2024 NFL preseason, Week 1: What We Learned from Friday's tripleheader

Miami Dolphins

20-13

Atlanta Falcons

FULL BOX SCORE

• READ: Kirk Cousins says he’ll be ready to go for Falcons’ opener
• READ: Michael Penix airs it out in preseason debut

Nick Shook’s takeaways:

1. Jaylen Wright shines in Dolphins debut. As Miami struggled to get much going with Skylar Thompson at quarterback (we’ll see how that battle for the backup job unfolds this preseason), the Dolphins eventually found a way to work in fourth-round pick Jaylen Wright, and he did not disappoint. Wright finished 55 yards and a walk-in touchdown on 10 carries Friday night, displaying the explosiveness that convinced the Dolphins to trade up to select him in April’s draft. The most impressive run of the night required Wright to reverse direction, admitting defeat off the right tackle, sticking his foot in the ground and running around the left side for an exciting gain. With small glimpses of what Wright can do, it’s tantalizing to consider how much talent is in Miami’s backfield, which includes De’Von Achane and Raheem Mostert. The big plays are coming.
2. Falcons offense struggles to find consistency. Raheem Morris’ preseason debut as coach of the Falcons saw Atlanta put together a solid performance on the defensive side of the ball, but left plenty to be desired offensively, especially after rookie Michael Penix Jr. exited the game for the night. Atlanta tallied just 226 yards of offense, finished 2 for 17 on third down and came away from two goal-to-go situations with zero points in the fourth quarter Friday night. Atlanta’s lone touchdown drive started with a short field working in its favor, and when a turnover gave it another start on the doorstep of the end zone, the Falcons failed to get the job done, turning it over on downs. A second opportunity ended in similar fashion, capping a frustrating night. The offense lacked rhythm — especially with Taylor Heinicke under center — and didn’t pack much of a punch for most of the night while playing a collection of backups. Here’s to hoping they’re just working out the kinks with players from the bottom third of the roster.

Houston Texans

20-12

Pittsburgh Steelers

FULL BOX SCORE 

Grant Gordon’s takeaways:

1. Houston hype train running strong. After an offseason in which the reigning AFC South champs added myriad big names to the roster, the Texans debuted some of their starters and offered no reason for any of the anticipation to be quelled. Free-agent signee Danielle Hunter, coming off a career year with the Vikings, rounded the corner against Steelers rookie Troy Fautanu for a sack of Justin Fields . Hunter, in addition to the sack, had two tackles and two QB pressures in seven snaps. Four players later, C.J. Stroud found returning wideout Tank Dell for a 34-yard touchdown, one in which Dell, who’s coming back from a broken fibula and a gunshot wound, looked every bit of healthy as he caught a Stroud dart in stride, slipped a defender and then ran through a high arm-tackle for six. Stroud, who was 2 for 4 and hit rookie tight end Cade Stover (his former Ohio State teammate) with his other completion, was done for the night. With nary a starter playing in the Hall of Fame game a week earlier for Houston, the Texans starters dipped their toes into the preseason pool and whet the whistle of their fanbase. There’s been an offseason’s worth of hype building up in Houston and Friday offered a glimpse of why there’s so much to be enthused about.
2. Fields-led offense goes scoreless. Justin Fields had his first dress rehearsal for the Steelers on Friday, getting the opportunity to make his case for being Pittsburgh’s QB1 with Russell Wilson on the sideline — though he was still in full gear. Fields looked solid, but ultimately led three fruitless drives and likely shined a light on an offensive line that still needs work. Fields was 5 of 6 for 67 yards, ran once for 2 yards, had two fumbled snaps and was sacked twice. For the most part, it was just a frustrating evening as it was a chance for Fields to dazzle, but it was hard to truly grade him when considering the O-line issues. Fields — like Wilson — has been known to hold the ball too long, but this wasn’t the case. On his first play from scrimmage, he was hit immediately on a screen to Najee Harris that went for 16 yards. Center Nate Herbig and Fields couldn’t get on the same page with a pair of fumbles on the snap, leading to rookie Zach Frazier taking over on Fields’ final drive. It’s arduous to put a negative spin on Fields’ performance, but in a results-based business, the offense punted thrice with him under center. Fair or not, Friday was a missed chance for Fields to make his starting argument. 

Philadelphia Eagles

16-13

Baltimore Ravens

FULL BOX SCORE

Nick Shook’s takeaways:

1. Kenny Pickett delivers a mixed bag. With Jalen Hurts understandably not participating in Friday night’s affair, Nick Sirianni gave the first half to Pickett, the offseason acquisition and former Steelers first-round pick. The results weren’t great. Pickett was inconsistent with his accuracy and didn’t look like he was comfortable with the timing of the offense at times, but ended up posting a quality passing line (14 of 22 for 89 yards and a 7-yard touchdown pass). It would be unfair to expect Pickett to light up the Baltimore defense while playing with a cast of backups, but he also looked much like the quarterback who Pittsburgh quickly traded away after acquiring Russell Wilson. Tanner McKee took over in the second half and didn’t play much better, but again, it’s only the first preseason game. We’ll see how Sirianni handles the position in the next two weeks.
2. Nate Wiggins makes strong first impression. The Ravens’ 2024 first-round selection made his debut Friday night and filled his first action with a handful of highlights. Philadelphia was clearly interested in challenging Wiggins, and the Clemson product did not wilt under the pressure, stringing together an impressive early sequence in coverage that included blanketing an Eagles receiver on a fade down the sideline and delivering a quality pass break-up to stall an Eagles drive. Wiggins carried that momentum into the second half, where he added a couple more examples of excellent coverage against an array of different pass catchers. He wasn’t perfect — he got caught with his eyes in the backfield, allowing the Eagles to score their first touchdown on a pass to Will Shipley — but it was quite a first showing for the cornerback. Hopefully the shoulder injury he suffered in the second half doesn’t end up proving to be serious.