Philadelphia Eagles fans couldn’t even get to halftime of the preseason opener before the first “We want Wentz!” chant.

You can’t blame them for being excited about quarterback Carson Wentz, the second pick of the NFL draft. He’s the Eagles’ future, and Thursday night was the fans’ first look at him in game action. Wentz gave the fans enough reason for hope, and he gave the coaches enough mistakes to correct.

Wentz got in late in the first half of the Eagles’ 17-9 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and his first completion showed why he was the second pick of the draft.

After an incompletion, Wentz stepped up in the pocket toward his right and delivered a blazing fastball to Zach Ertz for a 19-yard gain. Nobody ever questioned if Wentz’s arm is good enough.

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Wentz is also a solid athlete, showing off his athleticism on one third-quarter run when he avoided the rush, got outside and then cut upfield for a nice gain. Wentz also ran a third-down read option, but was upended just before he got the first down.

Wentz had some moments when it was clear why the Eagles gave up so much in a trade to move up and draft him, but he also looked like a rookie. He seemed a bit amped up — he fired a third-down pass over Ertz, throwing his fastball when a changeup would have gotten the completion. He also had a terrible throw in the third quarter. On third-and-10, with a clean pocket and receiver Cayleb Jones running wide open downfield. Wentz didn’t come close, throwing it way over Jones’ head and incomplete.

Wentz had his worst rookie moment in the third quarter. With the Eagles in the red zone, his intended target ran a hesitation route crossing the field. And Wentz, just before he was crushed by defensive tackle A.J. Francis, made a dangerous throw that sailed too high and was picked off. He’ll learn that QBs shouldn’t make throws like that, especially so close to the end zone.

Nobody expected Wentz to look like a polished pro, especially coming from an FCS program at North Dakota State, and he was predictably uneven. Wentz won’t start the regular season for the Eagles unless something unexpected happens to Sam Bradford and Chase Daniel over the next few weeks. So he’ll have plenty of time, over the next three weeks and beyond, to get used to the NFL.

Carson Wentz in his preseason debut (AP) More

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The Jacksonville Jaguars are expected to make a nice jump this season, and the first look at them in the preseason won’t slow down that hype.

Allen Robinson was in midseason form in Jacksonville’s 17-13 loss to the New York Jets, with a few nice catches including an incredible grab for 45 yards. He had 80 yards in the first quarter. Thanks to his No. 1 receiver grabbing everything thrown his way, quarterback Blake Bortles was 6-of-7 for 105 yards.

The run game looked good too. Chris Ivory had 26 yards and a touchdown on six carries. T.J. Yeldon made the most of his four carries, getting 26 yards. The Jaguars’ starters played most of the first quarter, and they led 10-0 at the end of it.

The Jaguars had a great offseason, grabbing a few high-priced veterans and getting Jalen Ramsey and Myles Jack in the draft. If the starting offense is as efficient as it was Thursday night, the Jaguars should be fun to watch this season.

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The preseason doesn’t count, but New England Patriots running back Tyler Gaffney had a moment in a 34-22 win over the New Orleans Saints that had to feel special.

Gaffney missed each of the past two seasons, and each of the past two preseasons as well, due to injuries. Thursday was the first preseason game of his career, about 27 months after he was a sixth-round pick of the Carolina Panthers. It was his first game since Jan. 1, 2014, when he had 91 yards and a touchdown for Stanford in a 24-20 Rose Bowl loss to Michigan State. And Gaffney showed why the Patriots brought him back this season, even after he couldn’t stay healthy the previous two years.

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