running a terrific route. That ended up being Shepard's only reception of the evening, but it's quite evident that the hype is real. I was bearish on his seventh-round ADP, but I'm beginning to think that he might be worth a pick in that round.





Speaking of Vereen, he picked up those 19 yards with Shepard's block and a great spin move on his own. However, he played second fiddle to Rashad Jennings, who gained 11 yards and a touchdown on three carries. Jennings will be the featured back this year.





With Manning and Beckham out, there isn't much else to discuss with the Giants, save for a couple of young players. One is Paul Perkins, who gained 36 yards on seven carries. The stats look nice, but his longest gain, a 14-yarder, was on a draw, and Perkins was helped with some great blocking.



The other is Ryan Nassib. I think it's quite evident that the 2013 fourth-rounder is not the long-term answer at quarterback for the Giants. Nassib was awful, going 7-of-15 for 75 yards and two interceptions. Nassib overthrew his receivers all evening. He was very antsy in the pocket. He bobbled a snap near the goal line. His first interception was a horrible pass. His second pick was an underthrow that was launched up for grabs. He nearly had a third interception when he didn't see underneath coverage. The Giants have to find a better backup quarterback.





I was interested to see how Ryan Tannehill would perform in his new offensive system. Tannehill didn't really show much, going 2-of-4 for only eight yards. We'll need a game where Tannehill throws the ball more often to make any sort of determination, and even that will be premature if it's not a regular-season contest.



Here were Tannehill's targets:



Jay Ajayi: 1

Jarvis Landry: 1

Kenny Stills: 1





With Arian Foster and Kenyan Drake out, Jay Ajayi started the preseason opener. He had a bad moment, however, when he was nearly responsible for an interception. He dropped a pass, and the ball popped into the hands of a Giants linebacker. The defender had one toe out of bounds, so it wasn't a turnover. Ajayi was given two carries, but mustered only six yards. He's being overdrafted at his eighth-round ADP.





New linebacker Kiko Alonso didn't get off to a good start, as he whiffed on a tackle on Rashad Jennings' touchdown. It's still hard to believe that the Dolphins moved down five spots in exchange for picking up two of Philadelphia's scrubs.





NFL Preseason Announcers: The Giants' sideline reporter had a rough night. He introduced Rashad Jennings as "Rashard Jennings," and then complimented himself when he said, "I have one more good question from me."



Wow, someone's a bit full of themselves. The question wasn't that good, by the way.



The sideline reporter ended the interview by saying, "Thank you for coming tonight."



Thank you for coming? Isn't Jennings paid to come to games? I don't understand.



The sideline reporter had a later interview with third-round rookie Darian Thompson. He got his name right, but said the following while introducing him:



"He comes right in, coming right off the school."



Coming right off the school? What the hell does that mean? That's almost worse than anything Emmitt ever said.



Follow me @walterfootball for updates.





Vikings 17, Bengals 16





It was a tale of two drives for Teddy Bridgewater in his first 2016 action. The first possession was absolutely horrible. Bridgewater was under pressure on his initial throw, though he somehow found MyCole Pruitt for a 3-yard completion. Bridgewater was sacked on the next play and then was hit as he threw on third down. Carlos Dunlap beat Andre Smith easily on the final play, and it didn't seem like the Vikings had any sort of answer for Geno Atkins. Not that many teams do.



Bridgewater had much more success on the next possession. In fact, he led a 96-yard touchdown drive that culminated with a 49-yard scoring bomb to Charles Johnson. The caveat, however, is that Bridgewater was battling Cincinnati's backups on the second drive.



Bridgewater went 6-of-7 for 92 yards and a touchdown, but five of his six completions came versus the backups. Not that Bridgewater had to prove himself, or anything, but the offensive line will be a concern if it continues to block like this.



Here were Bridgewater's targets:



Stefon Diggs: 1

Jerick McKinnon: 2

MyCole Pruitt: 1

Adam Thielen: 1





Stefon Diggs had a bit of a disappointing preseason debut, catching only one pass for eight yards. He was on the field for only two drives, so I wouldn't take much away from this. However, Diggs did appear to fumble - the Vikings have been concerned about this - but he was ruled down.





Adrian Peterson did not suit up, of course, allowing Jerick McKinnon to start. McKinnon gained 14 yards on five carries, though he did that versus Cincinnati's reserves. He also led Minnesota's starters in targets (2).





The Vikings have said that they want to bring Laquon Treadwell along slowly. True to their word, Treadwell saw most of his action in the second half. He did some good things, however. On one instance, he broke out of a tackle to pick up a first down. On another, he nearly broke free from a defender again, but still managed to move the sticks. Treadwell caught four of his five targets for 41 yards.





