We’re only one week into the NFL’s preseason, but there are already several storylines to talk about throughout the league.
The preseason is primarily used to help rookies fight for a roster spot, but it also gives us a very small sample size of what we may see during the regular season.
All noninjury related developments should be taken with a grain of salt given it’s only week 1 of the preseason, but they are still notable none the less.
Here are the highs and lows of all of the 2018 football we’ve seen thus far.
Winners
Baker Mayfield
The No.1 overall pick still has a very long way to go if he wants to save Cleveland from the pit of misery, but his first outing gave Browns fans a lot to be excited about.
He went 11-20 with 212 passing yards and two touchdowns, one of which came after a very pretty 3rd and 18 conversion. Mayfield was under pressure all night long but regularly made great plays both inside and outside the pocket to keep drives alive.
His arm looked solid all night but he also made some great plays with his legs. In the second quarter, he converted both a 3rd and 6 and a 4th and 2 situation on New York’s side of the field before hitting Tight End David Njoku in the end zone with a touchdown pass.
The QB battle between Baker Mayfield and Tyrod Taylor should be fun to watch over the next several weeks as both were solid in their Browns debut.
Saquon Barkley
There are already very high NFL expectations for former Penn State running back Saquon Barkley, but his preseason debut will only add to the hype.
Barkley ripped through the Browns defense with a 39 yard run on his very first carry as a pro on a play that looked totally blown up and going nowhere. The No.2 overall pick was swarmed by six defenders immediately after the snap but proceeded to zigzag through Cleveland’s front seven with patience like Le’veon Bell before showing off a Todd Gurley like burst en route to midfield.
He finished the night with only four carries and 43 yards, but that’s only because New York sat him after the first quarter.
Only time will tell if Barkley can be as dominant in New York as he was in college, but he’s already off to a great start.
John Ross
John Ross was one of the most hyped up rookies heading into the 2017 campaign, but after several injuries that resulted in him missing most of the year, most people just forgot about him.
His first 2018 appearance had its ups and downs, but his pretty 20-yard catch and run shows that he’s at least healthy and back on the field once again and ready to break some ankles at the pro level. He almost had a touchdown in the second quarter after a poor ball from Matt Barkley, but the former first rounder is still showing progress.
The former Washington superstar looks to finally make a name for himself on the NFL stage once the regular season rolls around.
The Eagles Defense
The best front seven in football proved their dominance once again in their preseason opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Pittsburgh boasts a top-five offensive line, but even with several starters in the game, Fletcher Cox and company were able to regularly make their way to the Quarterback. The Eagles starters recorded a sack in each of their two first-quarter appearances and were able to hold running back James Conner to just 11 yards on the ground.
Philly’s front seven looks like they’re already back in Super Bowl caliber form and ready to wreak havoc on the NFL.
The Eagles Offensive Line
It was a very good day in the trenches for the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Steelers sent several defensive starters at the Eagles quarterbacks, but their run game remained strong and their quarterbacks remained upright. Corey Clement and Jay Ajayi were able to gash the Steelers starters for 50 yards on the ground. They would’ve had even more if not for some timely tackles for losses by Pittsburgh.
The Eagles look to once again prove that their offensive line is the most underrated in the entire league.
The Steelers WR Core
We already know Antonio Brown is arguably the best wide receiver of this generation, but the Steelers once again will have plenty more toys for Big Ben to work with.
JuJu Smith Schuster looked like Randy Moss on a first Quarter 70-yard touchdown. Rookie James Washington showed he can make some fantastic combative catches with a fantastic high point off of a Mason Rudolph 35 yard deep ball.
The big surprise so far, however, has been undrafted free agent rookie Damoun Patterson. The rookie wideout has been great in training camp and shined in his preseason debut with six catches, 77 yards, and a very pretty touchdown reception that went viral on NFL twitter.
The quality play of the two rookies might make the likes of Darrius Heyward Bey and Justin Hunter potential trade pieces.
The Steelers CB Room
They might still lack a clear star, but the Steelers secondary isn’t the dumpster fire it has been for most of the 2010’s.
Cam Sutton and Coty Sensabaugh each recorded an interception and look to build on their 2017 campaigns where they didn’t play much, but they made their snaps count. Joe Haden had a bounce-back season and Mike Hilton looks to improve after his breakout rookie season with two interceptions, four sacks, and a forced fumble.
