NFL preseason Week 3 highlights: Russell Wilson, Bryce Young looked sharp; Jets’ Israel Abanikanda beats Giants
The preseason ends this weekend with a busy series of four days of games that culminates with a tripleheader on Sunday. While teams don’t often field their starters in the final week of the preseason, it’s a fascinating period in which players on the bubble continue to make their case for a spot on the 53-man roster.
As they do so, we’ll also get to see some great plays that will end this year’s repertoire with an exclamation mark. Below, we’ll showcase all the top highlights that came out of Week 3 of the preseason.
Giles shows off
Is there a defense in his way? That’s no problem for Giants wide receiver John Giles, who made his first catch of the night count. After quarterback Tommy DeVito found him on the first play of the drive, Giles leapt over Jets cornerback Shemar Bartholomew to extend the play and impact his sideline with a 21-yard play.
The series ended in a punt.
Eazy puts the Giants in a tizzy
Jets running back Israel Abanikanda looked a lot like Barry Sanders on this 45-yard touchdown run in which he outran several would-be tacklers (wordplay intended) before bursting on to the Jets offense. Abanikanda, who broke Tony Dorsett’s 47-year-old single-game school rushing record during his final year at Pitt, is expected to play a bigger role in the offense after receiving just 22 carries during his rookie campaign.
Lance lights it up
Cowboys backup quarterback Trey Lance continued his stellar preseason with a spectacular 11-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Flournoy. He later had a 46-yard run that found him space on the outside before kicking into high gear.
Lance went 15 of 23 and scored two touchdowns in last week’s contest against the Raiders. He started slow in Dallas’ preseason opener against the Rams two weeks ago but finished the game strong.
gum up
Chargers quarterback Easton Stick and wideout Simi Fehoko put together an impressive 78-yard touchdown pass against the Cowboys. While the score was certainly an exciting play for Chargers fans, it also cemented Dallas’ current depth problems in the secondary. Shortly before the Chargers’ big touchdown, news broke that the Cowboys All-Pro DeRon Bland Will be out for 6-8 weeks He has a stress fracture in his foot.
Hanging out with Mr. Cooper
Vikings running back DeWayne McBride had an unfortunate encounter with Eagles second-round pick Cooper DeJean late in the third quarter. DeJean made his NFL debut on Saturday after dealing with a hamstring issue this offseason.
DeJean’s versatility, one of his strengths as a football player, actually creates some uncertainty about his draft stock. However, these questions have never been a concern for DeJean, who wants to help the Eagles win in any way he can.
“Whatever the position, I’m willing to do that.” DeJean told CBS Sports ahead of April’s draft. “Obviously, I’ve played corner for the most part in my college career, but I think there’s a lot of positions on defense that I can play. I just want to trust the coaches that have been doing this for a long time and try to make an impact wherever they put me.”
Two generations of Frank Gores have now dressed for the Buffalo Bills. In the team’s preseason finale against the Carolina Panthers, undrafted running back Frank Gore Jr., the son of the NFL’s third-leading rusher, made some big runs for Buffalo. That included a 17-yard gain in the second quarter that got his father excited. By halftime of this matchup, Frank Gore Jr. was on the ground for 41 yards on seven rushes.
Packers strip sack returned for touchdown
One of the biggest defensive plays of the weekend came out of Lambeau Field. Packers defensive end Aaron Mosby was able to tackle Ravens quarterback Devin Leary in the blink of an eye and force a strip sack, while safety Anthony Johnson Jr. scooped the ball up for a 24-yard touchdown return. Naturally, the score had to end with a Lambeau Leap.
Ravens WR Wallace snags a 48-yard touchdown reception
Veteran wideout Tylan Wallace helped Baltimore win the preseason finale against the Green Bay Packers. Early in the second quarter, Josh Johnson took a third-and-nine snap and threw the ball to an open Wallace in the middle of the field and took it 48 yards to the house.
The Panthers’ second-year quarterback is primed for a bounce-back season. In Carolina’s preseason finale against the Bills, Young showed off the talent that made him the No. 1 overall pick in 2023. The Alabama standout was able to escape pressure by stepping out of the pocket, rolling to his left and throwing a dart across the field to his receiver to move the chains.
Patterson gallops for a 31-yard touchdown
The 33-year-old still has some fire left in him! While much of the attention is being paid to Pittsburgh’s quarterback battle, Cordarrelle Patterson showed he can still score by bursting out of the backfield and scoring on a 31-yard touchdown run to give the Steelers an early lead.