The big news to nearly come out of this game was Jeremy Hill's finger injury. Hill had a nice burst for a 10-yard gain on his initial attempt, but then hurt his hand on his third try. He ran off the field, looking as if he happened to be in severe pain. Fortunately, Hill was cleared to return. He did not, finishing with 16 yards on three carries.





While Bridgewater played for two possessions, Andy Dalton saw the field for only one drive. Dalton had success on his initial possession, however, so he didn't need to keep playing. Dalton misfired on only one attempt, going 4-of-5 for 32 yards.



Here were Dalton's targets:



A.J. Green: 4

Brandon Tate: 1





With Hill banged up, Giovani Bernard saw more than double the carries. He slipped and fell on his first run, but finished with a couple of decent gains. He had 21 yards on seven attempts.





I mentioned Treadwell earlier. Well, the Bengals have a talented rookie receiver of their own, and Tyler Boyd caught a 40-yard bomb from A.J. McCarron at the end of the first half. The pass was placed perfectly. Boyd almost came up with another deep attempt earlier, but that pass wasn't nearly as good, as Trae Waynes nearly picked it off. Boyd's 40-yard grab was his only reception of the evening.





Speaking of McCarron, Cincinnati's backup played very well. He completed most of his passes, going 11-of-16 for 125 yards and a touchdown. It's pretty evident that there's not much of a drop-off from Dalton to McCarron. I'm not sure if that's a compliment for McCarron or an insult for Dalton. Why not both?





NFL Preseason Announcers: Nothing from the announcers themselves, but this pissed me off. Take a look at this picture and see if you can figure out what's missing:







The down-and-distance indicator! Throughout the entire telecast, the Bengals' broadcasting network failed to inform its audience what down and distance it was. And it's not like they couldn't fit it in. They could delete the extra "N" that's there for "MIN" for some reason, or perhaps erase the advertisement for the team Web site. Seriously, come on, guys, it's 2016. Every broadcast should show the down and distance.



Follow me @walterfootball for updates.





Lions 30, Steelers 17





This wasn't a very exciting preseason game, as Ben Roethlisberger, Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown were all out of the lineup. Thus, I'll concentrate on the Lions for most of this write-up.



Matthew Stafford was on the field for one drive, and he did a good job of leading the team down the field until he was strip-sacked near the red zone. Stafford went 4-of-6 for 58 yards. That sounds nice, and Stafford did play well overall, but the numbers don't tell the whole story. The major take-away is that Stafford seemed pretty skittish in the pocket. He got happy feet on numerous occasions, and he looked like he was panicking on some of his drop-backs.



Of course, it's difficult to blame Stafford, as Detroit's offensive line was embarrassingly bad in this game. First-round rookie left tackle Taylor Decker especially struggled. He was whistled for a hold on a Stafford first-down scramble and then was responsible for letting James Harrison blow by him on the next play, which was when Stafford lost his fumble.



Here were Stafford's targets:



Anquan Boldin: 1

Marvin Jones: 1

Theo Riddick: 3

Cole Wick: 1





Marvin Jones made just one reception in the preseason opener, but he made it count. It was a 16-yarder, and he did a great job of tapping his toes down along the sideline while falling out of bounds. Jones has enjoyed a strong training camp, and this sort of play will only allow Matthew Stafford to have more confidence in his new weapon.





Like Jones, Anquan Boldin caught one pass. He also made it count, as it was a 30-yarder in which he broke a tackle from second-round rookie Sean Davis and then carried Michael Mitchell for about 10 yards. Boldin will be Detroit's No. 3 receiver this year.





Ameer Abdullah didn't play. Theo Riddick started and did an OK job, gaining 15 yards on four carries. He also caught one of his three targets for nine yards. Riddick is a fine backup, but he's not a threat to Abdullah's workload. Riddick doesn't get any yards after contact.





As for the Steelers, they started Landry Jones and Fitzgerald Toussaint in the backfield. That's right - DeAngelo Williams didn't play.



No one really stood out for Pittsburgh in a positive fashion during the preseason opener. This includes Sammie Coates, who touched the ball for the first time with 90 seconds remaining in the first half. He bobbled the ball, costing himself an opportunity for yardage. He then picked up a first down, but fumbled. Coates finished with three underwhelming catches for 18 yards. I expected much more from Coates, but perhaps he'll fare better once Ben Roethlisberger returns to the lineup.





