The second week of the 2025 NFL preseason began on Friday, with several teams taking the opportunity to give their starters ample opportunities, preparing for the regular season. Here’s a summary of the matches from our Alofoke Deportes correspondents.
Week Results
Monday
Bengals 31, Commanders 17Bengals: The defensive improvement under new coordinator Al Golden has been highlighted during the preseason and training camp. However, the group that has shown improvements in practice has failed to translate that performance to preseason games. For the second consecutive game, the starters were outplayed in important plays. Washington ran for 106 yards in its first two series. After a lackluster performance on Monday night, that situation will be harder to ignore.Commanders: The ground game worked without Brian Robinson Jr. Washington’s ground game looked excellent, hurting the Bengals in various ways. Deebo Samuel gained 19 yards on a sweep play; Chris Rodriguez Jr. ran for 40 yards; Jayden Daniels scored on a 14-yard run and Jacory Croskey-Merritt scored 27 yards. The line was excellent.Sunday
Bears 38, Bills 0Bears: Quarterback Caleb Williams looked calm and comfortable in his first preseason appearance, completing 6 of 10 passes for 107 yards and a touchdown in two series that lasted half of the first quarter. Williams connected with tight ends Cole Kmet and Colston Loveland for big gains. He also continued to show his connection with wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus, who caught a 36-yard pass for a touchdown.Bills: The Bills rested almost all of their starters. The offense gained 47 net yards. The offense did not convert any third downs (0 of 8). There were mistakes that coach Sean McDermott did not like, including four penalties in the first series of the third quarter.Jaguars 17, Saints 17Jaguars: After a sloppy performance by the offense in Thursday’s scrimmage (10 penalties, seven drops), the Jaguars were significantly cleaner against the Saints on Sunday. Trevor Lawrence and the first-team offense were nearly perfect: 7 first downs, 108 yards and 4.6 yards per carry, and the quarterback completed 8 of 10 passes for 76 yards with a touchdown pass. The only blemish was Lawrence’s fumble.Saints: The competition for the quarterback position could be defined until the end. Spencer Rattler seemed to have an advantage over Tyler Shough in this game despite playing in the second half with the substitutes. Rattler had five series, one of which ended with a field goal after receiving a 45-yard pass interference call on an incomplete pass to Mason Tipton. Rattler completed 18 of 24 passes for 199 yards with a touchdown and an interception.SaturdayGiants 31, Jets 12Giants: Rookie Jaxson Dart impressed again in the preseason, especially by leading consecutive touchdown drives to start the second half. Dart completed 5 of 6 passes for 62 yards on the first drive, which culminated in a 20-yard touchdown pass to tight end Greg Dulcich. Dart then closed the next drive with a 1-yard touchdown run. The rookie finished 14 of 16 for 137 yards with a touchdown pass and another rushing.Jets: Quarterback Justin Fields and the passing offense were out of sync. Fields completed his first pass, a 4-yard throw to tight end Mason Taylor, and then finished with five consecutive incomplete passes in two series of action. The lack of a legitimate WR2 to complement Wilson is one of the reasons they are not clicking.Bucs 17, Steelers 14Bucs: With quarterback Baker Mayfield on the bench, Teddy Bridgewater connected with running back Bucky Irving and wide receiver Emeka Egbuka for touchdown passes of 15 and 5 yards. Wide receiver Jalen McMillan left the game with a back injury and will be evaluated for a concussion after a fall in the head/neck area. Tez Johnson had a striking preseason debut that included a 32-yard punt return.Steelers: The Steelers’ run defense was dominant, while the offensive running game continued to look slow. The defense, playing without most of its starters, held the Bucs to 2.5 yards per carry in a first half that featured most of their starters. The Steelers’ offense, however, had as much success as Tampa Bay in running the ball. The third-round pick still has room for improvement.Rams 23, Chargers 22Rams: Third-string quarterback Stetson Bennett has shown great improvement this preseason. Against the Chargers, Bennett completed 28 of 40 passes for 324 yards with three touchdowns and an interception in the final quarter. Starting quarterback Matthew Stafford, who is dealing with an aggravated disc in his back, was scheduled to practice Saturday morning at the Rams’ facilities.Chargers: The stars of Saturday’s game were the Chargers’ rookie receivers: KeAndre Lambert-Smith and Tre Harris. The rookies had the highlights of the game, each with their own spectacular receptions of over 30 yards on the sidelines. Lambert-Smith, a fifth-round pick who has been the star of training camp, finished with two receptions for 66 yards. It was a breakout game for Harris, the Chargers’ second-round pick. Harris finished with six receptions for 85 yards, leading the team in both categories.Ravens 31, Cowboys 13Ravens: Tyler Loop is officially the Ravens’ kicker to start the 2025 season, coach John Harbaugh announced after Loop’s impressive performance on Saturday. The rookie, a sixth-round pick, scored 5 of 6 field goals, including kicks