It’s Week 2 of the NFL preseason and the action is just starting to heat up (That is if preseason football can heat up at all!). There is no shortage of storylines this week with the Bills and Steelers playing in Toronto, Brett Favre debuting as a Jet and rookie running backs continuing to impress across the league. Here is what to watch for in each and every game this week.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Pittsburgh vs. Buffalo -2, 7:30 pm
What to Watch For: The Bills and Steelers playing north of the border. Trent Edwards and the Bills play their first of eight games over the next five years in Toronto. With all of the money and promotion going into this game, the pressure will be on for the teams to put on a higher quality game than your average preseason affair. This should be the best game of the week.
Carolina vs. Philadelphia -3, 8:00 pm
What to Watch For: The Panthers are looking to enact some preseason revenge after they were spanked by the Eagles 27-10 last year in preseason play. Jake Delhomme is coming off of Tommy John surgery to his elbow and threw just one pass last week. Look for Delhomme to test his elbow a little more against the Eagles. For Philadelphia, Donavon McNabb was impressive in his appearance vs. Pittsburgh, throwing 10 of 13 for 97 yards and a touchdown. Also, Brian Westbrook could play following the signing of his new deal.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Oakland vs. Tennessee -4.5, 8:00 pm
What to Watch For: The running backs from both teams. Oakland rushed for 248 yards against San Francisco with first-round draft pick, Darren McFadden contributing 12 carries for 48 yards. For the Titans, another first-round draft pick, Chris Johnson showed his 4.24 speed and was explosive last week against the Rams. Johnson had 7 carries for 90 yards rushing, including a 66-yard run for a touchdown. Starters Justin McCareins (WR) and Tony Brown (DT) will make their first appearances in the preseason.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Washington vs. New York Jets -3, 7:00 pm
What to Watch For: What else? Brett Favre’s debut for the New York Jets. As for the Redskins, the QBs have been impressive in learning new head coach Jim Zorn’s West Coast Offense. Jason Campbell and Todd Collins are a combined 25 of 32 for 241 yards with 2 touchdowns and an interception.
Indianapolis vs. Atlanta -2.5, 7:30 pm
What to Watch For: Let’s see a little more of Matt Ryan for the Falcons. Ryan was highly impressive in his performance last week. He earned compliments from both sidelines after throwing 9 of 15 for 113 yards and a touchdown against Jacksonville’s first-team defense. For the Colts, the O-Line was horrendous last week and couldn’t protect back-up Jim Sorgi at all. This is concerning, especially with Peyton Manning coming off knee surgery.
Miami vs. Jacksonville -4, 7:30 pm
What to Watch For: The Dolphins’ QB competition. Chad Pennington joins Josh McCown, John Beck and Chad Henne in the competition and could see his first action as a Dolphin this week. With only three spots available and four QBs, the pressure will be on McCown and Beck, as either one could be the odd man out. For the Jaguars, Fred Taylor will see his first game action after sitting out Week 1.
Minnesota vs. Baltimore -2.5, 7:30 pm
What to Watch For: Adrian Peterson. He acted as just a decoy last week and will hopefully carry the ball a few times against the Ravens. For Baltimore, Willis McGahee will likely miss the rest of the preseason, so we should see a heavy dose of Ray Rice. There is also the ongoing QB competition in Baltimore between Kyle Boller, Troy Smith and Joe Flacco. Boller started and was impressive in Week 1, while Troy Smith showed poise in his playing time and will get the start versus the Vikings.
Houston vs. New Orleans -4, 8:00 pm
What to Watch For: Steve Slaton of the Texans. The rookie out of West Virginia had a team-leading 37 rushing yards on 11 carries and four kickoff returns for 97 yards in Week 1. Slaton will likely be the Texans’ situational third-down back this year, but with injuries to Ahman Green and Chris Brown, it could give Slaton the opportunity to earn more playing time. For the Saints, nine regulars, including Marques Colston, Deuce McAllister and the newly acquired Jeremy Shockey didn’t play in Week 1, so look for any number of them to see action this week.