Pittsburgh's best running back this evening was Daryl Richardson. The former Ram gained 44 yards on 11 carries. He could be the team's No. 3 running back, which is relevant considering Le'Veon Bell's suspension and DeAngelo Williams' age.





NFL Preseason Announcers: Walt Coleman was officiating this game, so naturally, there was a strange call. That occurred in the second quarter when a Detroit player fumbled out of bounds. A flag was thrown as the Steelers recovered. Coleman's announcement:



"Detroit caught the ball and there was a backwards pass. First down, Detroit."



Umm... what? What about the flag? Why is this 90-year-old man still officiating!?



Meanwhile, Pittsburgh's color analyst had something strange to say about another penalty:



"I don't like that horse collar tackle penalty. He grabbed the horse collar and pulled him down, but that's not what he meant to do."



Oh, OK. Let me go rob a bank, and when the cops arrest me, I can just say that I didn't mean to do it!



Follow me @walterfootball for updates.





Broncos 22, Bears 0





Mark Sanchez and Trevor Siemian were named co-starting quarterbacks for the Broncos, but one obviously had to get the nod in the preseason opener. That was Sanchez, who got a chance to work with Denver's dynamic receiving duo for the first time in real action.



Sanchez's stat line looks pretty good, as he went 10-of-13 for 99 yards, one touchdown and an interception. His score, a 32-yarder to Demaryius Thomas, was very impressive, as he connected with the talented wideout on a deep bomb while getting hit.



Unfortunately for Sanchez, he had some ugly moments. On his first drop-back, he held on to the ball too long, which caused a holding penalty by a desperate offensive lineman. Later, Sanchez threw a horrible pick into tight coverage while targeting Bennie Fowler. There were three Chicago defenders in the area, so it was a stupid decision. It was very typical of Sanchez.



Here were Sanchez's targets:



Bennie Fowler: 4

Virgil Green: 3

Cody Latimer: 1

Emmanuel Sanders: 2

Demaryius Thomas: 1





Trevor Siemian took over soon after. While the numbers don't say he was better than Sanchez - 7-of-12 for 88 yards - I thought he was far more impressive. He opened with a nice,18-yard strike on a post to Cody Latimer. He then delivered a quality back-shoulder throw to Bennie Fowler for what could've been a touchdown, but a Chicago cornerback knocked the ball away at the last second.



On a later drive, Siemian picked up a first down on a second-and-15 with a 16-yard scamper, but a hold negated the play. Siemian then found a receiver for a 22-yard reception while scrambling right to avoid a sack.



Siemian had a couple of throws where he was off the mark, but he didn't make any terrible decisions, unlike Sanchez. It's still early, and one game isn't much of a sample size, but it appears as though Siemian would be the better option.





I can't forget about Paxton Lynch, who might see action in his rookie year despite being raw. Lynch looked to be just that on his first drive, where he took a pair of sacks. One was his fault, as he held on to the ball too long. Lynch made quicker decisions on the next possession, firing solid throws on gains of 17 and 10.



Lynch showed off his impressive arm on ensuing possessions. He displayed great velocity on completions of 13 and 22, and in between, he also scrambled for a first down.



Save for the opening drive, Lynch was solid in his debut. He went 6-of-7 for 74 yards, and he also had a 21-yard pass negated by an unnecessary roughness penalty. He certainly didn't look unprepared to play, which is what some may have expected from him.





Speaking of Denver rookies, running back Devontae Booker was given just four carries. None of them stood out, as he gained 11 yards in the process. However, he impressively broke out of a tackle on a 9-yard reception. Booker played behind Ronnie Hillman, which obviously needs to change for him to have any fantasy relevance.





Cody Latimer, Denver's 2014 second-rounder, has been a disappointment in his professional career thus far, but he caught seven passes for 82 yards in this game. Latimer did some nice things, but was playing with the second string most of the time; he was targeted only once by Sanchez. He showed some nice chemistry with Siemian, however. Perhaps this will allow Denver's coaching staff to trust Latimer a bit more going forward.





Perhaps the only player to improve his fantasy football stock in the Broncos-Bears game was Virgil Green. Mark Sanchez locked in on him early, targeting him thrice on the opening drive. Green caught all three balls for 26 yards. If Sanchez starts, Green might be able to post TE2 numbers.





As for the Bears, Jay Cutler didn't have the best debut. He didn't move the chains at all, as two of his first three possessions ended in sacks, while the third concluded with a Marc Mariani drop. One of the sacks was definitely Cutler's fault; it was a third-and-3, and Cutler didn't see an open receiver in the flat.



