NFL.com breaks down what you need to know from Week 2 of the 2024 NFL preseason. Catch up on each game's biggest takeaways using the links below:
- Baltimore Ravens 13, Atlanta Falcons 12
- Chicago Bears 27, Cincinnati Bengals 3
- Houston Texans 28, New York Giants 10
- Detroit Lions 24, Kansas City Chiefs 23
- Minnesota Vikings 27, Cleveland Browns 12
- New York Jets at Carolina Panthers
- Arizona Cardinals at Indianapolis Colts
- Washington Commanders at Miami Dolphins
- Buffalo Bills at Pittsburgh Steelers
- Seattle Seahawks at Tennessee Titans
- Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Chargers
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Jacksonville Jaguars
- Dallas Cowboys at Las Vegas Raiders
Kevin Patra's takeaways:
- David Ojabo looks good in latest return from injury. After two seasons washed out by injury, the former second-round pick dipped his toe into the preseason waters on Saturday. The edge rusher generated two QB pressures on just 15 first-half defensive snaps against Falcons backups. Ojabo was active, showed a good spin move and ran a solid stunt. Most importantly, Ojabo looked fresh and healthy. A pre-draft Achilles injury dropped the first-round talent and relegated him to two games as a rookie. Last year, his season ended after three games due to an ACL tear. Proving he can stay healthy in Year 3 will be big. The Ravens can use edge aid behind Kyle Van Noy and Odafe Oweh. Ojabo could be that guy if he can stay on the field.
- Taylor Heinicke gets the start for Falcons. Atlanta sat Kirk Cousins and rookie Michael Penix Jr. in the second preseason game, giving Heinicke a showcase opportunity. The veteran completed 8 of 16 passes for 114 yards (7.1 yards per attempt) with zero TDs and zero INTs. Playing with a host of backups, Heinicke moved the offense well. The gunslinger splashed some big plays, including a 32-yard shot and a 27-yard zinger to Chris Blair. As we’ve seen during his six-year career, there were some misses and forced balls you’d rather not see against opposing backups. However, he moved the offense, leading the Falcons into field-goal range four times in five drives. With Penix securely in the backup job, the Falcons could be showcasing Heinicke for a potential trade -- he played into the third quarter. His performance Saturday likely didn’t change the calculus one way or another.
Kevin Patra's takeaways:
- Caleb Williams starts slow, then mashes the gas pedal. The Bears offense slogged through the first quarter, going three-and-out on three consecutive drives against Bengals backups. Williams misfired on his first three passes -- two getting him on the move and a third-down intentional grounding. With Chicago failing to generate a first down, coach Matt Eberflus kept his starters in the game through the entire first half. The offense finally found its stride in the second quarter. A beautiful deep ball from Williams led to a 43-yard pass interference penalty, setting up a field goal. The final drive of the first half showcased the entire package from Williams. The rookie made good timing throws to get the drive started. Then came the highlights: Williams spun away from pressure and launched a ridiculous, off-balance, across-body lob down the left sideline to Rome Odunze. On the next play, the QB again got out of the pocket and zipped a laser to Odunze, but the wideout stepped out of bounds on the would-be touchdown. Two plays later, Caleb scrambled for a touchdown. Despite the early struggles against backups, Williams was never rattled. His processing was noticeably better this week -- even on incompletions, he was decisive. The development of the No. 1 pick is still on track.
- Bengals show depth on defense. The score might have gotten out of hand, but Cincinnati's defense showed good depth of talent early. With backups facing Chicago starters to open the game, Cincy forced three three-and-outs. Up front, second-round defensive tackle Kris Jenkins Jr. muscled his way for a sack, a great sign for a player who entered the NFL known more as a run-stuffer than a penetrator. Sixth-round DE Cedric Johnson earned three QB pressures on 17 snaps. And 2023 first-rounder Myles Murphy continued his excellent offseason with a pressure in limited snaps. If those players continue to improve behind the starting crew, Lou Anarumo could have a quality rotation. On the back end, DJ Turner II and Dax Hill, in a battle for a starting gig, didn't see a target on two three-and-out series. Josh Newton made a drive-ending PBU as well. The fifth-round rookie later got beat for a long DPI and gave up a TD, but he's shown promise this offseason as a depth player. The attention in Cincy has been on the offense, but Anarumo's D should be good and have better depth in 2024 if everyone stays healthy.
Coral Smith's takeaways:
- Giants QB shaky in first game back. Daniel Jones’ highly anticipated return to action got off to an inauspicious start with his very first throw almost getting picked off. He continued to struggle through his first three drives, with two ending in interceptions, including a pick-six after attempting to throw it away to avoid a safety. Jones settled down a bit over the course of the first half, notably airing it out to Darius Slayton for a pretty 44-yard completion. Jones also gave a first taste of the potential pairing with Malik Nabers, connecting four times for 54 yards, including a couple toe-tapping grabs for the rookie. With only one more game before stats start counting, the Giants will want to see much more from Jones after standing behind him as the starter.
