Mayfield started over Sam Darnold for Carolina, while Watson was on the field for the first time since 2020. Here were the key performances of Week 1.
The first full week of the 2022 NFL preseason commenced Thursday night, with the New England Patriots hosting the New York Giants and the Baltimore Ravens welcoming the Tennessee Titans to get the slate started.
Friday brought us a full five-game slate of games, with Deshaun Watson taking the field for the first time since the 2020 season. His start followed an apology to the women who have accused him of inappropriate sexual misconduct during massage sessions, saying on the Cleveland Browns‘ pregame show that he was „truly sorry“ to the women he had impacted.
The New York Jets will be without Zach Wilson for two to four weeks after he injured his right knee Friday night. The second-year quarterback will undergo arthroscopic surgery soon.
Saturday featured eight games, starting with the Washington Commanders hosting the Carolina Panthers. Baker Mayfield got the start as he battles Sam Darnold for the QB1 job. Matt Ryan also made his debut in an Indianapolis Colts uniform at the Buffalo Bills, while first-rounder Kenny Pickett flashed in his Pittsburgh Steelers debut.
Here are the biggest takeaways from this week’s games, along with the rest of the Week 1 preseason schedule.
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Giants: This was exactly what the Giants‘ offense needed after an up-and-down start to training camp. Quarterback Daniel Jones and the starting offense moved the ball well and probably should have reached the end zone, if not for a bad third-down drop by wide receiver Kenny Golladay near the goal line. Jones still finished 6-of-10 passing for 69 yards and ran for another first down. It should take any outside pressure off him even though backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor followed by going 13-of-21 passing for 129 yards with a touchdown toss to Richie James. Overall, the Giants‘ offense and quarterbacks showed signs that they’re headed in the right direction, and there is no need to make any rash moves or panic with another month to go before the regular-season opener in Tennessee. — Jordan Raanan
Next game: vs. Bengals (7 p.m. ET, Sunday, Aug. 21)
Patriots: On a night when Mac Jones and most of the Patriots‘ starters didn’t play, it was a chance to focus on the sideline and get a feel for the team’s unconventional coaching setup offensively. Senior football adviser/OL coach Matt Patricia called the plays for the first three series when Brian Hoyer was at quarterback, and then it appeared that offensive assistant/QBs coach Joe Judge was calling the plays when rookie Bailey Zappe entered at quarterback. Signs point to Patricia as the primary playcaller, but it was notable to see Judge also perform some of those duties in the preseason opener.
„I thought it would be a good opportunity for us to do that,“ Belichick said. „We’re going through a process.“
When asked who will call plays during the regular season, Belichick said: „Don’t worry about that. We’ll work it out.“ — Mike Reiss
Next game: vs. Panthers (7 p.m. ET, Friday)
Ravens: Tyler Huntley once again showed why he’s among the NFL’s top backup quarterbacks. Huntley was more accurate in the preseason opener than he has been all of training camp, completing 88.9% of his passes (16-of-18) and putting great touch on his 14-yard touchdown pass. He also converted a fourth down with a physical 14-yard run. The Ravens will always be at their best with Lamar Jackson (who didn’t play Thursday night), but they know they can remain competitive with Huntley. The Ravens extended their preseason winning streak to 21 games. „It means a lot to the culture, just to show that we’re a winning team,“ Huntley said. „And we don’t care what kind of game it is, the Ravens are going to fight to get a win.“ — Jamison Hensley
Next game: at Cardinals (8 p.m. ET, Sunday, Aug. 21)
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Titans: The Titans got a live look at Malik Willis with this surprise start against the Ravens. Willis played into the third quarter and completed 6 of his 11 pass attempts for 107 yards. His best throw was a 48-yard play-action pass to Racey McMath. The rookie’s 7-yard scramble for a touchdown showed that he can make big plays running with the ball as well. There were times when it was evident that Willis needed to speed up his process instead of holding on to the football too long. Even though he got the start, Willis is listed as the No. 3 quarterback behind Ryan Tannehill and Logan Woodside. He will get to build on his performance in joint practices with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and in the second preseason game next week. — Turron Davenport
Next game: vs. Buccaneers (7 p.m. ET, Saturday, Aug. 20)
