Following the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game last week and then two games Thursday, NFL preseason action gets into full swing with six showdowns Friday night.
Among the storylines are the beginning of the Jordan Love era in Green Bay (vs. Bengals), the Steelers’ Kenny Pickett and the Commanders’ Sam Howell starting off Year 2 (vs. the Buccaneers and Browns, respectively), and Russell Wilson teaming up with Sean Payton in Arizona (vs. the Cardinals).
Below, we will track all the must-see highlights from Friday’s action. Get ready for a full night of football!
Schedule
Thursday
Texans 20, Patriots 9 (Takeaways)
Seahawks 24, Vikings 13 (Takeaways)
Friday
Packers 36, Bengals 19 (Recap)
Falcons 19, Dolphins 3 (Recap)
Lions 21, Giants 16 (Recap)
Steelers 27, Buccaneers 17 (Recap)
Commanders at Browns (Gametracker)
Broncos at Cardinals, 10 p.m. ET | TV: NFLN (Gametracker)
Saturday
Colts at Bills, 1 p.m. ET (Preview)
Titans at Bears, 1 p.m. ET | TV: NFLN (Preview)
Jets at Panthers, 4 p.m ET | TV: NFLN (Preview)
Jaguars at Cowboys, 5 p.m. ET (Preview)
Eagles at Ravens, 7 p.m. ET | TV: NFLN (Preview)
Chargers at Rams, 9 p.m. ET | TV: NFLN (Preview)
Sunday
Chiefs at Saints, 1 p.m. ET | TV: NFLN (Preview)
49ers at Raiders, 4 p.m. ET | TV: NFLN (Preview)
Punt return TD
Dodging tackles, Falcons’ cornerback Dee Alford ran 79 yards to the end zone for the punt return score. Atlanta went on to beat Miami, 19-3.
Wilson has wheels
Packers’ Emanuel Wilson beats Bengals’ Larry Brooks and used his speed to take it to the house.
Pick-6
Dolphins quarterback Skylar Thompson’s pass was tipped by wide receiver Chris Coleman and into the hands of Falcons defensive back Breon Borders, who ran it back for six.
Howell to Dotson
Jahan Dotson put the Commanders on the board with a touchdown pass from quarterback Sam Howell. As both players enter their second year in the league, they are showing promise for the future.
Browns safety
Safeties in the NFL don’t happen too often, but isn’t it fun when they do?! This one came from a penalty in the end zone. A holding call on Commanders’ Andrew Wylie put two on the board for the Browns.
Austin making plays
Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph and wide receiver Calvin Austin III connected for a 67-yard touchdown. Austin missed his rookie season with an injury, but has impressed so far in training camp. He continued rolling with a big play Friday night.
Interception x2
Tycen Anderson has Packers’ quarterback Sean Clifford’s number. The second-year Bengals safety intercepted Clifford twice in the first half.
Here is a look at his first pick, which he turned into a touchdown return.
95-yard return
Maurice Alexander took it 95 yards to the house and made it look easy, giving the Lions the first touchdown of the game.
Bobbling INT
What a PLAY. Zyon McCollum picked off quarterback Mitch Trubisky’s pass intended for wide receiver Cody White. Excellent coverage and staying with the ball off a bounce allowed the second-year cornerback to make the interception.
Baker cooks
Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield had a very small window to put the ball, and rookie Trey Palmer brought the pass in and got both feet down in the back of the end zone to put Tampa Bay on the board.
Love TD
Packers quarterback Jordon Love’s night is now over, but before he exited the team’s first preseason game he found the end zone. Love threw his first TD as Green Bay’s starter with a toss to Romeo Doubs in the first quarter.
Branch shows off
Brian Branch was expected by many to be a first-rounder this past April, but fell to the second and was taken No. 45 overall by the Detroit Lions. He made his presence known against the New York Giants, slamming Cole Beasley to the ground.
Drop by Williams
Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams has struggled with drops during training camp, and it was more of the same in the team’s first preseason game. Williams beat the defender to the ball, but couldn’t haul it in for a big gain.
Pickett to Pickens
Kenny Pickett started his first game of the year off strong. In the team’s first preseason contest, he connected with George Pickens for a 32-yard touchdown.
Pickett went 6-for-7 for 70 yards on the scoring drive.
Watson DENIED
Jordan Love was looking to find wide receiver Christian Watson, but Daxton Hill was not having it. Hill got in the way and batted the ball down right before Watson could make any attempt to make a catch.
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Author: Shanna McCarriston
August 11, 2023 | 10:30 pm
