After a week of preseason football, NFL fans saw their favorite suit up for the first time competitively in nearly six months. A loss in preseason football is nothing to be overly concerned about because teams tend to sit their starters or play only one or two series. However, preseason football allows us to see who will be the starter at a position, help us evaluate young talent, and whether a team has improved upon bad tendencies. In this article, we discuss the five major storylines after week 1.
5. Trey Lance gives hope-the pressure is on the number 3 draft pick to prove he can be the starter for a team primed to contend this season. As expected, Lance only played in the team’s first two offensive series but he did make 49ers fans feel a bit better about their chances this season. Lance completed 4 of 5 passes for 92 yards and a touchdown. Lance showcased his ability to make the big throws down the field when he hit Danny Gray for a 76-yard touchdown pass to speed receiver Danny Gray. Of course, it’s just the preseason, and the Packers did not play many of their starters on defense but Lance gave the fans hope.
4. Still uncertainty about Jordan Love- the Packers have a tradition of drafting their franchise quarterback after Brett Favre passed the torch to Aaron Rodgers. It was a surprise to most when they decided to draft their quarterback of the future in 2020 when they took Jordan Love in the first round. However, in limited game action since entering the league, Love has failed to show he is ready to take the reigns in Green Bay. In this matchup against the 49ers, Love made two touchdown throws while making three costly interceptions. Jordan completed 13 of 24 passes and 24 yards on the groundy. Love showed some promise but there are still uncertainties about whether he can be a number one quarterback in the league.
3. Panthers QB Competition heating up- another interesting situation in the league is down in Carolina. In July, the Panthers pulled the trigger in trading a 2024 5th-round pick to the Cleveland Browns for Baker Mayfield. Mayfield got the start against the Washington Commanders in the first matchup of the preseason and went 4 of 7 passes for 45 yards in his only series while leading the team to a field goal. Panthers Coach Matt Rhule described the performance as a mixture of good and bad. He stated, “he had a nice long drive to start the game. So it looked somewhat clean until the very end.” The negative was a 4-yard loss after a fumbled snap that forced a third-and-14 at the Commanders’ 23-yard line and stalling the drive. Sam Darnold went 2-3 for 16 yards with a touchdown in his limited action but had the benefit of starting his first drive at Washington’s 19-yard line. It will be interesting to see what happens when the Panthers play the Patriots as the competition intensifies.
2. Cowboys Indiscipline- America’s team struggled to win important games last season because they lacked discipline on the field resulting in 127 penalties. That figure led the league, and contributed to their early departure from the playoffs. Coach Mike McCarthy would have expected an improvement in preseason given the eye-opening statistic. The team lost their opening preseason game 17-7 to the Broncos and was shut-out for 55 minutes. The most concerning part were the 17 penalties the team gave up leading the league for week 1 of the preseason. McCarthy tried to downplay it but the Cowboys discipline is still a concern.
1. Zach Wilson gets injured-the Jets had a good draft and were touted as a team to make strides in this upcoming season. Some analysts even had them getting a better record than the Patriots. However, the Jets were dealt a blow when the second-year quarterback injured his knee in attempting to sidestep an impending tackle by Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean. Wilson had to leave the game and taken into the locker room, where he underwent evaluation. Zack was seen walking gingerly on the sidelines without a brace later in the game. He will require surgery, and the initial expectation is that Wilson will miss up to 4 weeks of action. It means that the Jets will have to turn to backup Joe Flacco, and the fanbase will be wondering whether their high draft pick will be able to remain healthy in this l