Miami Dolphins – Atlanta Falcons: 20-13
Michael Penix Jr., the surprising eighth overall pick in the last draft, played most of the first half, completing 9 of 16 passes for 104 yards in a mix of good and bad.
The good part was a 41-yard pass to Chris Blair down the sideline. Of the five offensive drives he led, two ended in points: a Carlos Washington rushing touchdown and a field goal. Michael Penix exited midway through the second quarter. While he's unlikely to threaten Kirk Cousins, Michael Penix at least seems poised to be the No. 2 guy and push Taylor Heinicke to third place…or to another team.
The black spot of the day for Atlanta is the leg injury of rookie linebacker Bralen Trice. Bad news for the Falcons' pass rush, which was supposed to receive help from the rookie.
Miami rotated the bench for this first preseason game, with Tua Tagovailoa not entering the game. Without really convincing, Skylar Thompson threw for 95 yards and a touchdown, leading Miami to a 20-13 victory. Thompson, who played the first half, found Jeff Wilson Jr. for a 6-yard touchdown early in the second quarter but was guilty of an interception as well. Jaylen Wright was the man of the night for Miami. The rookie runner gave the Dolphins a 17-10 advantage with a touchdown run, also of 6 yards. His patience in collecting 55 yards on 10 carries impressed.
The leading tackler is also a rookie. Patrick McMorris, a seventh-round pick, picked off Atlanta players eight times. He also defended one pass.
Pittsburgh Steelers – Houston Texans: 12-20
Good but not great. This Friday, Justin Fields had a chance to score points in his duel with Russell Wilson for the Bears' starting job. The former Bear got the opportunity to start due to Russell Wilson's injury, but his mistakes overshadowed some of his good plays. He committed two fumbles on snaps and was sacked twice on third downs. In his defense, the offensive line, with a few starters resting, was clearly struggling.
Still, Fields only played one quarter, and the Steelers didn't score any points during those three offensive series. Justin Fields still showed some interesting elements, notably with a precise pass to Van Jefferson that allowed a 20-yard gain on Pittsburgh's third series. Still, the fumbles, and the two sacks conceded on third down, put a big damper on his evening.
You don't ask yourself those kinds of questions in Houston, where everything seems to be going well. CJ Stroud (2/4, 41 yards, 1 TD) wasted no time in justifying his status as last year's top offensive rookie. Houston's starting quarterback quickly got his team on track via a promising connection with Tank Dell (1 rec, 34 yards, 1 TD), giving the Texans a 7-0 lead after two offensive drives. Enough to send Stroud to the bench. Dell, whose rookie season ended on December 3 after a fractured fibula, made a remarkable return. The latter had also been slightly injured by a gunshot in a bar on April 28.
Baltimore Ravens – Philadelphia Eagles: 13-16
All the main starters were rested for this game. So Kenny Pickett (14/22, 89 yards, 1 TD) was in command of the Eagles' offense. And he looked like… Kenny Pickett. Not always accurate. Not always comfortable.
The game was especially interesting on defense. The Eagles dominated defensively, limiting the Ravens to just 164 total yards, 11 first downs, and a poor 2 of 12 on third down. In the second half, the Ravens could only accumulate 55 yards. The fault was mainly due to Jeremiah Trotter. The fifth-round pick had 6 tackles and a sack. The son of a former Philadelphia player, the linebacker quickly won over the local fans.
On the Baltimore defense side, it was first-round pick Nate Wiggins who stood out. On the first drive, he defended 3 passes! Even though he allowed a touchdown, he only allowed 2 receptions on 6 attempts. The problem? He left the field with a shoulder injury in the second half.
