NFL preseason Week 2 takeaways: Bridgewater rough in Lions debut, Falcons rookie Robinson shines

August 19, 2023 ndowd

NFL Nation, ESPNAug 19, 2023, 06:56 PM ET

The second week of preseason games for the 2023 NFL season kicked off Thursday night with a matchup between the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles and the Cleveland Browns.

On Friday, the New York Giants hosted the Carolina Panthers and the Cincinnati Bengals were on the road against the Atlanta Falcons.

Saturday’s slate of 11 games started with the Jacksonville Jaguars running over the Detroit Lions for their second win of the preseason.

The New Orleans Saints will face the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, and the action will wrap up Monday night on ESPN with the Baltimore Ravens at the Washington Commanders.

Here are the biggest takeaways from the games played so far, along with the rest of the Week 2 preseason schedule.

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Saturday’s game

Dolphins: The long-awaited return of Tua Tagovailoa got off to about as bad of a start as possible. His first pass attempt of the preseason ended with an interception. Tagovailoa seemingly shook off the rust after the pick, completing 5 of his next 6 passes for 61 yards. He also completed all three of his attempts on third down while leading Miami on a 14-play, 93-yard drive.

Perhaps the biggest relief for fans and coaches came when Tagovailoa took a hit from Texans DT Sheldon Rankins after an incomplete pass. Possibly tapping into his offseason jiu-jitsu training, Tagovailoa rotated his body on the way to the ground to avoid hitting his head on the turf. He will likely get some extended run in next week’s preseason finale against the Jaguars but there was plenty to be optimistic about in Saturday’s performance. — Marcel Louis-Jacques

Next game: at Jaguars (7 p.m. ET Saturday, Aug. 26)

Texans: Rookie quarterback CJ Stroud’s performance against the Dolphins was much better than his preseason debut against the New England Patriots when he went 2-for-4 for 13 yards and threw a pick. This week, Stroud played the entire first half — going 7-of-12 for 60 yards — and led the offense to three points.

Stroud had impressive throws to wide receivers Robert Woods and Noah Brown, resulting in first downs. The only disappointing series was the first one coming off an interception of Tagovailoa. The Texans’ offense had the ball on the Miami 7-yard line, but Stroud went 0-for-2 before turning the ball over on downs. — DJ Bien-Aime

Next game: at Saints (8 p.m. ET Sunday, Aug. 27)

Jaguars: Looks like the Jaguars have found a potential complement to RB Travis Etienne Jr. in rookie third-round pick Tank Bigsby. The former Auburn standout ran for 70 yards on 13 carries (5.4 per carry) in the first half against Detroit and has 122 yards on 22 carries through the first six quarters of the preseason (5.5 per carry). Etienne didn’t have much behind him after the Jaguars traded James Robinson last October. Jacksonville coach Doug Pederson said he doesn’t want to overload Bigsby early in the season, but it’s likely his role will expand as the season progresses. — Michael DiRocco

Next game: vs. Dolphins (7 p.m. ET Saturday, Aug. 26)

Lions: No. 50? Yeah, you saw that right — veteran quarterback Teddy Bridgewater made his Lions debut, rocking a temporary jersey number instead of his longtime No. 5, which is already taken by Lions running back David Montgomery. With most of the starters out, including Jared Goff, Bridgewater debuted — and showed he still has to get acclimated to the new system. He went 5-of-11 for 34 yards and had a first-quarter fumble. Bridgewater signed as a free agent late, on Aug. 10, to not only provide depth as quarterback but also help in a mentorship role for some of the young guys, like wide receiver Jameson Williams. — Eric Woodyard

Next game: at Panthers (8 p.m. ET Friday, Aug. 25)

Friday’s games

Bengals: It’s not just the two preseason games that have left the Joe Burrow-less offense lacking sharpness. After Burrow went down in the second practice of training camp with a strained right calf, the offense has sputtered.

On Friday, backup quarterback Jake Browning (16-of-22 for 140 yards) fared better than Trevor Siemian (7-of-14 for 62 yards) who started in his turn in the rotation. But the Bengals didn’t score an offensive touchdown in the first two preseason games until the final 50 seconds Friday, and the passing game isn’t solely to blame. The run game has been inefficient and penalties have ruined drives.

Unless the Bengals get some improvement or perhaps find another option at backup quarterback, Cincinnati can’t afford to have Burrow injured during the regular season.