of 51 and 53 yards in Dallas. Loop’s strong leg would provide a weapon that has been lacking lately in Baltimore.Cowboys: Joe Milton III hasn’t done enough to convince the Cowboys that he is Dak Prescott’s backup quarterback. Milton was intercepted in the second quarter forcing a long pass. He was sacked on the first series which led to a safety. The Cowboys have given Milton all the second-team work this summer. It might be time to give Will Grier more work in the final week of the preseason.Broncos 27, Cardinals 7Broncos: The Broncos showed their depth on Saturday night. With second and third-team players doing practically all the work, Denver scored on four of their first five series and the Broncos’ defensive reserves held the Cardinals’ reserves to 126 yards through three quarters. Backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham is 30 of 38 passing for 376 yards with four touchdowns in 3½ quarters this preseason. Coach Sean Payton said the depth will make roster decisions much more difficult than last summer, with tough decisions to be made at wide receiver, running back, and defensive line in particular.Cardinals: Rookie cornerback Denzel Burke showed on Saturday night that, although there is work to be done, he has what it takes to eventually be part of the Cardinals’ cornerback rotation. He had the kind of preseason game one would expect from a rookie: There were ups and downs. Burke could make his way onto the field this season.49ers 22, Raiders 1949ers: The 49ers didn’t have enough healthy starters on defense to give the first team a full look against the Raiders, but the offense did. The good news? Quarterback Brock Purdy and receiver Ricky Pearsall carried their training camp connection into this game, connecting three times for 42 yards on the opening drive before Purdy and company called it a day. The bad news? Dominick Puni suffered a right knee injury on the field goal to cap off that drive and was quickly ruled out. The Niners likely won’t use many of their projected Week 1 starters in the final exhibition game against the Chargers next week.Raiders: The Raiders’ run defense was solid against San Francisco compared to last week’s game in Seattle. In the first half, Las Vegas gave up an average of 2.8 yards on 18 carries. However, Las Vegas struggled to contain San Francisco’s passing attack, which was also a notable problem during Thursday’s joint practice. Las Vegas’ first-team defense allowed 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy to complete 5 of 7 passes for 66 yards on the opening drive, resulting in a field goal. After defensive end Maxx Crosby helped stop running back Patrick Taylor Jr. for a combined loss of 8 yards on two consecutive carries, the Raiders gave up a 21-yard reception to wide receiver Ricky Pearsall on third down, followed by an 11-yard catch by Isaiah Hodgins. Despite safety Jeremy Chinn intercepting Mac Jones on the next drive, it was an inconsistent afternoon for the Raiders’ pass defense.Texans 20, Panthers 3Texans: In what is likely the last we’ve seen of the Texans’ starting defense in the preseason, Houston allowed only one first down in three series. On the first play, cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. intercepted Panthers quarterback Bryce Young on a scramble drill. The play was nullified due to a defensive holding call, but Houston continued to overwhelm the Panthers’ starting offense, as they held Young to zero completed passes, and received a sack.Panthers: A lot of work needs to be done. It was puzzling that Panthers coach Dave Canales didn’t give quarterback Bryce Young and the starters a third series. Young only had six plays, going 0-for-2 with a sack. He also had an interception negated by defensive holding. Canales should consider giving the starters a longer look in Thursday’s preseason finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Besides being outscored 7-0, they were outgained 68-2 in yards. Not exactly a confidence booster.Browns 22, Eagles 13Browns: Dillon Gabriel’s preseason debut was uneven, leaving the Browns with ongoing questions at the quarterback position. The third-round pick completed eight of his first nine passes and led scoring drives on three of his five possessions in the first half. Gabriel, however, also threw a pick-six on a bad decision to force a pass and was then credited with a fumble on a missed handoff. Injuries have led to Joe Flacco being the likely starter for Week 1, but who might serve as backup remains up in the air entering the preseason finale.Eagles: Rookie safety Andrew Mukuba made his case to enter the starting lineup. The pick-six was by rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel. Mukuba got in front of receiver Diontae Johnson to catch the pass and ran 75 yards down the right side for the touchdown. Generating turnovers is nothing new for Mukuba, who led the SEC with five interceptions in 2024. This performance could tip the scales in Mukuba’s favor.Patriots 20, Vikings 12Patriots: Undrafted free agent WR Efton Chism III (Eastern Washington) may have solidified his roster spot with six receptions for 71 yards and a touchdown in the first half. The TD was a 12-yard catch-and-run on third-and-9 in which he evaded and/or broke tackles of six defenders. The Patriots project to have Stefon Diggs, Kayshon Boutte, and DeMario Douglas as their starting receivers, with Mack