Cutler finished 3-of-4 but for only 18 yards. So far, it seems as though Cutler will probably miss Adam Gase, but this was just one game, so it's still way too early to tell.



Here were Cutler's targets:



Alshon Jeffery: 1

Jeremy Langford: 1

Marc Mariani: 1

Kevin White: 1





Alshon Jeffery and Kevin White caught one pass each for 12 and three yards, respectively. I wanted to see more of White, but he had just one target because the Bears' first-string offense couldn't sustain drives.





Chicago's offensive line didn't do much in terms of opening running lanes for Jeremy Langford in the preseason opener. Langford mustered just seven yards on four carries. I suspect this might be an issue all year, and I think Langford is being slightly overdrafted at his 4.12 ADP.





As Castrion pointed out on the forum, the Bears tried second-round rookie Cody Whitehair at center. That's a big void, so it would be nice if Whitehair could take over at that spot. Whitehair was called for a hold, but did well otherwise.





NFL Preseason Announcers: There wasn't anything too crazy from the Bears' announcing team, save for the play-by-play guy calling Devontae Booker "Dante Booker."



However, take a look at this picture I took with my phone. Cutler was making this gun signal toward the sideline at one point, and he looked pissed in the process:







What do you think that's all about? Does Cutler plan on buying a gun and shooting someone, or is he simply showing his support for Donald Trump?



Follow me @walterfootball for updates.





Ravens 22, Panthers 19





The major storyline entering this game was that this would be the first time Kelvin Benjamin would be reunited with Cam Newton since his rookie campaign. Benjamin saw only one target, but was on the field for just a lone drive. Of course, given the way that Cam Newton performed, he and his starting receivers didn't need to be featured very much.



Newton, quite simply, appeared to be in mid-season MVP form. He completed all but one of his six pass attempts. The misfire occurred on a shot to Ted Ginn in the end zone, but Newton at least got the Panthers close. Newton converted third downs very well, and his five completions went for 36 yards.



Here were Newton's targets:



Kelvin Benjamin: 1

Brenton Bersin: 1

Ted Ginn: 2 (1 end zone)

Greg Olsen: 2





Newton's first two completions went to Greg Olsen, who accumulated 13 yards, moving the chains once in the process. Benjamin's sole reception was for five yards. I wish we had a larger sample size, but this is the first week of the preseason, after all.





Jonathan Stewart didn't play. Mike Tolbert was given the carries with the first team, and he mustered 11 yards on three plods.





Analysis for the Ravens is even more useless because Joe Flacco didn't even play. In fact, the starting backfield was comprised of Ryan Mallett and Buck Allen. Sounds a lot like the end of the 2015 season!



By the way, if you're now concerned about Flacco because he missed this game, don't be. He reportedly hasn't missed a snap throughout training camp. The Ravens were just being cautious by sitting him, which I can fully understand.





One of the few offensive players of note for the Ravens during the preseason opener was Terrance West. The sleeper running back has been hyped in training camp, and his great practices translated onto the field. West gained 25 yards on nine carries, scoring twice. West came off the bench in relief of Buck Allen, but looked good, with his best run being a burst of eight yards in which he managed to impressively break tackle. He's worth looking into late in your draft.





The Ravens have multiple potential running back sleepers. Another candidate is fourth-round rookie Kenneth Dixon, who rushed for 44 yards on just nine carries in the preseason opener. Most of Dixon's yardage came on two scampers. A 19-yarder was the result of great blocking, through Dixon did show off a nice burst. He was better on a 12-yard attempt, muscling through numerous tackles and moving the pile. Dixon is another name to consider late while drafting.





NFL Preseason Announcers: The color analyst was all over the place in this game. Here's a list of some of the words or phrases he said throughout he telecast:



Kevirm Benjamin

Ron Rivera seeked advice from John Madden (sought* advice)

If you look at the play cock

The Panthers missed his physicalness



Dare I say it? This is almost Emmitt-like!



I also enjoyed this exchange by the play-by-play guy and the color analyst:



Play-by-Play Guy: The Panthers are 13th in red zone defense. How would you rate that, partner?



Color Analyst: I'd rate that as being in the middle of the pack.



Wow, thanks for that wonderful insight!



Follow me @walterfootball for updates.





Jets 17, Jaguars 13





Jaguars at Jets doesn't sound like the most exciting game, but this perhaps provided the greatest entertainment value on Thursday evening. The Jets made some big offensive plays, and even that paled in comparison to the show the Jaguars' scoring attack put on in their preseason debut.