- Texans backups continue to battle. C.J. Stroud and the starters continued to roll in limited snaps, but once the first-teamers were out, attention shifted to those whose roster spots are less secure. John Metchie III led all receivers with six receptions for 68 yards, including two third-down conversions and the touchdown grab on the Texans’ first offensive scoring drive. As for the running backs, Dameon Pierce had the weakest outing, recording just five yards on four attempts with the starters, while Cam Akers and J.J. Taylor came in later and averaged 4.8 and 7.2 yards per carry, respectively. A surprise standout late in the game was British Brooks, who scored twice in the fourth quarter on runs of six and 15 yards. Cuts are coming, and players made their cases Saturday for Houston's 53-man roster.
Kevin Patra's takeaways:
- Xavier Worthy shows off big-play ability. Mr. Behind-The-Back makes watching preseason games fun. When he wasn't doing a Jason Williams impression, Patrick Mahomes unearthed chunk plays. On the first third down of the game, Mahomes found Worthy open deep for a 39-yard conversion. Worthy going in motion kept him off DBs and gave the speedster a running start against the secondary. Hunting for big plays, Mahomes then found Justin Watson for a 20-yard gain. Later, the QB just missed Worthy on another shot. After Carson Wentz took over under center, Worthy again got past the defense for a 22-yard touchdown. The blazer also took an end around for seven yards, fumbling after the hit but recovering the ball. The rookie's big-play ability should help open an offense that was stagnant at times last season. Worthy, Rashee Rice and Watson were the clear top three receivers on Saturday, with Marquise Brown injured. Skyy Moore was the primary backup, with Justyn Ross and Mecole Hardman entering with the backups. Kadarius Toney appears well down the depth chart, battling for a roster spot at this point.
- Hendon Hooker rides the roller coaster in Kansas City. The quarterback's appearance last week was cut short by a concussion. Hooker played the entire second half Saturday, leading a comeback win over the Chiefs. The former third-round pick, who missed his entire rookie season after a college ACL injury, was wobbly out of the gate, badly airmailing his first pass while on the move. Hooker looked far more poised during his second drive, displaying good accuracy and anticipation during a field-goal drive. On the third drive, Hooker hesitated in the pocket and took a sack to scuttle the possession. The QB then led a sensational drive, finding outlets, hitting receivers in stride and capping it off with a 7-yard touchdown scramble to pull Detroit within two points. Then, with a chance to take the lead, Hooker bobbled the snap and exchange with running back Bam Knight leading to a turnover. After Detroit got the ball back, Hooker immediately hit Tom Kennedy for a 14-yard pass to comfortably get Detroit in field goal range for the win. Hooker's roller-coaster day highlights that the young passer needs seasoning, but there is an upside to his game that simply isn't there with Nate Sudfeld. The question come cut time is whether the Lions' brass trusts Hooker behind Jared Goff if injury occurs or whether they feel the need to keep a veteran on the roster.
Kevin Patra's takeaways:
- Vikings' WR3 gig still up for grabs? Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison sat out with many starters on a rainy day in Cleveland. Jalen Nailor and Brandon Powell, competing for third receiver reps, both played. Nailor played with the first group in both two- and three-receiver sets. Powell mostly played in three-WR sets. Nailor, who flashed last week, added another big play to his ledger, snagging a 31-yard ball. Powell grabbed both of his targets for 19 yards. Nailor's big plays could give him the edge in Kevin O'Connell's offense. Entering his third season, the former sixth-round pick has flashed so far this offseason, and his field-stretching ability on the outside and down the seam could make the Vikings offense even more dangerous. However, the rep breakdown during the regular season will likely depend on formations, with Powell taking slot reps when Jefferson and Addison are on the field.
- Jim Schwartz's defense continues to come in waves. Perhaps it's not something we "learned" as much as a reiteration of fact. We know the Browns starters can create headaches for quarterbacks. Saturday's performance showed the backups can cause havoc as well. Schwartz dialed up some fun pressures with his secondary players, bamboozling Vikings backups. In the first half alone, Cleveland generated a whopping 25 QB pressures and three sacks. The Browns pressured Nick Mullens on 17 of 21 attempts, per Next Gen Stats. For the game, the group earned 29 pressures and five sacks, including a safety late in the contest. The run defense still has holes and needs work when the starters get involved, but Cleveland can still discombobulate passers regardless of who is on the field.