Week 1 of the NFL preseason continued on Saturday with nine games.
Here are five takeaways from the action, dominated primarily by rookie quarterbacks.
Caleb Williams looked extremely comfortable in preseason debut
Williams finished 4-of-7 for 95 yards (13.6 YPC), recording a 101.8 passer rating in a 33-6 win over the Buffalo Bills. However, beyond the numbers, he displayed qualities that should have the Chicago Bears giddy with excitement.
The No. 1 pick showcased his pocket presence and well-known improv skills on the game’s first drive, flipping the ball across his body under pressure to running back D’Andre Swift for a 42-yard gain. Later in the first quarter, he sold play-action and pump-faked to stall a pursuing defender before throwing a 26-yard dart on the run to tight end Cole Kmet.
Both plays demonstrated what may set Williams apart from the rest of the first-year quarterback class — the skill level to make the difficult look easy.
Jayden Daniels impressed in a small sample size
Like Williams, Daniels is in line to start day one for the Washington Commanders after being selected No. 2 overall in this year’s draft. Unsurprisingly, he played sparingly in Saturday’s 20-17 loss to the New York Jets but made his mark.
Daniels completed two of three passes, including a 42-yard connection with Dyami Brown, which he told Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post after the game was an audible called at the line. Seven plays later, he capped off an 11-play, 70-yard drive, rushing for a three-yard touchdown to end his afternoon on a high note.
It might not be much to go on, but Daniels looked as advertised and was perhaps even more impressive given the limited snaps offered.
J.J. McCarthy shows more good than bad
McCarthy’s debut in the Minnesota Vikings 24-23 win over the Las Vegas Raiders started poorly, but the former Michigan product settled in nicely.
After having his third pass of the day intercepted, McCarthy responded with a strong first half (6-of-10 for 77 yards, two rushes for 18 yards) against the Raiders first unit. However, he fared even better as Las Vegas began to pull its starters, finishing 5-of-7, including two long touchdown passes to Trishton Jackson (45 yards) and Trent Sherfield (33 yards).
The stage wasn’t too big for McCarthy, but he sometimes looked understandably green. Veteran Sam Darnold appears to be the better option to start, and the Vikings seemingly agree, having the former No. 3 pick play just one series (4-of-8 for 59 yards) on Saturday.
New kickoff rules provided excitement and confusion
Parker Washington delivered the most productive return of the new kickoff era in the Jacksonville Jaguars 26-13 win over the defending Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs. After avoiding the initial congestion at the line, he galloped 74 yards before being caught.
Meanwhile, in the same game, Kansas City Chiefs wideout Mecole Hardman got a little confused on a kickoff, resulting in him kneeling with the football in the endzone, hoping for a touchback. However, since the ball had already left the endzone, officials ruled the play a safety following a lengthy review.
Chiefs offense may have taken a big hit
On the first offensive play of Saturday’s loss against the Jaguars, wideout Marquise Brown suffered a shoulder injury, knocking him out of the game.
Brown has been hospitalized due to a sternoclavicular joint dislocation and his availability for the start of the regular season is in question, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The news is concerning because “Hollywood” has missed eight games over two seasons with the Chiefs and Kansas City has little in the way of experienced depth. If Brown misses times, a move may be needed to fill the void beside potential starters Rashee Rice and 2024 first-rounder Xavier Worthy.
