The second week of the NFL preseason is rolling right along, though the bulk of the games have already been played. There are just four games left, including the Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Cincinnati Bengals game on Monday, but first we've got six teams in three games to watch on Sunday.
2015 NFL preseason schedule: Marcus Mariota making national TV debut on Sunday
Marcus Mariota is the player to watch on Sunday night, but there are plenty of others with much to prove.
Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Marcus Mariota is getting the national television treatment for the night, although it could be tough sledding against the St. Louis Rams defense. While the Oakland Raiders beat the Rams 18-3 last week, the starters kept the scoring to a minimum in the first half and intercepted both Derek Carr and Christian Ponder.
While the quarterback position is in flux for the Rams and Tennessee Titans, the other four games feature teams with much more secure situations behind center.
For full listings of the games on Sunday, visit 506sports, but here’s the gist and some things to watch for:
(Away: WGBA-NBC 26, Home: KDKA-CBS 2) -- 1 p.m., NFL Network
The starting offense of the Pittsburgh Steelers marched with ease against the Jacksonville Jaguars last week and finished the first drive of the game with a 44-yard touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger to Martavis Bryant. That was enough for Mike Tomlin to call it a game for the starters.
They'll likely get a little more play time this week against the Packers, although it will be the Pittsburgh defense in the spotlight. After allowing a good game for Blake Bortles and the Jacksonville Jaguars offense, the Steelers will have their hands full stopping the Green Bay offense, which is continuing to experiment with more tempo than previous seasons.
St. Louis Rams at Tennessee Titans
8 p.m., FOX
There’s no question that the player everyone will be watching is Mariota. The No. 2 pick in the 2015 NFL Draft struggled early in his preseason debut, but bounced back with a solid showing after a pair of turnovers.
The real question is how things will look when the Rams have the ball. The Tennessee defense looked far too easy to run through in the team’s preseason debut and the Rams offense couldn’t do much of anything against the Oakland defense. Something has to give.
If the Titans can't stop St. Louis and struggle to win at the line of scrimmage against an inexperienced offensive line, that doesn't bode well for the Tennessee defense. Similarly, if the Rams can't get some offensive rhythm going against a defense that finished near the bottom of the league last year and looked like Swiss cheese against the Atlanta Falcons, that wouldn't be a good sign for St. Louis.
(Away: KTVT-CBS 11, Home: KPIX-CBS 5) -- 8 p.m.
Unfortunately, the star of the game already is the turf at Levi's Stadium. The oft-criticized surface is still the subject of criticism, and the Cowboys don't trust it. In fact, Tony Romo may not even play on Sunday night because the team doesn't trust the poor condition of the field to not hurt the Cowboys' franchise quarterback.
For the 49ers, the preseason is actually pretty important this time around. No roster changed more than San Francisco’s during the 2015 offseason and it’s still one that isn’t completely set. The depth chart is about as fluid as any in the NFL and any player that can step up and impress coaches can go a long way toward earning a roster spot or higher spot on the depth chart.
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