Bryce Young didn’t play in the first two preseason games, and that worried some.
The first overall pick in last year’s NFL draft didn’t have a great rookie season with the Carolina Panthers, even though he wasn’t put in a great situation. This season, with a new coach and improved teammates, was supposed to be different. But Young didn’t play the first two games. There weren’t any live performances from Young and the starters in coach Dave Canales’ scheme.
Canales played Young in the preseason finale on Saturday and it turns out the timing was perfect.
If Young and the Panthers needed a confidence boost heading into the regular season, they got it in a 31-26 win over the Buffalo Bills. Young completed 6 of 8 passes for 70 yards and a touchdown. He sat down after that drive. He worked a bit and leaves the preseason with a positive result.
Beyond the stats, Young looked comfortable. He hit rookie tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders on a nice, powerful pass up the middle. He made an impressive play to avoid a sack and then took a hit, which the Panthers’ coaches probably didn’t appreciate, but it might be good to get rid of that first hit of the season. The Panthers went for it on fourth-and-3, and Young bought time, scrambling to his left, then threw a tough pass on the move to Diontae Johnson for the first down. On the next play, he moved to his right and hit Adam Thielen for another completion.
Young finished the drive with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Matthews, which may have been his easiest pass of the drive. The Bills had a poor coverage and left Matthews in scoring position.
A preseason workout against backups doesn’t tell us much about Young and his ability to bounce back from a bad rookie season. But for fans who wanted to see Young play some in the preseason, they had to be happy with the results.
Two passes shouldn’t be enough to sway opinions, but the Steelers offense needed something positive this preseason and finally got it.
Russell Wilson completed both passes on his only series and Cordarrelle Patterson ran for a 31-yard touchdown on Wilson’s only drive, which has been remarkable for the Steelers this preseason. Heading into Saturday, Wilson and Justin Fields had played a combined 13 preseason possessions and the Steelers had scored just three points in those drives. Two completions likely secured Wilson’s starting spot for Week 1. One of the passes was a nice 31-yard pass to George Pickens. Wilson was well protected, which has also been an issue this preseason for Pittsburgh. The Steelers lost 24-17 to the Detroit Lions, but finding positives on offense was the biggest takeaway.
The Steelers have had some injuries on their offensive line and could be without running back Jaylen Warren early in the season with a hamstring injury. The quarterback play hasn’t been very inspiring. Pittsburgh’s defense will be very good again, but the offense has been shaky in the preseason. A Wilson touchdown doesn’t change everything, but at least there’s something good from this group as August comes to a close and the regular season begins.
Cam Akers has been overlooked for most of the offseason. That can happen suddenly for running backs.
Two years ago, Akers had a solid season with the Los Angeles Rams, throwing for 786 yards and seven touchdowns. That was welcome news after he rushed back from an Achilles injury to help the Rams win a Super Bowl the previous season. Then last season, Akers was traded for Kyren Williams, traded for a bargain price to the Minnesota Vikings and didn’t make much of an impact there. He signed with the Houston Texans in July without much fanfare.
Akers helped himself this preseason. He ran hard and well for the Texans. Dameon Pierce came into the preseason as Joe Mixon’s backup, but Akers is trying to take that spot. Mixon and Pierce had the final preseason game, which indicates Pierce is ahead of Akers, but Akers played well in the 17-15 win over the Rams. He ran for 53 yards on seven carries. In the Texans’ previous preseason game, he ran for 29 yards on just six carries.
Akers isn’t guaranteed a spot on the Texans’ roster. But for a 25-year-old guard who was overlooked for most of the offseason, the preseason could put him back on the radar, whether it’s with the Texans or someone else.
Other games
Green Bay Packers 30, Baltimore Ravens 7: Neither team played a starter and many key backups did not play. Ravens veteran backup quarterback Josh Johnson finished a strong preseason, completing 5 of 7 passes for 71 yards and a touchdown.
Minnesota Vikings 26, Philadelphia Eagles 3: Both teams had starters, but the battle for the backup quarterback position was intriguing for the Eagles. Kenny Pickett got the edge over Tanner McKee, who has been a hotshot at times this preseason. Pickett completed 6 of 9 passes for 58 yards in the finale. McKee completed 15 of 21 passes for 115 yards but also threw an interception and lost a fumble on a strip sack. It appears Pickett did nothing to lose his second-quarter job.
Los Angeles Chargers 26, Dallas Cowboys 19: Cowboys quarterback Trey Lance looked better in the second preseason game than he did in the first, and the third was a strange one. Lance passed for 323 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 90 yards, including an impressive 46-yard touchdown. That was the bright side. The dark side was five interceptions and two fumbles, though the Cowboys recovered both fumbles. One of the interceptions was a 6-yard interception in which Lance never appeared to see linebacker Tre’mon Morris-Brash in coverage and then got run over as Morris-Brash scored the touchdown.
Needless to say, Lance’s passing and rushing yards won’t matter much if he throws five interceptions. The preseason showed he still has a long way to go.
New York Jets 10, New York Giants 6: Neither team has played a starter. That means Aaron Rodgers hasn’t played at all in the preseason. That’s not surprising given that Jets coach Robert Saleh has said he doesn’t want Rodgers on the field in the preseason, but one could still wonder if the Jets are off to a slow start to the season. Rodgers hasn’t played a game since tearing his Achilles tendon on the opening drive of last season’s regular-season opener.
Cleveland Browns vs. Seattle Seahawks: The preseason ended without Deshaun Watson ever seeing the field. Watson, who was dealing with a shoulder injury this week, did not play in the finale. The Browns announced Watson would not play hours before the game. Watson, who is coming back from a season-ending shoulder injury, has received mixed reviews from training camp observers. He will remain a mystery when the Browns open the regular season against the Cowboys in Week 1.
Final thoughts
• The Rams aren’t playing a backup quarterback in the preseason, and with Jimmy Garoppolo suspended for two games for doping in Weeks 1 and 2, Stetson Bennett didn’t play in Saturday’s preseason finale. Bennett had an up-and-down preseason with two touchdowns and five interceptions, though he did throw a game-winning touchdown in the final seconds of the preseason opener against Dallas.
• Bills running back Frank Gore Jr. made his case for making the 53-man roster. He rushed for 101 yards on 18 carries. He also received a tribute on X, formerly Twitter, from his proud and famous father.
• Bills linebacker Joe Andreessen has been one of the stories of the preseason, an undrafted player out of the University of Buffalo trying to make the team. He grew up a Bills fan in Lancaster, and he had eight tackles in Saturday’s final game and is now waiting to see if he makes the 53-man roster. The Bills are looking for depth at linebacker after losing Matt Milano to a torn biceps.
• Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith played in the preseason finale and it was positive. Smith completed 4 of 5 passes for 62 yards and scored a 21-yard touchdown to DK Metcalf.
