The third week is always the most important, as teams typically play their starters an entire half or even more before everyone important sits in the fourth week. Here’s what we learned on Saturday:
NFL preseason 2013, Week 3: What we learned on Saturday night
The third week of the preseason rolls on, and there was plenty of action Saturday night. Here’s what we learned.
Philadelphia Eagles defeat Jacksonville Jaguars, 31-24
Blaine Gabbert missed the game due to injury despite recently being named the starting quarterback, and Chad Henne played decently in his absence. Henne threw for 106 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, while Eagles quarterback Michael Vick had one touchdown and an interception. It was the running game that shined for both teams, with Jacksonville collectively putting up 202 rushing yards, while Philly put up 172 of their own.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeat Miami Dolphins, 17-16
Josh Freeman played a poor game for the Buccaneers, completing just 6-of-16 passes for 59 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. He did get sacked five times, though. Miami's Ryan Tannehill completed 17-of-27 passes for 150 yards and a touchdown, a much better effort. Nobody really shined in this game.
New York Jets defeat New York Giants, 24-21
Geno Smith started for the Jets and played a horrible game. He threw for 199 yards but only completed 16-of-30 passes with one touchdown and three interceptions. Mark Sanchez came in and completed 5-of-6 passes for 72 yards, but fumbled a snap and also left the game with a right shoulder injury. Suffice to say that the Jets quarterback battle didn't gain any clarity on Saturday.
Indianapolis Colts defeat Cleveland Browns, 27-6
Andrew Luck played significant snaps and attempted 25 passes on Saturday, completing 16 of them for 164 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Reggie Wayne caught seven passes for 79 yards, while Darrius Heyward-Bey caught three passes for 33 yards. Trent Richardson looked fine for the Browns, rushing seven times for 31 yards. Shayne Graham provided all of Cleveland's scoring production, with field goals from 44 and 50 yards.
Washington Redskins defeat Buffalo Bills, 30-7
Kevin Kolb went down with a concussion in this one after just four pass attempts. It's unclear how serious his injury is, but it left the Bills with only Jeff Tuel to throw passes, as E.J. Manuel is dealing with a knee injury. The Bills are in a bad position now, though Tuel didn't make huge mistakes. Still, he completed just 10-of-17 passes for only 63 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.
Kansas City Chiefs defeat Pittsburgh Steelers, 26-20
The Chiefs forgot that it was the preseason and kicked a field goal with under two minutes to go to force overtime. To their credit, it did lead to them winning, as Chase Daniel hit Rico Richardson for a 15-yard touchdown during the overtime period. Aside from that, not much else happened, save for Alex Smith having a very Alex Smith game (17-for-24, 158 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions) and Jamaal Charles struggling (seven carries for 10 yards).
Denver Broncos defeat St. Louis Rams, 27-26
The Broncos scored three times in the fourth quarter to take the lead, but Kellen Clemens wasn't having any of that, hitting Zach Potter for a one-yard touchdown with two minutes to go. Unlike the Chiefs, however, the Rams realized it was preseason and went for the two-point conversion. They didn't get it, of course, but it was all in good fun.
Tennessee Titans defeat Atlanta Falcons, 27-16
Jake Locker actually out-played Matt Ryan, and the Titans generally out-played the Falcons as a whole. Locker completed 11-of-13 passes for 133 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. Ryan completed 11-of-19 passes for 138 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. Chris Johnson had 65 yards off 11 carries and the Titans out-rushed the Falcons 171 yards to 106 in their win.
Dallas Cowboys defeat Cincinnati Bengals, 24-18
Tony Romo played exceptionally well for the Cowboys, completing 13-of-18 passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. His backup, Kyle Orton, completed all four of his passes for 44 yards and a touchdown. Joseph Randle picked up 66 yards on 16 carries, while Demarco Murray had 12 carries and 51 yards. Both Andy Dalton and Josh Johnson had interceptions for the Bengals.
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