Risers and Fallers of Every Matchup in Week 2 of Preseason

Philadelphia Eagles vs New England Patriots:

The biggest riser of the game by far was Eagles rookie wide receiver Joseph Ngata. The 23 year old receiver in his first outing was automatic catching 5 out of his 5 targets for 88 yards. The young player impressed heavily at every level of the field, finding his way open and showing strong hands to finish the play every time. The biggest faller of the game was Patriots quarterback Joe Milton III. The rookie quarterback impressed heavily throughout training camp and the first preseason game, however he looked hopeless Thursday night throwing just 2/7 for 20 yards and having 9 rushing yards on 3 attempts. The athletic quarterback has impressed to the point that some believed he may be better than 3rd overall pick, Drake Maye, however those talks have diminished this past week.

Atlanta Falcons vs Baltimore Ravens:

The riser of this game was no question Atlanta rookie cornerback Natrone Brooks. Brooks impressed heavily, looking decent in coverage and was a fantastic tackler, ESPECIALLY for a corner. Brooks had 13 total tackles, 5 more than the next best on the team and had a forced fumble to go along with that. As the Falcons have a weak corner room I expect Brooks to not only make the roster, but he could even push to be a starter at some point. The faller of the game surprisingly enough was Atlanta’s kicker Younghoe Koo. The veteran kicker missed 3 field goals all wide to the left. This cost the team heavily, Koo did make 2 of his attempts however going 2/5 and even had a touchdown saving tackle.

Cincinnati Bengals vs Chicago Bears:

The Bears had a dominant win against Cincinnati this week with many players impressing such as Dante Pettis and Tyson Bagent. However, the player I’d like to highlight is Rome Odunze who had a massive catch for 45 yards from Caleb Williams. It was on a play that has been highlighted as one of the best of the week, however all of the attention is on Caleb instead of Rome with a remarkable grab. Rome could be a massive contributor right away for Chicago as Keenan seems to be out of shape right now.

New York Giants vs Houston Texans:

The biggest impressor of this matchup was Texans rookie running back British Brooks. Brooks had 23 yards on 5 carries with 2 rushing touchdowns to make a statement for the Texans. British looked strong running through tackles and reliably making gains for the Texans offense. Maybe the most catastrophic faller of the entire league last week was Giants quarterback Daniel Jones. Jones went 11/18 passing for 138 yards and had 2 interceptions without a score. The Giants quarterback room is sure to hold back their offense this year and this was the first taste of what Giants fans will be seeing more of. 

Detroit Lions vs Kansas City Chiefs:

This was an extremely close contest between the Chiefs and Lions, with Detroit winning by just a point. There were no true fallers of the game, but I’d like to discuss multiple players that impressed. Xavier Worthy looks legit for the Chiefs and may even end up at Mahomes’ top weapon by the end of the year as Travis Kelce declines. Worthy had 4 touches for 73 yards and a score dominating every rep he was given. Punter Matt Arazia looked very impressive for KC as well, having 6 punts and pinning 4 of them within the 20. He wasn’t the only special teamer that impressed though. Lions kicker Jacob Bates, who came in from the UFL, went 4/4 on field goals including a 55 yarder. 

Minnesota Vikings vs Cleveland Browns:

There was a defensive player that impressed above the rest in this campaign being Vikings safety Lewis Cine. Cine was a first round pick in 2022 with tons of potential before a gruesome injury in his rookie year after just 2 defensive snaps. Lewis looks back and better than ever now having 10 total tackles, a sack, and an interception against Cleveland. We may be witnessing an incredible comeback story on the rise as Cine looks for a breakout season and this was a dynamic start. The biggest disappointment was Cleveland quarterback Tyler Huntley who threw two interceptions with no scores and is on the verge of getting cut.

Seattle Seahawks vs Tennessee Titans:

Sam Howell was very commanding when on the field throwing 11/14 for 153 yards, a touchdown, and no turnovers. Howell has the upside to take Geno Smith’s job as the starter for Seattle. Linebacker Chance Campbell impressed me a ton for Tennessee and may have a chance to find a role in a lackluster linebacker room. The biggest dud of the week was easily Kobe Lewis who had 4 carries for -1 yards. The run game with Kobe on the field was somehow less than non-existent. 

