By: Adamo Marinelli
August 16th, 2018
Week three of the 2018 NFL preseason is filled with plenty of interesting matchups that we all should be excited for. Let’s analyse all of the week three preseason games and discuss how all of these teams will use the preseason to try and have the best season possible.
Eagles @ Patriots - Aug. 16th:
With Carson Wentz still out until at least the start of week one of the regular season, Nick Foles and Tom Brady are set to make their preseason debut in a Super Bowl 52 rematch. With many Eagles players like Alshon Jeffery, Carson Wentz, amongst others injured and many players like LeGarrette Blount, Torrey Smith, Trey Burton and Brent Celek being traded, the Eagles will focus on a big performance from their defence, Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert, their tight-ends, to get a preseason win. The Patriots with the loss of Matt Patricia, their defensive coordinator, as well as Dion Lewis, Malcolm Butler and Danny Amendola being traded, the Patriots will use the weapons they still have on offence led by Tom Brady to try and muster a win after a comeback win against the Redskins in week two.
Jets @ Redskins - Aug.16th:
After an amazing preseason performance by Sam Darnold in week one, the Jets will turn to him again in week three of the 2018 preseason, hoping for another big performance, to see if he can start the regular season over Teddy Bridgewater and Josh Mccown. If the Jets get a reliable QB to start in the regular season, they have a legitimate chance to win their division, the AFC East, due to the Patriots starting their ineludible decline. In last week’s preseason loss to the Patriots, the Redskins lost their rookie running back Derrius Guice to a completely torn ACL, and he will miss the remainder of the season. So, the Redskins will turn to an offence led by newly acquired QB Alex Smith in hopes of getting a preseason win and in hopes of having a good season, and possibly making the playoffs through a wild card spot as they will unlikely win their division with the Eagles, Giants and Cowboys.
Steelers @ Packers - Aug.16th:
Two teams with elite talent, especially on offence face in a preseason game with plenty of rookies fighting for spots on the team and positions in the depth chart. Aaron Rodgers is set to play at least for a couple of drives and Ben Roethlisberger will not be playing due to an injury that seems to be a concussion. Aaron Rodgers was injured early last season, in week six and missed the majority of the season. In his absence, the team struggled and went 3-5, including the loss to the Vikings. Aaron Rodgers came back in week 15, only to lose 31-24 to the Panthers. He had 290 yards and three touchdowns but also had three interceptions which is unlike Rodgers. The Steelers made the playoffs last year as a second seed but lost in shocking fashion to the Jaguars 45-42 in the divisional round. Both teams will be hungry for a win tonight and a good 2018 season and a playoff berth.
Chiefs @ Falcons - Aug.17th:
The Falcons after being shut-out 17-0 by the Jets in week one, look to bounce back against the Chiefs who lost 17-10 against the Texans in their first preseason game. The Chiefs after sending QB Alex Smith to the Redskins have a brand new quarterback in Patrick Mahomes to try and lead the Chiefs to victory tonight and this season. The Falcons with amazing talent on offence with Matt Ryan, Devontae Freeman, Julio Jones, Mohamed Sanu and on defence with Vic Beasley Jr. and Deion Jones after a disappointing loss to the Eagles in last year’s divisional game look to bounce back and have a good season being in a tough division.
Giants @ Lions - Aug.17th:
With RB Saquon Barkley sitting out of this week’s game against the Lions with a hamstring injury, the Giants are clearly being cautious with the second overall pick’s season after Derrius Guice’s season-ending ACL tear against the Patriots in week one. That’s the right move, as you wouldn’t want to make a minor sprain a worse injury especially in the preseason. If it was regular season, he’d probably play, but it’s not, so he won’t. That shifts the focus to Eli Manning and the passing game after a 20-10 loss to the Browns. The Lions will try to get their offensive and defensive rookies clicking with the starters after a 16-10 loss to the Raiders last week.
Bills @ Browns - Aug.17th:
Two rookie quarterbacks will hit the field in Cleveland tomorrow night. Josh Allen, drafted seventh overall by the Bills in 2018, and Baker Mayfield drafted first overall by the Browns in 2018, will be looking to have amazing games tonight in hopes of becoming the starting quarterback for their respective teams. Mayfield will have to leap Tyrod Taylor in the depth chart, who came to Cleveland from Buffalo last season after getting the Bills into the playoffs. Josh Allen has to pass Nathan Peterman and AJ Mccarron in the depth chart which shouldn’t be that hard as Peterman and McCarron are not that great QBs, however, Allen does have some accuracy issues he’ll have to overcome if he wants the starting QB job. This should be a good game.
