The last week of the NFL preseason is now in the books, which means the next National Football League game we watch will be the regular-season opener on September 4th between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys. From disappointing performances to surprising quarterback play, let’s run down the list of the most eye-catching headlines that came from the final week of preseason action.
The Browns do Shedeur Sanders dirty
The Cleveland Browns set up rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders to fail and didn’t give him a chance to prove he belongs in the league in their preseason finale against the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday. The Browns’ coaches and front office made several questionable choices in Sanders’ last preseason game.
First, Cleveland asked Shedeur Sanders to make chicken salad out of chicken sh*t with a makeshift offensive line devoid of NFL talent. This was proven by the fact that the Browns cut or waived four of the five offensive linemen who were blocking for him during the third and fourth quarters of Saturday’s game. Though some of the sacks Sanders took were his fault, there was no chance he was going to find success with the guys Cleveland put in front of him.
The Browns also had an opportunity to see how Sanders responds to pressure after getting the ball back down by two points with 2:03 left in the game. So what did they do? They benched Sanders in favor of Snoop Huntley, who was released just a day later! Instead of seeing how their rookie quarterback performed during a two-minute drill, they gave the ball to a player whom they had no intention of keeping on their roster, a questionable decision to say the very least.
This type of player mismanagement has become expected from the Cleveland Browns’ front office. But this is something entirely new from Kevin Stefanski, a two-time NFL Coach of the Year award winner. Unsurprisingly, the Browns have completely fumbled Shedeur Sanders’ preseason.
The Bears secure a last-second win
Bears backup quarterback Tyson Bagent, who signed a two-year contract extension last week, threw three fourth-quarter touchdown passes to complete Chicago’s 17-point comeback against the Kansas City Chiefs. Bagent was incredibly efficient in the game, completing 20 of 28 passes for 212 yards and three TDs, including the game-winner.
The Chiefs got out to a 17-3 lead in the second quarter before quarterback Patrick Mahomes was replaced by backup Gardner Minshew. Bears quarterback and former number one overall pick Caleb Williams was able to orchestrate a 78-yard touchdown drive to cut KC’s lead to ten points at halftime.
Coming out of the break, the Bears struggled to put points on the board despite picking up 44 yards on their first drive of the third quarter. On top of that, Kansas City scored another touchdown to extend its lead to 27-10.
Despite being down by 17 points on the road against the defending AFC Champions, Tyson Bagent and the Bears’ offense didn’t flinch. Chicago put together two straight touchdown drives and got the ball to Kansas City’s six yard line with a chance to win the game. Thankfully for the Windy City, Bagent answered the call by tossing a six-yard touchdown pass with only three seconds left in the game, giving the Bears their third preseason win.
Surprising QB performances
There were a few quarterbacks who were able to make the most of the playing time they were given this past weekend. Though they’re not marquee guys who were taken in the first round of the NFL Draft, Max Brosmer, Riley Leonard, and Graham Mertz all had great outings during the final week of the preseason.
We’ll start with undrafted rookie free agent Max Brosmer, who showed the Minnesota Vikings that he could be a reliable backup or third-stringer. The 24-year-old former Minnesota Golden Gopher completed 15 of 23 passes for 161 yards and a touchdown. The Vikings were clearly impressed with his performance because they released quarterback Brett Rypien and traded another QB, Sam Howell, to the Philadelphia Eagles. In all likelihood, Brosmer will make Minnesota’s 53-man roster.
The Houston Texans’ Graham Mertz was also incredibly efficient. The sixth-round draft pick might have earned himself a spot on the 53-man roster after completing 14 of 16 passes for 145 yards, a touchdown, and another 20 yards on the ground.
Lastly, there was sixth-round draft pick Riley Leonard, who completed 15 of 20 passes as the Indianapolis Colts’ starter for 189 passing yards and a touchdown. With Daniel Jones serving as the starter and Anthony Richardson slotted as the team’s second-string quarterback, there’s a good chance that Riley Leonard will open the season on Indy’s 53-man roster as QB3.
A lingering quarterback decision for the Saints
Following a disappointing outing against the Denver Broncos – where none of the Saints’ three rostered quarterbacks threw a touchdown – New Orleans head coach Kellen Moore said that he has a “challenging” decision to make over the next few days regarding who is going to be QB1 in the Big Easy.
“I know I have to make a decision, and it’s a challenging one because these guys have put everything into this,” he said during a press conference after the game. “They’ve been very, very close. We love this room. We want this room to be together, and we know good things are going to happen to all these guys as their journey goes on.”
Moore added that the team will decide on the starting quarterback “at some point” this week.