There are still question marks with Artie Burns, who struggled in his sophomore season, but the arrow is pointed up with this squad—for now.
Kelvin Benjamin
The Bills Quarterback room may be a work in progress—to put it nicely—but Kelvin Benjamin is healthy and got to score against his old team.
He only had 217 yards in six games with Buffalo in 2017, but considering the ultra-safe play style of Tyrod Taylor and the run first attitude with LeSean McCoy, that’s honestly not bad.
Josh Allen’s arm is great, but he is going to be a project at the quarterback position. If he can have a safety net to throw to like Kelvin Benjamin, then maybe his development could move in a positive direction.
Deshaun Watson
He didn’t play much in his 2018 debut, but he showed that he is at least somewhat healthy and ready to start the 2018 regular season after his rookie campaign was cut short.
In the seven games he played during his rookie year, he threw 19 touchdowns with 1,699 passing yards and held a 103 passer rating. His season was forced to a halt after he suddenly tore his ACL in practice.
He only threw a single pass for a gain of four yards in his first preseason game against the Chiefs, but the fact that he was actually active let alone practicing is a huge step in the right direction.
The Houston Texans hope that they can ride their young star QB to at least a playoff berth this season.
Joe Flacco
Joe Flacco went 5-7 for 77 yards and a touchdown in his 2018 preseason debut and showed that if nothing else he is still better than Lamar Jackson is right now.
He doesn’t have many weapons to work with on offense, but that doesn’t excuse his poor level of play since winning the Super Bowl 47. Flacco signed a six-year $120.6 million dollar contract after claiming the Super Bowl 47 MVP award, but he has failed to throw more than 20 touchdowns in a season since 2014. The Ravens quarterback has also thrown 40 interceptions over the last three seasons with a passer rating under 84.
His games in Baltimore might be numbered, but Flacco proved that this is still his team for the time being.
Shaquem Griffin
One-handed linebacker Shaquem Griffin has been one of the best feel-good stories in years.
He recorded nine tackles—one of which was for a loss—and showed several flashes of stardom in his first NFL preseason game.
Griffin recorded seven sacks, an interception, and 43 solo tackles in his final college season and looks to take his skills to the pro level in Seattle.
Time will tell if he can be as good as he was at the University of Central Florida, but he’s off to a solid start.
Andrew Luck
It has been seemingly forever since we’ve witnessed Andrew Luck on the football field, but the Colts quarterback is finally throwing again.
His stat line of 6-9 and 64 yards isn’t anything to marvel at, but his return to the field has been a long time coming. The Colts haven’t reached the playoffs since 2014, but adding Andrew Luck back to their roster is sure to give them a fighting chance at returning the playoffs.
People quickly forget that Andrew Luck’s incredible 2014 campaign was enough to carry Indianapolis all the way to the AFC Championship.
Sam Darnold
I don’t want to jump the gun given how early it is in the preseason, but I think the New York Jets have found their guy.
Darnold entered late in the second quarter and successfully executed a two-minute drill situation with a touchdown pass to end the half. He wasn’t perfect on 3rd down but he did convert a 3rd and 11 situation in the 4th quarter. Darnold left the night with a line of 13-19 for 96 yards alongside a 103 passer rating and gave the Jets faithful something to be excited about.
The Jets might not be ready to challenge the Patriots in the AFC East, but they look like they’ve at least found their franchise quarterback.
Kirk Cousins
After being franchise tagged several times by the Washington Redskins, Kirk Cousins has decided to take his talents to Minnesota.
He is coming off three consecutive 4,000-yard season, so the Vikings are hoping that he can be the stable franchise quarterback they’ve been looking for. Their QB room hasn’t been bad, but they haven’t had the guy to anchor their otherwise fantastic roster.
In his first ever drive as a member of the Vikings, Cousins dismantled the Broncos defense and threw a touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs. He completed all four of his passes for 44 yards and the aforementioned touchdown to Diggs.
Minnesota rolled the dice in paying Cousins the contract that he wanted, let’s see if it pays off.
Patriots Running Backs
The Patriots offense didn’t do much in their opener against the Washington Redskins, but they still got some decent running back performances.
Jeremy Hill and Ralph Webb looked solid in their first games in Patriot uniforms. The pair combined for 97 yards and three total touchdowns. Mike Gillislee struggled throughout the game so it’s a good sign for New England that they have at least a couple of quality running backs, even if they aren’t workhorses.
