The preseason is built to hand out hope, but a few teams left their opening games with something much less useful: a pile of problems.
For Cleveland, the issue was impossible to miss. The Browns were supposed to get some clarity in a crowded quarterback battle on Saturday, but instead Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel all put the ball on the ground or into the wrong hands in a 34-10 loss to the Chicago Bears.
Watson had the cleanest stat line of the trio, finishing 11 of 15 for 126 yards. Even that came with a costly mistake, though, as he lost a fumble on fourth down and handed Chicago the kind of field position that helped the Bears wipe out Cleveland’s early 10-point advantage.
Sanders finished with 79 yards and an interception. Gabriel added two more interceptions as the game unraveled in the second half.
The Browns do not need a handful of quarterbacks who can look decent in flashes. They need one who can actually win games when the real thing starts.
Saturday didn’t provide that answer. If anything, it suggested Cleveland is still flirting with another season without a trustworthy starter.
Preseason numbers can be shrugged off. Three turnovers from three different quarterbacks in one afternoon are harder to wave away.
Atlanta had its own rough opening act. Tua Tagovailoa got the first shot in the Falcons’ quarterback competition, and five pass attempts later, the picture was no clearer than it had been before kickoff.
Tagovailoa completed three passes for 22 yards as Atlanta’s first two drives ended with punts. By the end, the Falcons had dropped a 27-7 decision to Denver, mustering just 166 total yards and converting three of 12 third downs.
He didn’t dress it up afterward either.
“Definitely not up to standard, not even up to par,” Tagovailoa said afterward, according to ESPN.
The Falcons can point to penalties, a fumbled snap and limited playing time if they want to soften the blow. But the broader problem is still there. Atlanta is trying to get through while Michael Penix Jr. works back from another knee injury, and Tagovailoa’s showing did nothing to make that setup feel any safer.
There is still time to sort it out. The Falcons may need all of it.
Minnesota technically walked off with a win, beating the New York Giants 13-10. But the scoreline barely mattered once Jamal Adams was carted off with a right knee injury.
Adams, who joined the Vikings in July, had already been bouncing between linebacker and safety. Brian Flores appeared to have a useful chess piece for disguising coverages and generating pressure.
That plan may be gone after only 11 defensive snaps.
“You're just crushed for him,” coach Kevin O'Connell said on the television broadcast. “The role that he was kind of paving for himself, and then just having a personality and experienced toughness that he brought in such a short amount of time.
We're going to miss him and we're going to need to see some guys here step up. But what I told Jamal is our organization, we've got our arms around him.
And he's a part of this thing. But you absolutely hate to see that.”
Minnesota’s problem wasn’t a bad quarterback night or a defense that fell apart. It was harsher than that. A player the team was counting on for a very specific job may be lost before the Vikings ever get the chance to see what that role could have looked like.
That’s the ugly side of August football. Sometimes the answer costs more than the question was worth.
In Other News...
Falcons Preseason Debut Raised Two Early Concerns Fans Cant Ignore
The Falcons opened preseason with a 27-7 loss to the Broncos, and the score was only part of the story from a night that offered an early look at the roster's depth. Atlanta got a first glimpse of Tua Tagovailoa in game action, and veteran receiver Chris Blair finished as the teams leading target in the box score with 37 receiving yards.
More than the final margin, the concern was how little disruption Atlanta created defensively. The pass rush had trouble affecting Jarrett Stidham, leaving the Falcons searching for answers up front before the games start counting in earnest. With the opener in the books, those are the kinds of issues that tend to stick with a coaching staff until the next chance to clean them up. [Read more 🡒]
Sean Payton Twisted The Knife During Falcons' Ugly Preseason Opener
The Falcons preseason opener had already turned into a rough night by the time halftime arrived, with Denver piling up a 24-0 lead and Atlanta struggling to get anything clean going on either side of the ball. The offense never found much rhythm, the defense was giving up completions too easily, and the whole outing had the feel of a team still searching for its footing before the games start to count.
Sean Payton added another layer to the frustration from the broadcast booth, taking a shot at the home crowd attendance while the Broncos kept extending control of the game. It was the kind of preseason performance that can linger beyond one August night, especially when the opposition is not only outplaying you, but also making sure to notice the empty seats along the way. [Read more 🡒]
Sean Payton Twists The Knife As Broncos Embarrass Falcons Early
The Falcons preseason trip to Denver turned into an ugly afternoon long before the starters could settle in, with the Broncos racing to a 24-0 halftime lead and Atlanta fans already letting their frustration spill over in boos. It was the kind of lopsided exhibition half that leaves little to soften, especially with the home side struggling to generate much reason for optimism in a building that had plenty of empty seats by halftime.
Sean Payton only added to the sting from there. During a halftime interview, the Broncos coach pointed out the sparse crowd, a sharp jab from a longtime Falcons nemesis who knows exactly how to press the right buttons. For Atlanta, it was one more reminder that even in August, the bad vibes can travel fast when a game gets away early. [Read more 🡒]