Buffalo Bills vs Pittsburgh Steelers:

In a low scoring game there were many standouts for Buffalo. 4th round rookie running back Ray Davis had 58 yards on just 8 carries looking like a great powerback option for Buffalo. Rookie linebacker Joe Andreessen had a breakout game with 12 total tackles flying across the field for Buffalo. Star edge rusher Greg Rousseau DOMINATED his limited snaps with 2.5 sacks before getting subbed out, Greg may be in for an emergence season as one of the best edges in the league.

New York Jets vs Carolina Panthers:

There weren’t many standouts in this exhibition but Will McDonald IV had a good showing for the Jets having a sack. As struggles with Haason Reddick’s situation continue it’s looking like McDonald will have a starting opportunity for the Jets and could have a breakout season. Receiver Jonathan Mingo for the Panthers is the faller of the game, not being able to get anything going on offense. Mingo has had a strong camp but doesn’t look impactful whatsoever in preseason having 0 yards on 2 touches. 

Washington Commanders vs Miami Dolphins:

The risers of this game were both of the starting quarterbacks which is great to hear as a fan of either team. Tua Tagovailoa was surgical for Miami, going 5/5 for 51 yards and a touchdown without his top 2 wide outs. Jayden Daniels continued to impress for Washington when in the game, throwing 10/12 for 78 yards and adding 13 yards on the ground. The biggest disappointment was Miami’s running back Raheem Mostert who had a decent amount of touches that amounted to nothing having only 7 yards on 5 carries.

Arizona Cardinals vs Indianapolis Colts:

The two biggest impressors in my eyes were both on the losing team in this game being Trey Benson and Cameron Thomas for the Cardinals. Benson looks like the top rookie running back this year and should prove to be a star playmaker and 3 down back for Arizona. He showed his talent by consistently making plays and averaging nearly 5 YPC on 9 touches. The former 2nd round pick Cameron Thomas may have a chance to break out on a Cardinals lackluster defense and he started trending towards that with 2 sacks against the Colts. The biggest faller was the other runner with major touches for Arizona in Emari Demercado who averaged just 2.4 yards a carry on 10 touches.

Los Angeles Rams vs Los Angeles Chargers:

In a slow game rookie receiver Jordan Whittington for the Rams continued to impress as he fights for the WR3 job on the team having 5 catches for 52 yards against the Chargers. Another player that impressed for the Rams was Omar Speights at linebacker flying across the field for multiple players. Speights has a chance to become the starter at linebacker alongside Ernest Jones IV. There was no clear loser of the game.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Jacksonville Jaguars:

In a game without many mistakes, the Jaguars receiver Parker Washington and IDL Esezi Otomewo continued impressing. Parker had 38 yards and a touchdown on 3 catches and projects to be a very underrated contributor for Jacksonville. Esezi followed up a game in which he had 1.5 sacks against KC with another sack against Tampa. Otomewo has been an extremely good pass rushing interior lineman that is certainly fighting to make the roster. Linebacker Jose Ramirez had an insanely great campaign for Tampa having 3 sacks against Jacksonville. This may have been the most impressive breakout game from a player so far in preseason.

Dallas Cowboys vs Las Vegas Raiders:

Trey Lance had a great game for Dallas throwing 15/23 for 151 yards and a touchdown as well as adding 34 yards and a touchdown on the ground. If ever given another opportunity Lance may still have room to be a quality starter somewhere. Brandon Aubrey’s 66 yard field goal is also certainly worth mentioning for Dallas. The faller of the game was probably Raiders running back Dylan Laube. Laube wasn’t given many touches but only averaged 2.7 yards a carry.

Green Bay Packers vs Denver Broncos:

Bo Nix continues to dominate for Denver looking like the best rookie quarterback early on throwing 8/9 for 80 yards and a touchdown as well as adding 12 yards on the ground. The biggest dud of the game by a good margin was Packers running back Ellis Merriweather who had a measly 18 yards on 8 touches. With a run game like that no wonder Denver won 27-2.

New Orleans Saints vs San Francisco 49ers:

There were 2 young standouts for SF against the Saints. Rookie receiver Jacob Cowing had a great showing with 70 yards on 5 touches as he fights to make the roster of maybe the best built team in the league. 7th round rookie linebacker Tatum Bethune continued to impress as well, having 9 total tackles with great effort every down going sideline to sideline. Saints starting quarterback Derek Carr was the biggest faller in my eyes as he struggled pushing the ball downfield going 7/9 passing but only for 47 yards. Not a great sight for a starting veteran signal caller in preseason.