The NFL preseason is officially underway and Week 1 of the 2022 exhibition season has been pretty hectic so far. Atlanta Falcons rookie quarterback Desmond Ridder threw a game-winning touchdown against the Detroit Lions with less than two minutes left, Jordan Love and Trey Lance traded long touchdowns in the bay and the Bengals’ star kicker from Cincinnati Evan McPherson was 3 of 3 on field goals, including two from at least 56 yards.
There have also been a few injuries, the most notable being New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson – who tore his meniscus. However, he is expected to be fine and he may not miss a moment in the regular season.
This Saturday, we have a total of eight games to watch, starting with the Carolina Panthers vs. Washington Commanders and Kansas City Chiefs vs. Chicago Bears at 1 p.m. ET, and ending with a battle for LA between the Super champions Bowl, the Rams and the Chargers. .
Below, we’ll track all the must-see highlights from Saturday’s action. Get ready for a full day of football.
Program
Thursday
Giants 23, Patriots 21 (takeout)
Ravens 23, Titans 10 (Recap)
Friday
Falcons 27, Lions 23 (Recap)
Browns 24, Jaguars 13 (Recap)
Cardinals 36, Bengals 23 (Recap)
Jets 24, Eagles 21 (takeout)
49ers 28, Packers 21 (Recap)
Saturday
Bears 19, Chiefs 14 (Recap)
Panthers 23, Commanders 21 (Recap)
Colts at Bills, 4 p.m. ET (Gametracker)
Seahawks at Steelers, 7 p.m. ET (Gametracker)
Dolphins at Buccaneers, 7:30 p.m. ET (Gametracker)
Saints at Texans, 8 p.m. ET (Gametracker)
Cowboys at Broncos, 9 p.m. ET (Gametracker)
Rams at Chargers, 10 p.m. ET (Gametracker)
Sunday
Vikings at Raiders, 4:25 p.m. ET (Gametracker)
Boots ‘Punt God’ 82 meters
They don’t call him “Punt God” for nothing. In the final minute of the first half of the Bills and Colts’ preseason opener, rookie punter Matt Araiza kicked a thunderous 82-yard punt. He bounced deep into Indy territory before entering the end zone for a touchdown. Araiza’s punt had an unofficial suspension time of 4.23 seconds, according to Athleticism.
The San Diego State product made a name for himself in college for punts similar to this one, and that’s what led him to be a sixth-round pick for Buffalo in the of the 2022 NFL Draft. If he can keep having punts like this and force teams to go the length of the field against a defense that ranked No. 1 in DVOA the NFL the year last, Buffalo is going to be even more dangerous than initially thought.
Buffalo Turnover Party
The Buffalo Bills and Indianapolis Colts are the current betting favorites to climb out of their respective divisions and are among the most popular bets to win the AFC in 2022. That said, they didn’t exactly look like juggernauts in the first half. of their pre-season. opener. This exhibition quickly turned into a turnover party. In the first two quarters, there were a total of six turnovers, including one in four straight round trips in the second quarter.
After stopping a four-and-four attempt by the Colts, quarterback Case Keenum was stripped near midfield. Just six plays later, Indy flagger Nick Foles was stripped with Buffalo’s Terrel Bernard recovering the loose ball and returning it 69 yards for the touchdown.
On the very next drive following that score, Foles’ throw was intercepted. A play later, the undercarriage continued to huff as Keenum was picked in the red zone.
Sam Howell’s stunning late rally
Carson Wentz and Taylor Heinicke didn’t do much as quarterbacks for the Commanders, but their third quarterback in rookie Sam Howell impressed. It took him just five completions to become Washington’s leading passer against the hometown Panthers, and then he recorded that impressive 17-yard rushing touchdown.
Don’t be caught off guard by Howell’s legs. He ran in 11 scores for the Tar Heels last year.
After Carolina made three outs on the next possession, Howell took the field again – looking to at least tie the game midway through the fourth quarter. The Tower led a 13-play, 67-yard drive that was capped off with his second rushing touchdown of the game. Howell then hit Alex Erickson for the two-point conversion to take the lead, and FedEx Field fans went wild.
siemian splatter games
Justin Fields’ new mentor leads a comeback in Chicago. After trailing 14-0, the Bears scored 16 unanswered goals thanks to backup quarterback Trevor Siemian. Chicago isn’t acting like it’s a preseason game, as the offense went down in fourth-and-second, and Siemian found a Dante Pettis on the court.
Three plays later, Siemian hit Dazz Newsome on a nice throw in the corner of the end zone to shoot within a point of the Chiefs.
Security Justin Reid launches XP for chefs
Harrison Butker isn’t the only good kicker on the Chiefs’ roster, as one of their safeties also has a talented leg. Reid kicked 65 yard field goal in training camp last week and got a chance to score an extra point in Week 1 of the preseason. It was perfect.
RB rookie Brian Robinson shines for COs
It looks like the Alabama rookie is set to take a few touches from Antonio Gibson in 2022. Robinson rushed for 26 yards on his first six carries and also caught two passes for 15 yards earlier. Robinson also recorded part of the Commander’s history, as he scored Washington’s first touchdown of the new era.
Tajae Sharpe ‘pre-season takeover’ candidate
Sharpe is fighting for playing time among the Bears’ wide receivers, and this hold will certainly help his case. He used athleticism, focus and sideline awareness to pack this one. New to the Bears, Sharpe spent the last year with the Falcons. He caught 25 passes for 230 yards in 15 games played.
Sam Darnold with an impressive TD throw
The Panthers are all over the early commanders, and Antonio Gibson helped his opponent’s cause by fumbling on his own 28-yard line. Darnold replaced Baker Mayfield at quarterback for Carolina’s second series, and three plays into the drive he connected with Rashard Higgins for an eight-yard touchdown.
It’s a pretty impressive throw, as Darnold had Montez Sweat in his face, but led his wide perfectly while throwing his back foot.
The NFL world is a little nervous for the sophomore Fields, as he’s been tasked with finding success behind a dodgy offensive line and with a wide, low-lying receiving body. Fields still has Mooney, however, who is fresh off a career campaign in which he caught 81 passes for 1,055 yards and four touchdowns.
Check out this throw and catch that lasted 26 yards:
Chiefs waste no time scoring first TD Saturday
Now that’s enough. We can take Patrick Mahomes out of the game. He’s still good at football. The former NFL MVP led an 11-game, 72-yard drive that included a few highlight plays and was capped off with a five-yard touchdown pass to Blake Bell.
Watson is awaiting a potential penalty increase from the NFL – which should increase his six-game suspension to something more meaningful – but he took the field for the Browns’ first preseason game of the new year against the Jaguars . Watson certainly looked like someone playing their first game in 568 dayswhile he finished with just seven passing yards on 1 of 5 passes.
In positive news for the Browns, backup QB Joshua Dobbs looked good, completing 10 of 13 passes for 108 yards and a touchdown.
From Friday: Ridder’s winning pass
The Lions-Falcons preseason game didn’t have to be so entertaining. New ATL QB Marcus Mariota looked great, as did rookie Desmond Ridder. On the fourth and 9th three-pointers with less than two minutes left, Ridder found Jared Bernhardt for the winning score.
Not only was this play good to see from a rookie quarterback, but the player who received the touchdown also deserves some credit. Bernhardt is a former Maryland lacrosse star and the winner of the 2021 Tewaaraton Award — which is given to the top college lacrosse player. Not only was Bernhardt a lax legend at an elite school, but he later transferred to Ferris State to play football and led the program to an undefeated record and their first Division II national championship as a quarterback- back. Now he’s caught an NFL game-winning touchdown. What a story.