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 at Kansas City Chiefs
- Minnesota Vikings at Cleveland Browns
- 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.