The Steelers are still trying to figure out who their Week 1 starter will be in their preseason finale, and Russell Wilson made an early argument for why he should stay under center. The veteran got the nod to start the exhibition and showcased his deep ball ability from the shoot. On the opening drive of the afternoon, Wilson found wideout George Pickens for a 32-yard gain along the left sideline.
Deebo is Deebo, Kittle is Kittle
The 49ers surprisingly sent out their starters for the preseason finale against the Raiders, and they made a splash very quickly. On the first play of the game, Brock Purdy lofted a throw down the sideline to Deebo Samuel (now wearing No. 1 instead of his familiar No. 19), who did some great footwork to bring the ball down for a 27-yard gain.
The drive eventually stalled and resulted in a field goal by Jake Moody, but it was still good to see the offense play early. On the next drive, another 49ers pass-catcher who starred in Netflix’s “Receiver” series made a big grab himself.
It was a very dangerous throw by Purdy, but George Kittle made it work. The ball came over one defender and fell right in front of another, after which Kittle went through them and made the snag for a big gain. The drive ended with Jordan Mason taking the ball in from 4 yards out.
the one who knocks
Skyler Thompson gave the Dolphins the win with a spectacular 20-yard touchdown pass to Hayden Rucci. The touchdown pass was Thompson’s fifth attempt.
Very few passes hit the ground during the first 28 minutes of Friday night’s game. Thompson and Mike White combined to complete 10 of 14 passes, while Buccaneers quarterbacks Kyle Trask and Baker Mayfield combined to complete 14 of 17 passes.
Baker has the goods
Baker Mayfield made 3 of 3 passes for 54 yards on Tampa’s opening drive against Miami. The biggest play of the drive was a 28-yard completion by Mayfield to Jalen McMillan, which set up a short touchdown run for Rachad White on the next play.
Trevor Lawrence finishes preseason with two scoring drives
The Jaguars are one of the few NFL teams actually playing their starters this week, and it didn’t take them long to get to work against the Falcons’ second-string defense. Travis Etienne broke off a long run on their first drive, then Trevor Lawrence found rookie Brian Thomas Jr. over the middle for a 38-yard gain to put Jacksonville in scoring position.
Those two plays, along with a roughing-the-passer penalty and another completion to Parker Washington, gave Jacksonville a goal-to-go opportunity, and Lawrence took advantage of it by hitting Evan Engram in the back of the end zone for the score. He went 4 of 4 for 59 yards on the drive, while Etienne had four carries for 28 yards.
Lawrence also threw a six to Engram on the Jaguars’ next drive, finding him on a corner route from the slot. Engram made a very dangerous move on Falcons cornerback Anthony Johnson and found himself very open on the play. Lawrence finished his night with 8 of 10 passing for 92 yards and two scores.
In the fourth quarter of the final preseason game, guys just want to put good film on tape as a way forward to join their current team’s roster or another one in the league. Ian Book and Montrell Washington did just that. On a second-and-6 play from their own 41-yard line, Book uncorked a deep ball in the middle of the field, which Washington was able to catch despite two defenders.
This reception put the Chiefs on the doorstep of the end zone, which they found on the very next play when Book connected with tight end Baylor Kaup for a 10-yard score.
Carson Steele continues to shine for the Chiefs
The Chiefs may have found a gem in undrafted running back Carson Steele. Throughout the preseason, the UCLA product has been on fire, and that continued in the finale against the Bears. In the second quarter, Steele managed to gain 31-yards that initially looked like he reached the end zone. However, after review, it was deemed he was slightly behind, but Andy Reid quickly gave him the ball on the next play, which he turned into a goal-line touchdown.
Richardson’s fast opening drive ended with a TD
Anthony Richardson certainly looked like a player selected in the top five in the NFL Draft early in the game. In Indianapolis’ preseason finale against the Bengals on Thursday night, Richardson was explosive right out of the gate. The second-year quarterback completed seven of his eight passes on a 65-yard drive, including a nine-yard touchdown pass to rookie wideout Adonai Mitchell. Facing pressure, Richardson was able to zip a pass over the middle and Mitchell made his way across the goal line.
Colts pass rusher Laiatu Latu shows DROY potential
Indianapolis’ rookie class could be something special in Year 1. The first defensive player to be taken off the board in the 2024 NFL Draft, Laiatu Latu flashed his potential in the Colts’ preseason finale against the Bengals, out-dueling left tackle Logan Woodside with relative ease. Latu is the favorite to win NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, and that’s no surprise after watching his play.