Falcons: The Atlanta Falcons wanted to get rookie quarterback Desmond Ridder significant snaps to start the evaluation process of their third-round pick. And while Ridder is not close to unseating Marcus Mariota as the starter, the Falcons got what they wanted. Ridder played three quarters, completing 10 of 22 passes for 103 yards and 2 touchdowns while also rushing six times for 59 yards. While the numbers won’t show it, Ridder looked more on-point early than most preseason practices — and his numbers were deflated a little bit by drops from receivers. There were a couple of bad passes — an overturned interception due to a penalty and another throw nearly picked off — but it’s a good first step for Ridder, who still has a ways to go offensively. — Michael Rothstein
Next game: at Jets (8 p.m. ET, Monday, Aug. 22)
Lions: Quarterback Jared Goff and the new-look offense played only the opening series but showed their potential with a touchdown on the opening drive capped by a 9-yard run up the middle by running back D’Andre Swift. Goff went 3-of-4 with 47 passing yards and appeared much more comfortable with his options — notably wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, who made two catches for 29 yards on a pair of targets. Goff knows he has to prove himself this season to secure a long-term future in Detroit and got off to a strong individual start, even if it’s just the preseason and behind an offensive line with high expectations this year. However, the Lions haven’t won a preseason game since Aug. 24, 2018 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 3. — Eric Woodyard
Next game: at Colts (1 p.m. ET, Saturday, Aug. 20)
Browns: Quarterback Deshaun Watson’s first appearance since the 2020 season was a rough one. Playing the entire first quarter, Watson completed just 1 of 5 passes for seven yards. With him at QB, the offense failed to generate a single first down. To make things worse, starting center Nick Harris had to be carted off the field after the second snap because of a knee injury. What happened before kickoff, however, overshadowed anything Watson did on the field. For the first time, he apologized to the women who have accused him of inappropriate sexual misconduct during massage sessions, saying on the Browns‘ pregame show that he was „truly sorry“ to the women he had impacted. Meanwhile, Watson and the Browns continue to wait on whether appeals officer Peter C. Harvey will extend Watson’s six-game suspension. — Jake Trotter
Next game: vs. Eagles (1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Aug. 21)
Jaguars: The Jaguars‘ offense looked … functional. The first-team offense put 13 points on the board, scoring on all three of their possessions against Cleveland (one set up by a fumble recovery by Shaquill Griffin). Last year’s first-team offense didn’t find the end zone until the final preseason game, but Trevor Lawrence and tight end Evan Engram hooked up on a 9-yard TD pass on fourth down to cap the Jaguars‘ third possession. Granted, the Browns were without five starters (including defensive end Myles Garrett), but the offense was efficient and committed no penalties. The personnel this season is markedly better, especially at receiver and tight end, and coach Doug Pederson is a major upgrade as a playcaller. It was an encouraging start. — Michael DiRocco
Next game: at Colts (1 p.m. ET, Saturday, Aug. 20)
Jets: The Jets‘ entire season may have been altered in one horrible night, as QB Zach Wilson suffered a potentially serious knee injury in the first quarter. He left the game immediately. The team didn’t provide a diagnosis, except to confirm it’s a knee injury — the same knee he hurt last season. This would be a devastating blow for the Jets, who have built everything around him. Their backup quarterback options are Joe Flacco and Mike White. The coaching staff has ties to the 49ers‘ Jimmy Garoppolo, so he could be an option if the injury is season-ending. — Rich Cimini
Next game: vs. Falcons (8 p.m. ET, Monday, Aug. 22)
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Eagles: One scary moment aside, Jalen Hurts‘ preseason debut couldn’t have gone much better. He went a perfect 6-of-6 for 80 yards in his one series of work, capping his night with a 22-yard touchdown strike to tight end Dallas Goedert. Fans held their collective breath — and coach Nick Sirianni lost his cool, screaming in the direction of the Jets‘ sideline — when linebacker Quincy Williams decked Hurts out of bounds following a scramble. But Hurts popped up, dusted off his jersey and completed the scoring drive. Hurts generally took what the defense gave him underneath and mixed in some off-script plays, including a sprint to the right to extend the play before finding Quez Watkins for a 28-yard gain. If he can strike that balance between creator and distributor during the regular season, this Eagles team is going to be a handful.