New England will need some extra splash in their backfield after the loss of Dion Lewis, they hope that they can find someone in their large committee to do just that.
Losers
Chargers Health
Over the last decade, the Chargers have been one of the most cursed pro sports franchises when it comes to injuries.
Before training camp even began, starting tight end Hunter Henry tore his ACL, ending his season before it even began. Cornerback Jason Verrett will now miss the entire 2018 campaign due to a torn Achilles tendon. Now star defensive end Joey Bosa is rumored to have a lower-body injury of some sort that will hold him out for a while.
Paxton Lynch
Paxton Lynch was expected to be the successor to Peyton Manning when he was drafted in the first round of the 2016 draft, but now he’s looking like a bust.
He concluded his preseason game against the Vikings by going 6-11 with 24 yards and an interception. It got so bad that the Broncos fans in the stadium actually booed him off the field.
In his five total regular season games, he has thrown only 792 yards, four touchdowns, and four interceptions.
It’s looking more and more certain that Case Keenum will be the starter for the Broncos in 2018. Lynch may be looking for a job come the end of preseason.
Bucs Kickers
The Buccaneers are one of a few franchises over the last several years that just can’t seem to figure out the kicker position.
They drafted Roberto Aguayo with the 59th overall pick in the 2016 draft, but he struggled mightily his rookie year so he was eventually cut. Chandler Catanzaro looks like their kicker for 2018, but he missed a field goal and a PAT in his debut.
It may be another long season on special teams for the Bucs.
Sean Mannion
The Rams look like a heavy Super Bowl favorite due to their high-powered offense filled with potential pro bowlers, but they might have an issue at back up quarterback.
Sean Mannion failed to record a scoring drive while going 3-13 for 16 yards and an interception against the Ravens.
While the Rams have championship goals this year, they just better hope that Jared Goff stays healthy.
Lamar Jackson
Lamar Jackson has been fine in his two preseason outings, but his current level of play won’t be enough to unseat Flacco as the team’s starter.
He went 7-19 for 119 yards against the Rams but had a passer rating of only 62 on the night. Jackson also had five rushing attempts that went for a total of 21 yards.
The rookie has not been bad by any means, but he certainly doesn’t look like an NFL starter quite yet. Even Robert Griffin III looks like he’s a step ahead of the rookie quarterback for now.
Derrius Guice
The former LSU running back tore his ACL in the first quarter of his first NFL game and he will be forced to miss the entire season.
He ripped a 34-yard run in the first quarter—which was called back for holding—and looked ready to break several other runs, but this will, unfortunately, be the last we see of him in 2018.
The Redskins drafted him in the second round of the 2018 draft and fans were hoping he would finally light a spark under their backfield. He rushed for 1,251 yards and 11 touchdowns in his final season at LSU, but he will have to wait another year before taking his talents to the NFL.
Steelers Linebacker Depth
The Steelers have some stars in their front seven, but boy do they have a lot of holes.
Outside linebackers Bud Dupree and TJ Watt should once again have pro bowl level season, but there is no depth should they ever be injured.
The loss of Ryan Shazier made the inside linebacker position even more concerning. Vince Williams is a very underrated player that is more than capable of starting, but Jon Bostic, who signed in free agency, struggled in his Steelers debut.
The Steelers were among the worst in the league in missed tackles a season ago and those issues immediately resurfaced in their preseason showdown with the Eagles.
Pittsburgh missed a whopping 18 tackles against the Eagles, one of which was a missed sack that Nate Sudfeld turned into a 15-yard touchdown pass.
Stephon Gilmore
Patriots fans shouldn’t read into this too much, but Gilmore did struggle a bit against the Redskins last Thursday.
The Redskins targeted him on numerous occasions and he gave up a number of chunk yardage plays. Robert Davis had a 20-yard reception while working against Gilmore. In the first quarter of play, he saw three targets, all three of which resulted in receptions for a total of 39 yards.
Again this was probably just an off day for him, but he didn’t play well in his 2018 debut.
NFL Fans
I love football and if you’re reading this that probably means you love the game of football as well, but several rule changes might make this year a grind.
Several rule changes have been made in the name of safety, but regardless of your opinion on them, it is an undeniable fact that games are going to be made much longer. The first week of preseason saw a staggering 275 penalties for 2,371 yards. That’s a lot, even for a week of preseason.
It will be interesting to see if longer games have an effect on ratings moving forward.