Blake Bortles was terrific in his first exhibition appearance. Stats aren't always accurate, but they happen to be the case in this instance. Bortles went 6-of-7 for 105 yards, and the sole incompletion was a dropped touchdown by Julius Thomas. Bortles hit Allen Robinson on numerous occasions with some beautiful back-shoulder throws, and perhaps more importantly, he called three audibles on the opening drive alone. This means that he's recognizing what the opposing defense is doing, and he did a great job of putting his team in position to have success whenever he did so. Things seem to be clicking mentally for Bortles, which sounds about right because he's in his third season. He could easily be a top-five fantasy quarterback this year, though that depends on how bad his defense is.



Here were Bortles' targets:



Allen Hurns: 1

Chris Ivory: 1

Allen Robinson: 3

Julius Thomas: 1

T.J. Yeldon: 1





Allen Robinson deserves a stock up for his preseason debut. Robinson made some breath-taking receptions. One was a leaping haul along the sideline, and then he snared in a Blake Bortles bomb for 45 yards. Robinson finished with three catches for 80 yards, and all of that occurred in less than a quarter of action. Extrapolate that over a full game, and Robinson would've logged at least 12 receptions for 320 yards! Robinson and Bortles look like they have some terrific chemistry, especially in terms of recognizing when back-shoulder throws need to be made. It's only the preseason, but it looks a lot like what Aaron Rodgers has with Jordy Nelson, except Robinson is a better talent. Robinson will be in the mix as a top-five fantasy receiver.





Chris Ivory has been drafted prior to T.J. Yeldon in every mock I've done this summer, and it's something that has puzzled me. I thought I might even be going crazy. Well, it turns out that I'm not, as Yeldon started over Ivory in the preseason opener. Ivory was mixed in pretty heavily, but Yeldon was the primary back. In fact, color analyst Mark Brunell called Ivory a "very good complement to T.J. Yeldon." The one negative with Yeldon is that Ivory received the goal-line work, where he converted one of two tries. However, Yeldon just looked better, gaining 26 yards on four attempts. He broke a tackle on a gain of seven yards and then displayed his great vision on an 8-yard burst. I can't believe Yeldon's ADP is currently 8.07 (Jay Ajayi is being drafted earlier!) so I'm going to try to have him on all of my teams this year, especially the ones in PPR formats.



As for Ivory, he had as many yards as Yeldon, but on six carries instead of four. He definitely looked good, unlike the worn-down version of him we saw at the end of last year. He also was given the goal-line work. However, Yeldon is definitely the starter, and if tonight's game was any indication, I'd say Yeldon will have a 60-40 advantage over Ivory if the end zone stuff is excluded.





As for Jacksonville's defense, the secondary had some issues defending Ryan Fitzpatrick's passes, but Jalen Ramsey and Tashaun Gipson weren't in the opening lineup. Third-round rookie Yannick Ngakoue played early, and he beat Ryan Clady for a sack on the opening drive. Myles Jack, the second-rounder, entered the game in the second quarter. He was nearly flagged for a late hit on his second drive, but the officials picked the flag up.





As mentioned earlier, the Jets did some good things on offense. They fizzled on their opening drive, but Ryan Fitzpatrick made some deep connections on the ensuing possession. He finished 3-of-4 for 72 yards, as a couple of long passes put the Jets in position to score a touchdown. The formerly hairy quarterback was done after that.



Here were Fitzpatrick's targets:



Quincy Enunwa: 3

Brandon Marshall: 1





There aren't many interesting things to say about the Jets' skill-position players, given that Fitzpatrick threw just four passes. Quincy Enunwa was the recipient of three, hauling in two of them for 69 yards, including a 43-yard haul. I wouldn't read too much into that, as the Jaguars were guilty of a busted coverage on that play. That's going to happen when the top safety is out of the lineup!





Matt Forte didn't play, so Bilal Powell handled the entire workload while with the first team. Powell was solid, gaining 13 yards on four carries. He also scored a touchdown, though I wouldn't count on him getting the goal-line touches when Khiry Robinson returns to action.





Jet fans do not like Geno Smith. And that's putting it kindly. Smith actually didn't play that poorly - he went 8-of-14 for 79 yards and a touchdown - but he was booed on nearly every incompletion. The score is worth talking about, as it was a beautiful back-shoulder catch by seventh-round rookie Charone Peake, who did a great job of tapping his feet inbounds as he was falling out of play.





I was looking forward to seeing some of Christian Hackenberg, but he didn't play. I can't explain why he didn't suit up. Perhaps Todd Bowles forgot he was on the team.





