There are only two weeks of the NFL preseason
left, and the second full week brought about many remarkable moments and a few
surprises. There is only one way to jump into all of the headlines - and that's rapid
fire.
Browns beat down Packers, but no one
seems to notice
I couldn't care less if it is the preseason, the Browns winning anything - and being 2-0 in the preseason - is impressive. Cleveland pummeled the Packers, 35-10, and rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden looked good. He completed 12-20
passes for 118 yards. His counterpart Aaron Rodgers did a quick 6-11 passes
with a touchdown, before being pulled.
Gabbert not so dead to
Jacksonville
Hold on, Jaguar fans: yes, all the flack Blaine Gabbert got last season was well
deserved, but young Mr. Gabbert has played well so far in two preseason games.
Even though this team has absolutely nothing to be excited about this season, Gabbert's progress is a sight for sore eyes. The Jags beat the
Saints, 27-24, on a last second touchdown hook-up between Kevin Elliott and Jordan Palmer. Gabbert helped the cause with two first half touchdowns.
Rookie trade bait
Having
depth at the quarterback position is always a good thing, and the Redskins appears to have
just that with their set of rookies. Robert Griffin III is obviously the starter, but
backup rookie Kirk Cousins is making some noise. He played well in the Skins’
first preseason game and, after RGIII had his short run at the Bears’ cover 2
defense, Cousins came in and shredded it. He threw for 264 yards in less than 3
quarters, and dropped three touchdowns on the Bears’ second and third string. That's impressive no matter the level of competition.
Bears out of hibernation
After
not playing most of their starters in their first preseason game, the
Bears showed on the field that they were improved.
Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall look to be back to their old ways: Marshall
caught 2 passes for 61 yards, and Cutler played a quarter
and some change, throwing for 7-13 and 122 yards. Michael Bush had two touchdowns,
and rookie Alshon Jeffery caught all three of his targets for 62 yards. The
Bears look dangerous.
Giants step on Jets
I’ve been saying that the Jets just don’t look that good, and the
Giants proved it over the weekend. The Giants beat the Jets 26-3, holding them to just over 200 yards of total offense. Both Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow
looked bad. Sanchez was 9-11 but only for 59 yards; plus, he threw an
interception. Tebow was only 5-14 for 69 yards passing while rushing for 5 yards on 2 attempts.
Peyton needs WD-40, rust leads to
loss
The Broncos were blasted by the Seahawks, 30-10, Saturday night, and
Peyton Manning did not have a good outing. He was sharp at times, but threw
two interceptions after driving down the field. He finished 16-23 with 177
yards passing. Seattle held the Broncos to under 250 yards of total offense.
The Broncos look as if they'll need those last two preseason games to shake off Manning’s rust and get synced into the no huddle offense.