The Bengals trotted out their first-team defense for a brief stint against the Falcons. We’ll see if the Bengals follow suit for the preseason finale against Washington. — Ben Baby

Next game: at Commanders (6:05 p.m. ET Saturday, Aug 26)

Falcons: Atlanta got a little bit of everything in its lone offensive drive with the starters in the game. Quarterback Desmond Ridder looked sharp, completing 7 of 9 passes, and though the drive ended in an interception, it was a tipped-ball pick by Joseph Ossai.

Rookie running back Bijan Robinson was as advertised, making defenders miss, showing high-level speed and looking exactly as he had throughout training camp. He has the traits of a special player with four carries for 20 yards. The biggest concern was four penalties from the first offensive unit, including two holding calls on guard Chris Lindstrom, who had one penalty combined in his first four NFL seasons.

Atlanta played the vast majority of its starters one series on each side of the ball against the Bengals. While it’s possible Atlanta plays some starters Thursday against Pittsburgh in the preseason finale, it would be surprising to see the majority of them in action again before Week 1 against Carolina on Sept. 10. — Michael Rothstein

Next game: vs. Steelers (7:30 p.m. ET Thursday, Aug 24)

Panthers: Rookie quarterback Bryce Young needs some help.

He needs it from his offensive line, which for the second straight week allowed the No. 1 overall pick of the draft to take a couple of vicious hits (e.g., left tackle Ikem Ekwonu was beaten twice) and continued to make costly penalties (e.g., a hold on rookie right tackle Chandler Zavala negated a 15-yard, third-down catch).

He needs it from his wide receivers, who continue to be sloppy with route running. Last week Laviska Shenault Jr. ran too deep on a third-down play. Rookie Jonathan Mingo stopped his route short Friday night on a third-down throw that should have been completed.

The good news is Young hasn’t lost his cool or made costly mistakes. He completed 3 of 6 passes for 35 yards on two series (17 plays) and led a 15-play, 62-yard drive for a field goal. Progress, but those around Young aren’t playing winning football. — David Newton

Next game: vs. Lions (8 p.m. ET Friday, Aug 25)

Giants: Consider this a dream preseason result for the Giants’ starters, who coach Brian Daboll said he wanted to see at some point in the preseason. Quarterback Daniel Jones, making his first appearance since signing a four-year deal in March, looked like a $160 million player. He was close to perfect in his one and only drive, completing 8 of 9 passes (including three to new tight end Darren Waller) for 69 yards and a touchdown.

Offseason addition wide receiver Parris Campbell had two receptions on the drive, leaving everyone feeling good. Second-year outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux had a sack and a pressure while playing into the second quarter, and rookie wide receiver Jalin Hyatt, a third-round pick out of Tennessee, used his blazing speed to connect on a deep ball for a 33-yard touchdown from backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor.

All in all, the Giants got almost everything they could have hoped for from their starting group in limited action against the Panthers. It’s unlikely we see most of them in game action again before the Sunday night season opener Sept. 10 against the Dallas Cowboys.— Jordan Raanan

Next game: vs. Jets (6 p.m. ET Saturday, Aug 26)

Thursday’s game

Eagles: Linebacker Nakobe Dean provided some hope that the middle of the defense is in good hands. One of the only projected starters to see action for Philadelphia, Dean generated a turnover near the Eagles’ goal line when he shot into the backfield and hit running back John Kelly Jr., knocking the ball loose. Safety K’Von Wallace recovered it for a Philly takeaway. The Eagles face uncertainty at linebacker after the departures of starters T.J. Edwards and Kyzir White in free agency. Dean, the second-year player out of Georgia, is expected to secure the MIKE linebacker spot, where he’ll be charged with relaying the calls and getting the defense set. He has been dealing with an ankle injury and has had a pretty quiet summer to this point, but flashed some of the playmaking ability Thursday that made him a star for the national champion Bulldogs. — Tim McManus

Next game: vs. Colts (8 p.m. ET, Thursday, Aug. 24)

Browns: Rookie quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson continued his standout preseason with another impressive performance against Philadelphia. Playing the first half in his first career pro start, Robinson-Thompson completed 13 of 25 passes for 164 yards. He also rushed for 18 yards on four carries. He led the Browns on three drives inside the Philly 25-yard line. The former UCLA star has positioned himself to become Cleveland’s long-term backup QB of the future behind starter Deshaun Watson. DTR probably will be the No. 3 QB this season behind Watson and Joshua Dobbs. But he’s on track to become the No. 2 QB by 2024. — Jake Trotter

Next game: at Chiefs (1 p.m. ET Saturday, Aug. 26)