NFL Preseason Announcers: Unfortunately, there was nothing worth noting about the Jaguars' broadcasters. Mark Brunell was the color analyst, and while I had a good laugh when he was crying upon learning about Tom Brady's deflation tactics, I enjoy his analysis.



Having said that, I found it odd that the visiting team was given the telecast. The host usually gets it on NFL.com. When I saw Brunell and his partner pop up on the screen, I was hoping for a shot of the Jaguars' infamous pool. I became a very sad man when I realized that this game was in New York.



Follow me @walterfootball for updates.





Eagles 17, Buccaneers 9





Carson Wentz was expected to start the second half, but the Philadelphia crowd got an early taste of their new rookie quarterback with 1:19 prior to halftime. Wentz relieved a struggling Chase Daniel, and the crowd roared in approval, giving him a standing ovation.



Wentz's first attempt was a bit high, but Nelson Agholor dropped the ball. His next pass was much better; he slid in the pocket and stepped up to find Zach Ertz for a gain of 19 yards. Wentz recognized the blitz a couple of plays later and fired a strike to Ertz, but his tight end dropped the ball.



In the third quarter, Wentz turned a busted play into a 10-yard gain by running around a free rusher and finding his receiver along the sideline. Wentz then drew a pass interference flag on a throw of 12 yards. After a drop by T.J. Graham, Wentz made a precision pass for a 16-yard gain on a third-and-1. Unfortunately for Wentz, his drive ended with an interception. He couldn't step up in the pocket, and the ball floated on him as a result.



Wentz launched another high pass on the next drive. He had an open receiver on a third down for what would've moved the chains, the ball sailed on him again. Color analyst Mike Mayock noted that his has been an issue in training camp.



Wentz took some brutal hits late in the fourth quarter, and the backup offensive line was so bad that Doug Pederson actually shut down the passing game. The second- and third-string blockers were horrific, and they gave Wentz - and Chase Daniel, for that matter - very little chance.



In total, Wentz finished 12-of-24 for 89 yards and the interception. The stat line does not look pretty, but Wentz's targets dropped four passes. His blockers didn't do him any favors either. Wentz still has a lot to work on in terms of not floating passes, but there were enough positive things tonight that Philadelphia fans should feel very optimistic.



As for the other quarterbacks, Daniel was way inferior compared to Wentz. Daniel went 4-of-10 for just 15 yards. In fact, he was booed on his second snap when he air-mailed a ball over Chris Givens' head. Daniel also threw a pass that was a dropped interception by Vernon Hargreaves. As mentioned, however, Daniel had very little opportunity behind a horrible offensive line.



Sam Bradford, meanwhile, threw one pass. It went for three yards. He was on the field for one drive that lasted three plays.



Here were Bradford's targets:



Brent Celek: 1





Ryan Mathews was given two carries on his only possession in the preseason opener. He looked good, gaining 15 yards and a touchdown. While Philadelphia's reserve offensive line struggled, the starting blockers did a great job of pushing around Tampa's front.





Nelson Agholor looked horrible in his first preseason game. He saw two targets, but couldn't come up with either one. He dropped a pass, struggled to get open and whiffed on a block that produced a negative play as a result. He shouldn't be on anyone's fantasy radar.





I can't explain why, but Zach Ertz played late into the second quarter. Mayock was even asked this during the telecast, and he couldn't provide an answer. It was irresponsible of Pederson to risk the health of such an important player. Ertz caught three balls for 26 yards, but dropped a pass.





As for the Buccaneers, they struggled early. They fumbled the opening kickoff, and then Jameis Winston was strip-sacked on the second drive. Guard Kevin Pamphile proved to be a big liability, getting beaten easily by Bennie Logan. Tampa is really going to miss Logan Mankins.



Winston eventually got a nice drive going against the Philadelphia starters. He finished 7-of-9 for 97 yards and a touchdown. Save for the fumble, he played well overall; he should've had an eighth completion, but Jalen Mills, who was woeful in this contest, got away with what should've been pass interference. Winston appears as though he could have a solid sophomore campaign.



Here were Winston's targets:



Cameron Brate: 2

Mike Evans: 2

Adam Humphries: 1

Vincent Jackson: 1

Mike James: 1

Doug Martin: 1

Russell Shepherd: 1





Doug Martin does not look like he's fat and happy in the wake of signing a new contract. He gained 13 yards on five carries, but ran better than those numbers indicate. He also caught an 11-yard pass.





The box score says Mike Evans caught one pass for 10 yards, but he would've had a big gain had Mills not interfered with him on a long throw. As mentioned earlier, Mills inexplicably was not called for the penalty.