Arizona vs. Kansas City -3, 8:00 pm
What to Watch For: Anquan Boldin and Kurt Warner didn’t play last week, but they should play this week. Warner was held back for third-stringer Brian St. Pierre because the Cards didn’t want Warner limited to just a few plays. For the Chiefs, it is all about the kids. Kansas City had twelve draft picks this year, including Glenn Dorsey, Braden Albert, Brandon Flowers, Jamaal Charles and Brad Cottam. Dorsey has a sprained left knee and might not play.
San Diego vs. St. Louis, 8:00 pm
What to Watch For: Jacob Hester. The rookie running back for the Chargers scored twice against the Cowboys, while rushing for 49 yards. He will be competing with Darren Sproles to replace Michael Turner as the backup behind LaDainian Tomlinson. For the Rams, Head Coach Scott Linehan just wants his team to play and show some sort of heart. Linehan said “I don’t care who’s in there, whether it’s the third-teamers or the rookies. I just want to see the true grit of our football team come out as we move forward.”
Dallas vs. Denver -2, 8:00 pm
What to Watch For: With the injury to rookie back Ryan Torain, the Broncos will now have an open competition in the backfield. Selvin Young will get the start, but keep an eye on Andre Hall, Anthony Aldridge, and veteran Michael Pittman. For the Cowboys, Felix Jones and Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones will be on display. Felix is an exciting player out of Arkansas and can dazzle on the field. The cornerback formerly known as Pacman saw considerable playing time in the second half of Week 1 and might get some time with the first-team defense this week.
Chicago vs. Seattle -2.5, 9:00 pm
What to Watch For: Julius Jones will get his chance to start for the Seahawks after co-starter Maurice Morris got to start in Week 1. Also, with Bobby Engram out six to eight weeks with a shoulder injury, look for some fresh names among the Seahawks’ wideouts to get a chance to earn an early season job. For the Bears, the fumbling and bumbling of Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton as they compete for the starter’s job in Chicago. Always good for a laugh, unless you’re a Bears fan.
Green Bay vs. San Francisco -3, 9:00 pm
What to Watch For: The continuation of the Aaron Rodgers era in Green Bay. Rodgers survived an early interception and groans from the crowd to finish with an impressive 9 of 15 for 117 yards and a touchdown. The 49ers will continue their open competition at QB after none of their three quarterbacks did anything to separate themselves last week. Alex Smith or Shaun Hill should get the start after J.T. O’Sullivan started against Oakland in Week 1.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Detroit vs. Cincinnati -3.5, 7:35 pm
What to Watch For: Ocho Cinco. Chad Johnson is always entertaining to watch, and after catching just one pass last week; he should get a few more touches vs. Detroit. The Bengals’ first-round draft pick, Keith Rivers was very impressive in recording 7 tackles in Week 1 vs. Green Bay. For the Lions, keep an eye on rookie running back Kevin Smith as he plays his way into the starter’s job over Tatum Bell. He rushed for 22 yards on 8 carries against the Giants.
New England vs. Tampa Bay -2, 8:00 pm
What to Watch For: Tom Brady had last week off vs. Baltimore, so we might get to see the MVP play a series or two. Behind Brady, there is an open competition for the backup role between Matt Cassel, Kevin O’Connell and Matt Gutierrez. The Buccaneers will continue to showcase their four quarterbacks behind Jeff Garcia to the league. Luke McCown, Brian Griese, Chris Simms and Josh Johnson are fighting for two spots on the roster and the Bucs are hoping to trade at least one of these four.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Cleveland vs. New York Giants -3, 8:00 pm
What to Watch For: It is always interesting to watch the Super Bowl champions and how they play the following season, even if it is just a preseason contest. Plaxico Burress and David Tyree didn’t play in Week 1, and could see some time on Monday Night Football. For the Browns, it is all about their high-powered offense. Kellen Winslow sat out last week with a hamstring strain and might join Derek Anderson, Braylon Edwards and the rest of the first-team offense in taking on the champs on MNF.