Dolphins @ Panthers - Aug.17th:
After QB Ryan Tannehill completed 4-6 passes for 32 yards in a drive that led the Dolphins into Buccaneers territory, which is the only series he played in last week’s game, the Dolphins will supposedly start Ryan Tannehill to give him more reps in the preseason to ready him for starting QB job in the regular season. And with Devante Parker and Kenny Stills injured, Jakeem Grant and Albert Wilson should get more reps as well as their running backs Kenyan Drake and Frank Gore. The Panthers with an explosive offence led by QB Cam Newton, RBs Christian Mccaffrey and CJ Anderson, WRs Devin Funchess, Torrey Smith and rookie D.J. Moore and an amazing defence led by Luke Kuechly and Todd Davis Sr. Can the Dolphins’ O-line hold up against the Panthers’ D-line?
Cardinals @ Saints Aug.17th:
The Cardinals and QB Josh Rosen look to have another great game after a dominating 24-17 win over the Chargers last week. In the limited time Rosen played last week, he didn’t have a bad game last week, but it wasn’t exceptional, statistics-wise. He completed 6-13 passes for 41 yards and no touchdowns or interceptions. If Rosen wants the starting QB job over Sam Bradford and if we wants no backlash on the comment he made after he was drafted 10th overall: “There were nine mistakes ahead of me”, he better have an exceptional game next week against a Saints team that is loaded on offence and defence with players like Drew Brees, Mark Ingram, Alvin Kamara, Michael Thomas, Marcus Williams, Marshon Lattimore and Cameron Jordan amongst others.
Jaguars @ Vikings - Aug.18th:
Both teams have top five defences in the NFL and the Vikings added Alex Smith, ex. Redskins’ quarterback after sending Keenum to the Broncos, Bradford to the Cardinals and Bridgewater to the Jets to compliment their potent offence with players like Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen, Latavius Murray, Dalvin Cook and Kyle Rudolph. The Jaguars have a great running game with Leonard Fournette and some pretty talented wide receivers in Marqise Lee, Donte Moncrief and Keelan Cole. If their QB Blake Bortles can be better than mediocre, and be consistent - not having up games followed by down games - than the Jaguars can be serious Super Bowl contenders. They are already AFC contenders along with the Patriots, Steelers, Texans, Chargers. Two amazing defences battling it out with one offence better than the other.
Raiders @ Rams - Aug.18th:
The Raiders coming off a 16-10 win against the Lions last week showed that they had depth at the QB position behind Derek Carr with Connor Cook who completed 11-19 of his passes for 141 yards and a touchdown. No player from either team had more than 90 rushing yards and no more than 50 receiving yards, so this game wasn’t a very offensive one, however, it was the small, clutch plays that ended up being more important. Field goals were huge in this game: there were four - three for Oakland, one for Detroit. Both Lions’ QBs were okay both with over 80 passing yards, no touchdowns and interceptions. But rookie RB Kerryon Johnson looks good and despite having seven carries for 34 yards, some of his rushes came on big plays, getting first downs and keeping drives alive. Both teams have plenty of depth besides their starters so it should be a good preseason game, but both teams have a good shot at the playoffs this year with John Gruden, Derek Carr and Jordy Nelson and the Lions with all-around improvement.
Bengals @ Cowboys - Aug.18th:
The Cowboys opened their preseason last week with a 24-21 loss to the 49ers. The Bengals opened with a 30-27 win over the Bears. We know the NFC East will be a very tight division with the Redskins and Giants improving over the offseason, the Cowboys have all their offensive weapons back for the whole season this year and the Eagles still look good after a Super Bowl win last season in which they were strong on offence, defence and special teams. But, with all of Dallas’ young talent on offence and defence, particularly Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott on offence and Demarcus Lawrence and Cody Ealy on defence, the Cowboys should be a contender to win their division even with the release of WR Dez Bryant. The Bengals who with a week 17 win against the Ravens to get the Bills into the playoffs, snapping a 17-year drought are currently the third best team in their division behind the Steelers and Ravens and depending on how Mayfield performs, the Browns might leap over the Bengals in their division. Although, with the Dalton to Green connection, and many promising rookies on both sides of the ball, the Bengals should have at least an okay season.
49ers @ Texans - Aug.18th:
The 49ers finished the 2017 season with five straight wins with new QB Jimmy Garoppolo at the helm. With new additions on offence and defence from the 2018 draft and in free agency, the 49ers only look to be getting better on both sides of the ball with a middle of the pack offence and defence at least for now. Personally, I think they can contend with the Rams for the division win. The Texans after an appalling 4-12 season in 2017, look to make the playoffs in a very tight AFC South division, perhaps the tightest in the league. With QB Deshaun Watson back from a torn ACL injury, as well as DE J.J. Watt back from a broken leg, the Texans should be a contender for the playoffs in the AFC. With the Watson to Hopkins connection, an above average running game in Lamar Miller and an elite defence with J.J. Watt, Jadeveon Clowney and Tyrann Mathieu, they’re a real threat in the AFC. I say the Jaguars win the division, the Texans should be able to finish second and get a wildcard spot. This game will have an impact on the futures of these two teams with their rookies.
