While most teams treated the preseason finale like an unwanted homework assignment they wanted to finish as quickly as possible, the New Orleans Saints still had important unsettled business.
The Saints are the last team to name a starting quarterback for the season opener. Rookie Tyler Shough came off the bench in the first preseason game and outplayed Spencer Rattler, then in the second game Shough started but Rattler played better through the second half. Rattler got the start in the preseason finale on Saturday, which seemed to be an indication that he led the race as the Saints wrapped up the preseason.
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If Rattler did lead that race before Saturday, Shough probably didn’t do enough to catch him. He mostly struggled in a 28-19 loss against the Denver Broncos, though he finished his day with a good drive that ended in a touchdown.
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Rattler had to face the Broncos’ starting defense, which is one of the best in the NFL. The Saints got two field goals in his three drives. Rattler, who had a very good second half in the Saints’ second preseason game with 199 passing yards, completed a modest 5 of 8 passes for 43 yards against Denver. Shough came in with 6:30 left in the second quarter.
New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough came off the bench against the Broncos. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
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Shough started slow, struggling to make many plays and he also lost a fumble deep in Saints territory as he was sacked. That led to a Broncos touchdown. Shough did have a solid drive after the strip-sack, completing his first six passes before the seventh one was dropped. That drop would have been a touchdown. But the Saints picked up a first down after that and then Shough ran for an 11-yard touchdown. That drive saved his day from being much worse. Shough finished 12 of 20 for 102 yards, with most of his positive numbers coming on that final drive. Jake Haener entered the game after that.
If Shough isn’t the starter to begin the season, it would be a little disappointing. Rattler was a fifth-round pick and struggled as a rookie, posting a 70.4 passer rating. He doesn’t look like the Saints’ starter of the future, which is a reason the team drafted Shough in the second round. Shough is old for a rookie. He’ll turn 26 years old in September and played in parts of seven different college seasons. He’s not a long-term project. But he couldn’t clearly beat out Rattler in the preseason, and seemingly will begin the regular season as Rattler’s backup.
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The Saints still have to make that decision, though. Saints coach Kellen Moore told reporters after the game the announcement will come next week. Neither quarterback made the decision easy on him.
Spotlight team: Denver Broncos
The Broncos were one of the few teams to use starters in the preseason finale. And one thing that is clear is Bo Nix will feed Courtland Sutton plenty this season.
Sutton had four catches for 83 yards in a little more than a quarter of work. On one play Nix rolled left after a play-action fake and made a nice throw downfield to an open Sutton for a 43-yard gain. Nix and Sutton finished their preseasons by connecting for a touchdown.
The Broncos starters didn’t play great in the preseason opener, and didn’t play at all in the second game, so it was good for the first team to have a positive outing on Saturday. Nix was 10 of 14 for 114 yards. The Broncos have displayed plenty of quality depth during a 3-0 preseason and look like a team that could make it back to the playoffs after breaking their postseason drought last season.
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Standout player: Browns QB Dillon Gabriel
Dillon Gabriel has been in a weird spot since late April. He was drafted in the third round by the Cleveland Browns, and then has been completely overshadowed since the Browns drafted Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round.
Sanders did play well in the preseason opener when Gabriel was out due to a hamstring injury. Then Gabriel had two productive games to end the preseason, presumably solidifying himself ahead of Sanders on the depth chart. Sanders didn’t help himself with a rough outing on Saturday. The way Gabriel has played in the preseason, there should be a question if he begins the regular season as Joe Flacco’s primary backup. Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said after the game he wasn’t ready to make a final decision on who would back up Flacco.
As Gabriel did in the Browns’ second preseason game, he made quick decisions and usually delivered accurate passes. He was 12 of 19 for 129 yards in less than a quarter of the Browns’ 19-17 win, coming in after Flacco got three series and before Sanders took over to begin the second half. Gabriel started the Browns’ second preseason game and was 13 of 18 for 143 yards in that contest, though he did have an interception returned for a touchdown.
NFL fans have been talking about Sanders all year, giving him the type of attention a fifth-round rookie has never received before. But the Browns have every reason to be excited about what they saw out of their other rookie quarterback this preseason.
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Other games
Baltimore Ravens 30, Washington Commanders 3: Neither team played starters, meaning Lamar Jackson didn’t play at all in the preseason, which is typical for him. It was notable that among the Commanders’ inactives was rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt. The team has treated Croskey-Merritt as a starter the past couple weeks, and opened up a big role for him by trading Brian Robinson Jr. to the 49ers.
Houston Texans 26, Detroit Lions 7: The Lions have been giving linebacker Grant Stuard a chance to return kickoffs in the preseason and he has been pretty good at it. He had a 28-yard average on four kickoff returns this preseason going into Saturday’s game, then had a 44-yard return to start the game against the Texans.
