5 biggest takeaways from Week 1 of 2024 NFL preseason games
Week 1 of 2024 NFL preseason is officially over. Technically, it was the second week after the Hall-of-Fame game between the Bears and the Texans, but now every team has played at least once and that allows us to judge everyone more fairly. Of course, we have to keep in mind that preseason results are hardly indicative of what will happen in the regular season.
But even without that, we can look at what is happening on the field and come to certain conclusions. Here are our top verdicts from Week 1 of 2024 NFL preseason.
Week 1 of 2024 NFL preseason takeaways
#1 - Michael Penix Jr. odd one out in 2024 NFL Draft Class
The 2024 NFL Draft class matched a record for the highest number of quarterbacks taken in the first round that year. Six players were taken for that position on different teams and all of them went within the top 12 picks.
Of them, only Michael Penix Jr. looks set to remain a backup with the Falcons, who will have Kirk Cousins as their starter. It was apparent when the rookie took the snaps on Week 1 of 2024 NFL preseason, whereas the veteran observed his potential successor for the sidelines.
For the other quarterbacks, though, the situation is different. Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and Drake Maye were already expected to be starters so there is no surprise there. But J.J. McCarthy and Bo Nix too were given longer drives than others for the Vikings and the Broncos, respectively, and that likely indicates that they are the favorites to start.
We may, therefore, based on our reading of the situation in Week 1 of 2024 NFL preseason, have five quarterbacks leading their teams out as rookies, whereas Michael Penix Jr. sits and learns behind a veteran. The latter situation could turn out to be more ideal in the long run.
#2 - Dak Prescott deserves a new contract
Dak Prescott has been pilloried by all sections of the media as he has struggled in three consecutive seasons against top-tier opposition in the NFL playoffs. He is yet to be given a new contract by Jerry Jones and one assumes that has much to do with the quarterback's postseason form because, in the regular season, he has led them to two divisional titles in the last three years.
But as the old adage goes: absence makes the heart grow fonder. Anyone who saw Cooper Rush and, mainly, Trey Lance during Week 1 of 2024 NFL preseason against the Rams would have realized that Prescott is still their best option. Despite opposition quarterback Stetson Bennett coughing up four interceptions, Dallas Could not score a touchdown and ended up losing the game.
#3 - AFC East could see a changing of the guard
Week 1 of 2024 NFL preseason saw three AFC East teams win. The Patriots defeated the Panthers 17-3. The Dolphins saw off the Falcons 20-13. The Jets squeaked past the Commanders 20-17. But in an absolute shellacking, the Bills fell 33-6 to the Bears.
Again, the results do not really matter in preseason but the manner of defeat will sting any Buffalo fan. It also likely showed that the standards the fringe players are seeing from the starters are not good enough as they are not fighting as hard as players on other teams to get on the roster. One even saw head coach Sean McDermott lamenting the same thing.
While that is worrying, that is expected when old regulars like Jordan Poyer, Stefon Diggs, and Gabe Davis, to name a few are let go in a single offseason. That they seem to have been unable to replace them sufficiently will remain a concern. And if they are valid, then Josh Allen could see his hegemony at the top of the AFC East, whose crown they have retained for the last four seasons, slip from his fingers.
#4 - NFC North could be an intriguing division
J.J. McCarthy and Caleb Williams gave us a taste of what is to come ahead during their brief cameos in Week 1 of 2024 NFL preseason. The Vikings quarterback threw a couple of touchdown passes to a single interception and the Bears player was smooth in his execution too. Both finished with passer ratings above 100.
The Packers and the Lions have established quarterbacks in Jordan Love and Jared Goff and both made the playoffs last year, with Detroit reaching the NFC Championship game. The NFC North could very well replicate what their geographical counterparts in the AFC did last season when all four teams finished with a winning record. It could be one humdinger of a division.
#5 - Pete Carroll and Bill Belichick recede further from view
Week 1 of 2024 NFL preseason saw two games in which all four coaches were in a new job. Jim Harbaugh's Chargers lost 16-3 to Mike MacDonald's Seahawks. And Jerod Mayo oversaw a 17-3 win for his Patriots over Dave Canales' Panthers.
The general assumption after Pete Carroll and Bill Belichick, two legendary Super Bowl-winning coaches, lost their jobs was that they would find takers as soon as a new vacancy opened up and they needed a steady hand on the tiller. But when younger coaches, from the defensive side of the game just like their predecessors, can achieve significant wins, teams might want to keep going with more modern options. A few more results like these might consign them to history.