Bill Belichick is expected to take his time revealing whether Cam Newton or Mac Jones will be the Patriots’ starting quarterback, according to Damien Woody.
(0:57) The second full week of preseason play begins on Thursday, the first of five consecutive days of NFL action.
With only two games remaining until the regular season begins, expect to see more starters and familiar names on the field this week.
The New England Patriots traveled to Philadelphia to play the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday, a game in which Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was scratched due to sickness, and the Patriots won.
Two more games begin on Friday, including the season’s first ESPN telecast.
The game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Arizona Cardinals is also a collegiate reunion, with Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes facing off against Kliff Kingsbury, his Texas Tech coach — at least for a series or two.
The majority of the action takes place on Saturday, with ten games scheduled.
The day begins with a matchup between the Buffalo Bills and the Chicago Bears in the afternoon, followed by a matchup between the New York Jets and the Green Bay Packers in the evening.
In real time, Jets rookie quarterback Zach Wilson could be seen fanboying Packers great Aaron Rodgers.
The Houston Texans and Dallas Cowboys face off in Jerry World, while the Las Vegas Raiders (probably the most popular team in Los Angeles) face off against the Los Angeles Rams (who are vying for the title).
Odell Beckham Jr. is a wide receiver who plays for the New York Giants
On Sunday, the New York Giants take on the Cleveland Browns in one of two games, while Trevor Lawrence makes his Monday Night Football debut (kind of) when the Jacksonville Jaguars visit the New Orleans Saints.
Skip to a matchup: NE-PHI NFL preseason Week 2 schedule Thursday’s game Standout performer: Patriots QB Cam Newton: 8 of 9 passing for 103 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
Newton looked as at ease as he has as a Patriot, albeit against the Eagles’ second-string defense, with his 28-yard touchdown pass to receiver Jakobi Meyers coming after Meyers gave him a hand signal to indicate his intentions before the snap.
From a pre-snap communication aspect, this indicates a quarterback and wide receiver who are at the top of their game.
Nevertheless, in relief, Mac Jones had some memorable highlights, including a 17-play, 91-yard drive that ate up 9:04 of the clock.
Jones completed 13 of 19 passes for 146 yards on four drives.
— Mike Reiss Up next: Giants (6 p.m.)
29) DeVonta Smith, a rookie receiver, made his preseason debut and had two catches for 19 yards on four targets in one half of action.
The fact that Smith moved smoothly and didn’t appear to be hampered by the left MCL sprain that kept him out of practice for two weeks was far more important than the stat line.
On his second grab of the night, he started inside, hit the brakes, and cut back out for a 10-yard reception, exhibiting flashes of his Heisman Trophy-winning prowess.
Smith’s night began with a couple of drops on a pair of poor passes from Joe Flacco (who started in place of an ill Jalen Hurts), but he smoothed out as the game proceeded and sprang open quite routinely.
Overall, it was a good warmup for the regular season opening against the Atlanta Falcons on September 1st.
— Tim McManus Up next: Jets (7:30 p.m.)
27) Friday’s games, 8 p.m., Kansas City at Arizona
8 p.m. ET, ESPN Cincinnati vs. Washington
Saturday’s games: Buffalo at Chicago, 1 p.m. ET, NFL Network
Green Bay Packers at New York Giants, 4:25 p.m. ET, NFL Network
Falcons at Miami, 7 p.m. ET, NFL Network