NFL Preseason Announcers: Philadelphia's broadcasting team is a good one because Mayock is involved. However, the pregame show said something puzzling when they said of Doug Pederson, "an old friend has returned." Umm... "old friend?" Eagles fans hated Pederson! They booed him the entire time he was here, and it was so bad that Pederson declared that he would get revenge on the Eagles the following year when he was with the Browns. How does that constitute being an old friend? That would be like the bully who messed with you back in grade school returning to town, and your parents asking you if you're going to hang out with your "old friend."



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Patriots 34, Saints 22





No Tom Brady, No Rob Gronkowski, no Julian Edelman, no Danny Amendola, no Dion Lewis. Under ordinary circumstances, this game would've been completely uninteresting, but with Brady suspended for four games, all eyes were on Jimmy Garoppolo.



The first thing people will look at is Garoppolo's stat line. It's definitely a nice one. He went 11-of-18 for 168 yards. So, he played well, right? Well, statistics can be deceiving, and that's certainly the case in this instance. Most of Garoppolo's yardage came versus the New Orleans second-string defense. He wasn't nearly as good against the starters. He took an early sack on a third-and-5 because he held on to the ball too long. He also made a huge mistake later on when he threw the ball way across his body. There were two Saint defenders in the area, and the pass easily could've been intercepted. It was a horrible mistake, and if Garoppolo repeats it, he'll be intercepted quite often in meaningful action.



Having said all of this, Garoppolo didn't have any of his top weapons, so no Patriot fan should feel too pessimistic right now. The jury is still out on Garoppolo.



Here were Garoppolo's targets:



Martellus Bennett: 4

DeAndre Carter: 1

James Develin: 1

Aaron Dobson: 2

Malcolm Mitchell: 4

James White: 3 (1 end zone)





Martellus Bennett had a strong 2014 campaign, but did nothing last year. It appears as though he's on track to rebounding, as he looked like he was in fantastic shape in the preseason opener. Jimmy Garoppolo targeted him four times, and Bennett caught three of those passes for 33 yards. Rob Gronkowski didn't play, but the Patriots are planning on using a two-tight end offense like they did when Aaron Hernandez was still on the team. Bennett is worth picking up late in the draft as a high-end TE2.





LeGarrette Blount had a bit of an embarrassing moment early on when he slipped and fell on his first carry for a loss of two yards. He finished with 20 yards and a touchdown on nine carries, but most of his yardage, as well as his score, came against the Saints' backups.





One Patriot who looked great was rookie receiver Malcolm Mitchell. He flashed early when he made a terrific move to avoid a tackle on a 14-yard reception. Unfortunately, he sustained what appeared to be a brutal injury when his elbow was bent backward upon being tackled in the second quarter. It's a shame, as Mitchell looked like he could be the real deal. Mitchell caught four balls for 55 yards.



Update: Reports indicate Mitchell will only be out four weeks. That's obviously great news, as the injury looked much worse.





Third-round rookie Jacoby Brissett made his NFL debut, but he didn't look very good. He finished 7-of-13 for only 63 yards. Brissett failed to go through his progressions on most of his attempts, and he should've thrown an interception that was dropped.





While Brady wasn't in the lineup, Drew Brees took the field in this matchup. He lasted just one drive, which culminated in a Mark Ingram lost fumble. However, he made his presence felt by hitting Brandin Cooks with a perfect deep ball for a gain of 37 yards. That was Brees' only attempt pass of the evening, as you can see here...



Here were Brees' targets:



Brandin Cooks: 1





Mark Ingram was one of a handful of starting running backs who played well into the second quarter on Thursday night. I don't understand this at all. Perhaps Sean Payton did this to punish Ingram for his aforementioned fumble, but it still seems kind of silly. Ingram gained 18 yards on seven carries. He scored twice and also coughed up the ball once. Ingram looked like himself; I'm not going to raise or drop him in my rankings for anything he did tonight.





Tim Hightower and C.J. Spiller both gained two yards on four and two carries, respectively. Hightower dropped a pass.





The Saint player who stood out the most in the preseason debut was Michael Thomas. The second-round rookie looked absolutely amazing - and Drew Brees wasn't even throwing the ball to him! Thomas caught four passes for 67 yards. Two of those were terrific receptions. He made one for 25 yards while falling out of bounds. Bill Belichick actually reviewed the play, and it stood. Belichick looked stunned that the call wasn't overturned. Thomas then made a superb diving catch for a gain of 28. He looks like the real deal, and he's one of my favorite Fantasy Football Sleepers this year.





