NFL Preseason Week 3: Biggest winners and losers
To begin with, the biggest winners of this week of the preseason are NFL fans. With this week done with, the next time football is played it will count towards someone's Super Bowl run.
Before bidding au revoir to the preseason, here's a look back at the biggest winners and losers of the week.
Winners and losers from the NFL preseason finale
Winners
Kenny Yeboah, WR, New York Jets
Entering the weekend, few were familiar with Yeboah. Exiting the weekend, Yeboah is the man of the hour.
Late in the Jets' game against the Philadelphia Eagles, they needed a miracle to tie the game. Yeboah ended up being at the center of the comeback. He caught four passes for 100 yards and two touchdowns, including a buzzer-beater Hail Mary that tied the game.
In the final fifteen minutes, Yeboah solidified himself on a roster somewhere, even if it isn't with the New York Jets.
Sam Darnold, QB, Carolina Panthers
Sam Darnold is one of the least hyped quarterbacks in the NFL going into 2021. However, he took a step towards proving the world wrong over the weekend.
After a slow start, Darnold finished the day by completing 19 of 25 passes for 162 yards and two touchdowns. If Darnold can keep that going, the Panthers may hang around longer than many expect this year.
Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars
While it is too early to call Lawrence a bust in the NFL, after last week's performance against the Saints, he needed to bounce back this week.
Lawrence stepped up to the plate and delivered a great performance, completing almost every pass and slicing through the defense en route to two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Losers
Denver Broncos
One week after naming bridgewater-week-1-vs-giants" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Teddy Bridgewater the starter, Broncos fans were anxious to see how Bridgewater would respond in the next game. After starting one for five, Bridgewater didn't inspire much confidence. To make matters worse, the Broncos' first team found themselves down to the Rams' second team early in the game.
While the Broncos were able to bounce back with a touchdown on Bridgewater's final drive, the sight of losing to backups leaves plenty expecting a rough NFL season for Denver. Above all, the game was a dose of reality after beating down two other second-team squads in previous weeks and served as a potential preview of the grind to come.
Daniel Jones, QB, New York Giants
Heading into 2021, Daniel Jones has his NFL career in his hands. The Giants have recruited more weapons and Saquon Barkley is back. Jones is out of excuses. If the Giants don't make some noise this year, they will be looking for Jones' replacement in the NFL Draft this year.
Unfortunately for Jones, his performance in this week's game channeled the Jones of 2020. For everything he did right in completing 17 of 22 pass attempts, he undid everything with his redzone interception. Rolling to his right, Jones fired into a sea of Patriots and the result was a turnover. If Jones plays like this in 2021, this will be his last year as a starter.
Panthers' kicking game
While the Panthers were able to beat expectations at the quarterback position, their kicking game looks to be in trouble. Joey Slye missed his only field goal attempt and while Ryan Santoso made both of his, he nearly missed one of the field goals.
Even if Sam Darnold can beat expectations and get the Panthers within a few points of winning, the Panthers' kickers could sink the ship, going by their showing in Week 3.
JK Dobbins
This is why more NFL coaches are keeping their starters out of the NFL preseason. JK Dobbins, the expected starting running back for the Baltimore Ravens, is expected to miss the season due to an ACL tear while the Ravens are celebrating yet another perfect NFL preseason. Was it worth it?