Bryce Young didn’t play in the first two preseason games, and that was concerning to some.
The No. 1 pick in last year’s NFL Draft didn’t have a great rookie season with the Carolina Panthers, though he wasn’t put in a good 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 were no live game reps for Young and the starters in coach Dave Canales’ scheme.
Canales played with Young in the preseason finale and it turned out that 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 out that drive. He did some work and leaves the preseason on a positive note.
Beyond the stats, Young looked comfortable. He connected with rookie tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders on a nice, strong pass over the middle. He had an impressive play to avoid a sack and then got hit, which the Panthers’ coaches probably didn’t like, but it might be nice to get that first hit of the season out of the way. The Panthers went for it on fourth-and-three and Young bought time, running to his left, then made a tough on-the-move pass to Diontae Johnson for the first down. On the next play he moved to his right and connected with Adam Thielen for another completion.
Young finished the drive with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Matthews, which might have been his easiest pass of the series. The Bills had a breakdown in coverage and left Matthews wide open.
A preseason series against backups doesn’t tell us much about Young and whether he can bounce back from a poor rookie season. But fans who wanted to see Young in action in the preseason had to be happy with the results.
Two passes shouldn’t be enough to change anyone’s mind, but the Steelers’ offense needed something positive this preseason and they finally got it.
Russell Wilson completed both of his passes on his only series and Cordarrelle Patterson ran for a 31-yard touchdown on Wilson’s only drive, something that was notable for the Steelers this preseason. Before Saturday, Wilson and Justin Fields had played a combined 13 possessions in the preseason and the Steelers had scored just three points on those drives. Two completions likely clinched Wilson’s starting job for Week 1. One of the passes was a nice 31-yarder to George Pickens. Wilson was given a lot of protection, which has also been an issue this preseason for Pittsburgh. The Steelers lost 24-17 to the Detroit Lions, but finding some positives on offense was the most important thing.
The Steelers have had some injuries on the offensive line and might be without running back Jaylen Warren at the start of the season because of a hamstring injury. Quarterback play hasn’t been inspiring. Pittsburgh’s defense will be very good again, but the offense has been shaky in the preseason. A Wilson touchdown drive doesn’t change everything, but at least there’s something good about that group after August and heading into the regular season.
Cam Akers was a forgotten man for most of the offseason. That can happen suddenly with running backs.
Two seasons ago, Akers had a nice season with the Los Angeles Rams, rushing for 786 yards and seven touchdowns. It was nice to see that, after his hasty return from an Achilles injury, he helped the Rams win a Super Bowl the previous season. Then, last season, Akers was usurped by Kyren Williams, traded for a low 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 has run hard and well for the Texans. Dameon Pierce came into the preseason as Joe Mixon’s backup, but Akers is making a push to fill that role. Mixon and Pierce had the final game of the preseason, which is an indication that Pierce is ahead of Akers, but Akers played well in a 17-15 win over the Rams. He rushed for 53 yards on seven carries. In the Texans’ previous preseason game, he had 29 yards on just six carries.
Akers isn’t guaranteed a spot on the Texans’ roster. But for a 25-year-old running back who was largely forgotten for most of the offseason, the preseason could put him back on the radar, whether it’s with the Texans or some other team.
Other games
Green Bay Packers 30, Baltimore Ravens 7: Neither team played its starters, and many key backups were also benched. Veteran Ravens backup quarterback Josh Johnson finished a solid preseason by completing 5 of 7 passes for 71 yards and a touchdown.
Minnesota Vikings 26, Philadelphia Eagles 3: Both teams left their starters on the bench, but there was some intrigue in the battle for the Eagles’ backup quarterback job. Kenny Pickett had the edge over Tanner McKee, who looked good at times during the preseason. Pickett completed 6 of 9 passes for 58 yards in the last game. McKee completed 15 of 21 passes for 115 yards, but also had an interception and lost a fumble on a sack. It appears Pickett did nothing to lose his backup quarterback 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 had 323 passing yards and two touchdowns and 90 rushing yards, including an impressive 46-yard touchdown run. That was the good. The bad was five interceptions and two fumbles, though the Cowboys recovered both fumbles. One of the interceptions was a touchdown pick in which Lance never appeared to see linebacker Tre’mon Morris-Brash in coverage, then was run over as Morris-Brash scored the touchdown.
Needless to say, it won’t matter much how many yards Lance passes and runs if he throws five interceptions. The preseason showed he still has a ways to go.
New York Jets vs. New York Giants: Neither team played any starters, meaning Aaron Rodgers didn’t play at all during the preseason. It wasn’t a surprise considering Jets coach Robert Saleh said he didn’t want Rodgers on the field during the preseason, but it could still be questioned if the Jets are off to a slow start. Rodgers hasn’t played in a game since tearing his Achilles tendon on the first drive of the regular-season opener last season.
Cleveland Browns vs. Seattle Seahawks: The preseason ended without Deshaun Watson taking the field. Watson, who dealt with a sore shoulder this week, sat out the finale. The Browns announced Watson was not expected to play a few hours before the game. Watson, coming off a season-ending shoulder injury, had mixed reviews from training camp observers. It will be a mystery when the Browns open the regular season against the Cowboys in Week 1.
Final thoughts
• The Rams don’t have backup quarterbacks in the preseason, and because Jimmy Garoppolo served a two-game suspension for PED use in Weeks 1 and 2, Stetson Bennett sat out Saturday’s preseason finale. Bennett had an up-and-down preseason, throwing 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. declared to make the 53-man roster. He rushed for 101 yards on 18 carries. He also received a shout-out on X (formerly Twitter) from his proud, famous father.
• Bills linebacker Joe Andreessen has been one of the stories of the preseason, an undrafted player from the University of Buffalo trying to make the team. He grew up a Bills fan in nearby Lancaster, and he had eight tackles in Saturday’s finale and is now waiting to see if he can make the 53-man roster. The Bills are looking for depth at linebacker after losing Matt Milano to a torn biceps.
