2023 NFL preseason, Week 2: What We Learned from Friday’s doubleheader

NFL.com breaks down what you need to know from Week 2 of the 2023 NFL preseason. Catch up on each game’s biggest takeaways using the links below:

• New York Giants 21, Carolina Panthers 19
• Cincinnati Bengals 13, Atlanta Falcons 13

1. Daniel Jones to Darren Waller. Get used to hearing that. For those of the mind that Darren Waller left his best seasons in Las Vegas, his new quarterback Daniel Jones appears set on proving you wrong. In Jones’ and Waller’s first preseason showing together, Danny Dimes went to his shiny new tight end immediately. And then went to him again and again. Jones targeted Waller on the first three plays from scrimmage on Friday night before finding another new addition, wide receiver Parris Campbell, for 13 yards. Jones looked excellent in his one and only series, hitting on 8 of 9 passes (the only miss a Waller drop) for 89 yards, the final four of those yards coming on a touchdown to Daniel Bellinger in which Waller drew double coverage. Waller had three grabs for 30 yards (Campbell had two receptions for 18 yards). Jones looked sharp and happy to have a host of new options. Meanwhile, Waller (who lined up wide, in the slot and tight) looked refreshed, and in a preseason sampling flashed his 2019-2020 form. Obviously, there’s the obligatory caveat that this is just the preseason, but a quick Jones-Waller chemistry seems undeniable.
2. O-line officially an issue for Panthers. Unfortunately for Carolina, the Week 1 performance by the offensive line wasn’t an aberration. Bryce Young was harassed throughout his two drives, shining a glaring spotlight on a major problem for the Panthers going forward. With the maturation of the future of the franchise live and televised, protecting Young is paramount. So far, though, he’s been hounded and pummeled. On Friday, Young was pressured 42.9% of the time, per Next Gen Stats, and sacked once. Over two games and five series, Young has been hit too often, sacked twice and quarterbacked Carolina to only three points. When the games count in the standings a few weeks from now, Young’s going to play a lot more than a few series per game, and that portends to even more punishment. The Panthers have an obvious issue to address -- in a hurry.

Back to top

1. Falcons’ first drive delivers plenty of anticipation (just not points). Atlanta’s opening drive Friday might have been the most promising and exciting preseason march to end with no points that one could ever witness. It concluded with a Desmond Ridder pass getting deflected and intercepted by Joseph Ossai, but don’t let that trifle of a fact distract from all the expectation created prior to that. Ridder appeared comfortable and on point, hitting five different receivers on seven completions for 80 yards. A healthy Kyle Pitts returned, made a one-handed grab and drew a huge ovation from the home crowd. Drake London looked solid on a pair of catches. And Bijan Robinson was every bit as dazzling as the hype would have you believe, shedding tacklers, bursting through the line and whetting the appetite for what’s next in Atlanta. It all came with the backdrop of a second straight sensational showing from the Falcons’ defense. This was the first chance to see Arthur Smith’s offense with its starters at the helm and it didn’t disappoint -- even if it didn’t score any points.
2. Browning makes a case for QB2. Trevor Siemian was signed by Cincinnati strictly to back up Joe Burrow. However, if the franchise QB doesn’t return by Week 1, Jake Browning is making an argument to get the QB2 nod. Neither Siemian nor Browning was electric on Friday, but with both playing alongside and against backups, Browning offered the better results to go with the stronger arm and fleeter feet. Siemian captained just one field-goal-scoring drive in the first half as he went 7 of 14 for 62 yards. Browning drove the Bengals on a pair of second-half scoring drives, including a fourth-quarter march capped by a Chase Brown go-ahead TD run. The preceding drive saw a costly Browning interception, but he rallied and made some big plays with his arm and legs to lead Cincy to pay dirt with less than a minute to play. Browning, 27, has never seen action in a regular-season game, but he made an argument that if Burrow isn’t ready he should get a shot to debut over the veteran Siemian, who’s started 30 games in his career but has lost the last six.

Back to top

Want to follow these storylines and more? NFL+ gives you the freedom to watch live out-of-market preseason games, daily coverage on NFL Network, the best NFL programming on-demand and much more! Plus, NFL RedZone is now part of NFL+ Premium! Learn more about NFL+.