It’s unconventional — Stuard is a good special teams player but has never returned a kick in the regular season through his first four NFL seasons — but the Lions are often willing to experiment.
Indianapolis Colts 41, Cincinnati Bengals 14: Neither team played starters. Perhaps that’s a reason the Colts decided on Daniel Jones as their starting quarterback earlier in the week, ending the competition. With that settled, third-stringer Riley Leonard got the start at quarterback for Indianapolis. Leonard had 189 yards and a touchdown.
Cleveland Browns 19, Los Angeles Rams 17: The Browns officially announced Joe Flacco as their starting quarterback earlier this week, and gave him 17 snaps before the season begins. Flacco hadn’t played in the first two preseason games. Flacco was 9 of 10 for 71 yards and a touchdown. Dillon Gabriel followed Flacco in the game. Kenny Pickett, who dealt with a hamstring injury through most of training camp, did not play at all. Cleveland plans to keep four quarterbacks on the active roster according to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The Rams, as always, didn’t use any starters this preseason.
Green Bay Packers 20, Seattle Seahawks 7: The Packers used a lot of starters, though quarterback Jordan Love sat as he recovers from thumb surgery that’s not expected to keep him out of the regular-season opener. For the Seahawks, rookie quarterback Jalen Milroe got the start while Sam Darnold and other starters sat out. Milroe lost a fumble on two of Seattle’s first three possessions. The Seahawks didn’t score in the first half with Milroe completing 7 of 12 passes for 65 yards. He did throw a touchdown in the second half.
Miami Dolphins 14, Jacksonville Jaguars 6: The Dolphins were one of the few teams that played starters in the finale. Tua Tagovailoa started slow but on his third drive he led the Dolphins to a touchdown. He threw a 25-yard touchdown to Malik Washington. Tagovailoa played into the second quarter and was 4 of 8 for 49 yards.
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Buffalo Bills 23, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 19: Neither team played starters in the finale. Shane Buechele played the whole game at quarterback for the Bills and had 278 yards and a touchdown in the win.
San Francisco 49ers 30, Los Angeles Chargers 23: Both teams sat starters. Quarterback Trey Lance, who has had a solid preseason after signing with the Chargers this offseason, got the start and completed 5-of-8 passes for 38 yards.
Arizona Cardinals 20, Las Vegas Raiders 10: The Raiders used starters and Ashton Jeanty was once again seeking out contact. On one of his two carries, the rookie first-round draft pick sought out contact in the hole. He seems ready to bring physicality to the Raiders’ run game, even though it was worrisome to see him be a part of some big hits in the preseason. Jeanty had 5 yards on a pair of carries.
Final thoughts
• Through the preseason, Broncos rookie running back RJ Harvey has worked extensively with the starters. On Saturday he started again and got three carries, though he gained only four yards. In this game, JK Dobbins didn’t play at all. That could have been due to Dobbins’ long injury history and trying to preserve him for the regular season.
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• The Texans have some running back questions with Joe Mixon dealing with a foot injury. Nick Chubb didn’t play Saturday but Dameon Pierce and rookie Woody Marks did. Pierce had 17 yards on seven carries and Marks had 19 yards on six carries including a touchdown. Marks also caught three passes for 20 yards. The Texans might mix and match backs until Mixon is ready.
• Browns undrafted rookie receiver Gage Larvadain made plays throughout the preseason. He was in the game early, as Cleveland used its starters, and when the second team was in he scored a three-yard touchdown. It would seem that he has done enough to make the roster.
• Packers first-round pick Matthew Golden might have a big impact right away. He made a fantastic 39-yard catch against the Seahawks, fighting through coverage to make the downfield catch.
• Jaguars kicker Cam Little was one of the stars of the preseason. He got attention for hitting a 70-yard field goal earlier in the preseason, which would have been a regular season record, and he nailed a 59-yarder on Saturday.
• Rookie receiver Dont’e Thornton Jr., a fourth-round pick by the Raiders, has been an impressive player through training camp and the preseason. He played with the starters and had a very nice touchdown catch from Geno Smith.
Thornton will be a big part of the Raiders’ offense right away, even though he wasn’t even the first receiver the Raiders drafted this year. He seems to be much higher on the pecking order than second-round pick Jack Bech heading into the season.
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• Saturday had a throwback with a twist. A receiver with “Owens” on the back of his jersey scored a touchdown for the 49ers, which happened plenty when Hall of Famer Terrell Owens was on the team. But this time it was Terique Owens, Terrell’s son, who scored for the 49ers in their preseason finale.