Second-year Garrett Grayson was the one slinging the ball to Michael Thomas. The dynamic wideout bailed him out on a couple of occasions; Grayon launched a pick-six on his first throw. He stared down his receiver, allowing Patrick Chung to jump the route. Chung popped the ball up into the air, and it fell right into Jamie Collins' lap.





Speaking of second-year Saints, former first-round pick Andrus Peat didn't have a good outing. He had trouble blocking Chris Long in the second quarter, and he was called for a hold on one occasion.





NFL Preseason Announcers: The Patriots broadcast team is something else. Like last year, they had two Bob's Discount Furniture employees giving analysis for some reason. They apparently didn't spell check, as they typed Coby Fleener's name incorrectly on the graphic:







They went on to say that Patriot fans should be very familiar with Fleener, and I'm not sure why. Do they know he played in Indianapolis and not New England before this season?



In the second half, the Patriots' broadcast team began talking about street cred. They spent like 15 minutes on it, and the color analyst, Christian Fauria, challenged the play-by-play guy, some old white man, to do a rap. Here's what he came up with:



"It's 3rd-and-8, let's see what they have on their plate, he loses the ball, it's a fum-ball!"



I love preseason announcers.



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Falcons 23, Redskins 17





There have been mixed reports about Kirk Cousins' performance in training camp, but there hasn't been anything overly positive. I was interested to see how Cousins would perform in his preseason debut, albeit against one of the NFL's weaker defenses.



Cousins did a good job against the Falcons. He played on one drive and completed all five of his passes for 39 yards. He didn't really attack the Falcons downfield, but he made smart decisions and precise throws.



Here were Cousins' targets:



Pierre Garcon: 1

Ryan Grant: 2

DeSean Jackson: 1

Chris Thompson: 1





Matt Jones didn't fare as well as Kirk Cousins in this game, but he didn't do nearly enough to warrant a stock down arrow. He carried the ball just twice officially for only one yard. What's not seen in the box score is that he had a gain of about 10 negated by a Morgan Moses hold. Moses, by the way, didn't look very good. He had some major issues dealing with Vic Beasley.





There's not much to say about the starting Redskin receivers because they were on the field for just one drive. One "skill" player worth noting is Vernon Davis, and I put that word in quotes because it's pretty clear that he has none. Davis, who didn't catch a single pass, dropped a ball thrown right to him in the end zone. Davis had issues with drops in Denver last year prior to getting benched. It's unclear why he's even on an NFL roster at this point. He'll be released quite soon.





One last note on the Redskins: They were extremely sloppy in this game. It seemed like they were being called for a penalty on every other play, and they surrendered a kickoff return touchdown to open the second half. Jay Gruden was 6-2 in the preseason heading into this contest, so it's not a good sign that he didn't have his team very prepared to play.





While Kirk Cousins completed every pass, Matt Ryan experienced the polar opposite. Ryan misfired on all four attempts. That's not nearly enough of a sample size to determine anything, though. Ryan's first throw to Julio Jones was a bit low, and he perhaps should've completed a ball to Mohamed Sanu, who was clearly interfered with. The officials didn't call the Redskins for that penalty.



Here were Ryan's targets:



Julio Jones: 2

Aldrick Robinson: 1

Mohamed Sanu: 1





Julio Jones was targeted twice, but didn't catch a single pass. One throw hit he turf right in front of him, while the second sailed over his head. He was on the field for just one drive.





While Matt Ryan and Julio Jones lasted just one possession, Devonta Freeman inexplicably played into the second quarter of the preseason debut. This was puzzling, to say the least, as he's the clear-cut starter, and running backs are more prone to injury than other positions. Freeman didn't fare very well, mustering just nine yards on five carries, most of which came on one 8-yard burst. Freeman also dropped a touchdown pass thrown right to him by Matt Schaub. Perhaps Freeman was just shocked that Schaub's attempt wasn't pick-sixed. In all seriousness, Freeman has major bust potential this year, and he's someone to avoid.





Mohamed Sanu looked better than anticipated, though that should be taken with a grain of salt because both Schaub (10-of-15, 179 yards) and Sean Renfree torched Washington's second- and third-string secondary. Yes, Schaub looked great. Somehow. Anyway, Sanu caught two balls for 18 yards and should've had a third reception, which was negated by what should've been a pass interference call.





A player worth noting on the other side of the ball is rookie De'Vondre Campbell. The fourth-round rookie had an excellent preseason debut. He showed some great instincts, as he constantly seemed to be at the right place at the right time. Atlanta's first-round rookie, Keanu Neal, sat out with an injury.





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