NFL Preseason Week 2 Preview: Are Seattle’s Youngsters Shining Again?

Week 2 of the preseason is here: Can Seattle’s youngsters build on a good start? Which quarterbacks break away in the internal duels? Is the Romeo Doubs show going on, and how are the Browns handling their quarterback situation?

NFL: Preseason Week 2 Previews

Seattle Seahawks (0-1) – Chicago Bears (1-0) (Fr., 2 Uhr)

• The Seahawks are all about the quarterback duel. Geno Smith opened the game at the start, Drew Lock then took over – both had ups and downs in their game. Lock should have started this time, but has fallen ill with Corona and is out. A bitter setback in an open duel. Instead in focus: The young offensive line, which made a good first impression. That was against the Steelers backups, do the Bears offer a bigger challenge? Can rookie receivers Bo Melton and Dareke Young gain ground? And can rookie pass rusher Boye Mafe repeat his strong debut? Seattle has a lot of young players, the first impression was quite positive.
• Mafe is also the transition to the Bears, because Chicago offered the starters against the Chiefs – but it also revealed its potentially biggest construction site: the offensive line. Here, the Bears swam against Kansas City’s first and second guard. If that happens again against Seattle, the worry lines in the Windy City won’t exactly diminish. Pros: Trestan Ebner made a good impression, can the sixth-round rookie further cement the third running back spot?

New England Patriots (0-1) – Carolina Panthers (1-0) (Sa., 1 Uhr)

• The Patriots are the team that may have more observers on the sidelines than on the field at this point: Who’s calling on offense? And how does that affect the overall situation? The Patriots have joint training sessions with the Panthers in the run-up to the game, so it can be assumed that Mac Jones will not play in week 2 of the preseason either. In that case, Bailey Zappe could continue to show himself, the focus is also on the playmakers. Rookie receiver Tyquan Thornton had a good first game, although the stat line doesn’t necessarily reflect that. Any additional momentum will benefit this offense.
• With the Panthers, the quarterback duel is at least still communicated to the outside as open and there are reports that the decision should be made after this game. But there’s also little reason to believe that Baker Mayfield Not the starter is, the joint units as well as the game against the Patriots could confirm that for the time being. Rookie tackle Ikem Ekwonu had his wobbles in Week 1 as he needs to rack up more snaps and adjust to the NFL.

Green Bay Packers (0-1) – New Orleans Saints (0-1) (Sa., 2 Uhr)

• Is the Romeo Doubs show going on? After another big play against San Francisco last week, the hype surrounding the rookie receiver didn’t exactly diminish. Jordan Love had a manageable game against the Niners and will have to show more, he will get another chance against the Saints. The game is likely to come too early for Christian Watson, the first receiver Green Bay picked last draft, and for Robert Tonyan. Although both were activated by the PUP list on Sunday, just like lineman Elgton Jenkins, they are now slowly being introduced.
• With the Saints, a very different injury question is the focus: How’s Jameis Winston’s foot? New Orleans’ quarterback injured his foot last week, and since then there has been a question mark as to when exactly he can come back. It shouldn’t be a serious injury, but he missed week 1. So it could be the Ian Book show again, but could we still see more of first-round pick Chris Olave, who only caught a ball for four yards in the opener? And will cornerback Paulson Adebo continue his strong offseason?

Los Angeles Rams (1-0) v Houston Texans (1-0) (Sat, 4 p.m.)

• At this point, it should be well known that Sean McVay is keeping his starters out in the preseason. Accordingly, the Rams once again focus on the question of which backups stand out. Pass rusher Keir Thomas had a good game with four pressures against the Chargers, while receiver Lance McCutcheon got a lot of work with six goals and two touchdowns. Perhaps exciting here: Tutu Atwell and an attempt to challenge Ben Skowronek for third receiver spot in the absence of Van Jefferson.
• The Texans are in a completely different situation than the Rams: This team is still in the process of figuring out which players could even become future stars. And maybe they found one in the backfield: Dameon Pierce continued a good camp with a strong performance against the Saints. He could be a candidate to earn a spot this preseason.

Buffalo Bills (1-0) v Denver Broncos (1-0) (Sat, 7 p.m.)

• The cornerback spot across from Tre’Davious White is the biggest question mark in a very complete Bills roster, at least in the short term. First-round pick Kaiir Elam had a bumpy training camp and was inconsistent against the Colts the week before. The Bills may want to test him further. Also interesting is the situation in the backfield alongside Devin Singletary, where Zack Moss, Duke Johnson and rookie James Cook all came into play last week.
• The Broncos kept almost all of the starters out in Week 1, so seeing who was still playing was almost more telling. Like guard Graham Glasgow or tight end Albert Okwuegbunam. Josh Johnson showed clearly that he is the better backup quarterback choice compared to Brett Rypien, if Denver sits out their starters again, young players like Nik Bonitto can continue to show themselves.

Indianapolis Colts (0-1) – Detroit Lions (0-1) (Saturday, 7 p.m.)

• In week 1, the Colts offered numerous starters, especially offensively, not everything went smoothly. However, head coach Frank Reich has already announced that the starters will not be involved against Detroit – Indianapolis has joint training sessions with the Lions beforehand, this is where the starters will work. Reich also announced that running back Jonathan Taylor will not be used throughout the preseason. So also a chance for players like rookie tight end Jelani Woods or receiver Ashton Dulin to show themselves.
• The Lions also gave their starters a few snaps last week against Atlanta, and Jared Goff is said to have even called for them. As a result, however, it is also quite possible that the Lions, like the Colts, will keep the starters out on Saturday after the joint training days. More chances for slot receiver Tom Kennedy, who saw an absurd 11 targets last week, for a solid 3.25 yards per route run.