Buccaneers @ Titans - Aug.18th:
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ QB Jameis Winston has been suspended three games in 2018 for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. So the preseason is the perfect time to figure out which backup QB will start the season for the Buccaneers. Last week, in a 26-24 win against the Dolphins in week two of the preseason, the Buccaneers appear to have found their temporary starting QB in Ryan Griffin who completed 20/26 of his passes with 179 passing yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. When Winston returns, Griffin will be ahead of Ryan Fitzpatrick in the depth chart. The Buccaneers are only a mediocre team on both offence and defence but in a talented NFC South with the Saints, Panthers and Falcons, the Buccaneers probably won’t even make the playoffs. The Titans, coming off their first playoff appearance since 2009 and their first playoff win since 2004, in a 22-21 comeback win against the Chiefs only got better by adding RB Dion Lewis to help Derrick Henry and adding all-star CB Malcolm Butler to improve the secondary. If Marcus Mariota can play well, they’ll have a good season and a chance to win this game with plenty of rookies fighting for spots on the 53-man roster.
Bears @ Broncos - Aug.18th:
Both teams coming off less than mediocre 5-11 campaigns in 2017 only got better. The Broncos finally solved their QB problems by signing ex. Vikings QB Case Keenum. He went 11-3 in Minnesota last year in the 14 games he played after Sam Bradford went down with an injury. He’s a better QB than Siemian, Osweiler and Lynch and will revitalize the Broncos’ offence. Chad Kelly is the backup to Keenum. Adding WRs Courtland Sutton and Deshaun Hamilton will give more depth to the position behind Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas and with an actual starting QB at the helm, the WRs should be more active. Drafting linebacker Bradley Chubb, to play on the other side of the defensive line as Von Miller is scary for opposing offensive lines and makes the Broncos pass-rush one of the best in the league along with Minnesota, Jacksonville and Philadelphia. The Broncos also improved their offensive line by adding offensive tackle Jared Veldheer who will fix the problem at the right tackle position. The rest of the line is pretty stable with Garret Bolles at left tackle, Ronald Leary at left guard, Matt Paradis at center and Connor McGovern at right guard. Overall a big improvement. No matter what happens in preseason, the Broncos should have a good season, might even sneak into the playoffs with the second wildcard spot with a 10-6 record. Although, Keenum needs to play well in the preseason to make sure he plays well in the season after a bad performance last week. The Bears have Mitchell Trubisky, who is better than last year, a great running game with Tarik Cohen and Jordan Howard, a better offensive and defensive line, Tre Burton, an ex. Eagles’ tight end who will help the receiving game and a much better secondary and pass rush with linebacker Roquan Smith whom the Bears drafted eighth overall in 2018. They will definitely be better than last year, but might not make the playoffs in a tight division with the Lions, Packers and Vikings.
Seahawks @ Chargers - Aug.18th:
The Chargers and Seahawks are both coming off a loss in week two of the preseason. Both teams now have an 0-1 record in this year’s preseason thus far. The Seahawks appear to be preparing to have a down season after their defence fell to shreds with Richard Sherman being traded to the 49ers, Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas being forced into early retirement with serious neck injuries and Michael Bennett being traded to the Eagles. They also lost a key piece of their offence when tight end Jimmy Graham was traded to the Packers. So the only pieces they really have are QB Russell Wilson and WR Doug Baldwin. So this preseason is a great time for new rookies to step up and start rebuilding the old Seahawks team. On the other hand, the Chargers have had the pieces to be a playoff contender but haven’t made the playoffs since 2014. They have an elite offence with players like Philip Rivers, Melvin Gordon, Keenan Allen and Hunter Henry amongst others. Their defence is also spectacular with players like Joey Bosa, Derwin James, Melvin Ingram, Casey Hayward amongst others. This could be their year.
Ravens @ Colts - Aug.20th:
Lastly, we have the Baltimore Ravens visiting Indianapolis to play the Colts. The Ravens can contend with the Steelers for the AFC North crown, especially if Le’Veon Bell doesn’t end up playing for the Steelers this season with the franchise tag and the lack of an expensive long-term deal. The Ravens still have a mediocre offence and defence and can likely make the playoffs - at least with a wild card spot - if they don’t end up winning their division. After all, they did win Super Bowl 47 five years ago. The Colts are in a tough division in the AFC South, along with the Jaguars, Titans and Texans. The Colts may be the worst of these four teams; but if QB Andrew Luck can come back in time to be the starting QB before the regular season starts, that single-handedly might be enough to lift the Colts to a playoff spot, perhaps a division title (that’s unlikely, the division will likely be won by the Jaguars or Texans) as it is the NFL, anything is possible. And the best way to get better is to add reliable backups to your starters and the preseason is the time to select those backups from the draft class and former practice squad members.
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