What We Saw: Preseason Week 1

Ben Brown
What We Saw 3 Years Ago
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Introduction
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Steelers @ Eagles
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Steelers @ Eagles

Final Score: Steelers 24, Eagles 16

Writer: Dan Adams (@dadams0323 on Twitter)

 

The Eagles opened their preseason tonight, welcoming in the Steelers who already had a game under their belt after winning the Hall of Fame game last week. Neither team’s starters looked impressive. Jalen Hurts was a little off on a few throws, and the Steelers’ offensive line still looks like they’re still figuring things out. The star of the first half was Quez Watkins, who scored the only touchdown for the Eagles when he took a screen pass 78 yards to the house. That was really the only success the Eagles would have as they failed to convert a third down the entire game. The Steelers’ backup offensive line was able to push around the Philadelphia backups, which let the Steelers punch in two short touchdowns and gave Dwayne Haskins plenty of time to pick apart the defense. The Steelers picked off Nick Mullens twice to close out the game and won 24-16 despite trailing 13-0 to start the game.

 

Pittsburgh Steelers

Quarterback

 

Mason Rudolph: 8/9, 77 yards, sack

Dwayne Haskins: 16/22, 161 yards, TD | 2 carries, -5 yards

Josh Dobbs: 5/6, 30 yards, INT

 

Mason Rudolph got the start tonight and played the entirety of the first quarter, leading the Steelers’ starters to three punts. He made a nice throw to Juju Smith-Schuster in traffic, as well as a perfect deep pass to Diontae Johnson, and generally looked solid when he had time to throw. Unfortunately, his offensive line really let him down by allowing several pressures, including a sack, and taking multiple penalties that caused their drives to stall out. It was a different story once Dwayne Haskins and the backups came in, as the Steelers were able to dominate at the line of scrimmage. Haskins had a lot of time to throw, and he looked like you would expect a former first-round pick to look with time to throw. After starting his night with a three-and-out, Haskins led the Steelers to four consecutive scoring drives (three touchdowns and a field goal, not counting a one-play kneel down to end the first half).

 

 

Ben Roethlisberger had the night off, but at his age, it is definitely worth monitoring who wins the competition to be his backup. Tonight, both Rudolph and Haskins looked solid and capable of sustaining the fantasy value of their teammates should Roethlisberger miss any time. 

 

Running Backs

 

Najee Harris: 2 carries, 10 yards | 2 targets, 1 reception, 9 yards

Anthony McFarland Jr.: 9 carries, 34 yards, TD | 1 target, 1 reception, 7 yards

Jaylen Samuels: 10 carries, 45 yards, TD | 1 target, 1 reception, 17 yards

 

Najee Harris had his usage scaled back a bit compared to the Hall of Fame game, only handling 4 touches tonight. He did have an eight-yard run called back on a holding call, along with a run of no gain that was wiped out by another penalty, so in total, he touched the ball six times. His offensive line looked a little overmatched and did not provide him with much room, but he did have a nice run where he broke a tackle in the backfield before getting upfield for a decent gain. Anthony McFarland Jr. got a series with the starters before working as the primary running back for the second team. He had a nice run at the goal line, bouncing to the outside to score a short touchdown.

 

 

Jaylen Samuels took over in the second half, and also cashed in a short run for a touchdown. Samuels led up to the touchdown with several short but effective runs to move the chains.

 

 

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

 

Diontae Johnson: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 41 yards

Chase Claypool: 1 carry, -2 yards

Juju Smith-Schuster: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 22 yards

Anthony Johnson: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 38 yards, TD

Cody White: 7 targets, 5 receptions, 39 yards

Pat Freiermuth: 1 target, 1 reception, 6 yards

 

Diontae Johnson had the best reception for the Steelers tonight, catching a nice deep ball down the sideline before making an unbelievable stop that didn’t earn him any extra yards but looked pretty cool.

 

 

Juju Smith-Schuster made his preseason debut and had a few of his usual short receptions. He did make a nice play to go get a ball in traffic, absorbing a hit and holding onto the ball to pick up the first down. Chase Claypool didn’t get involved tonight, which is probably a good thing after he left the last preseason game with an injury scare. Anthony Johnson was wide open on his touchdown catch, and Cody White paced the backups in targets but mostly worked on short routes.

 

 

Rookie tight end Pat Freiermuth caught his only target, but he also committed a holding penalty and appeared to struggle as a blocker. If that trend continues it will be hard for him to get on the field much to start the season as he’ll be behind a more accomplished receiving tight end in Eric Ebron. 

 

Philadelphia Eagles

 

Quarterback

 

Jalen Hurts: 3/7, 54 yards | 1 carry, 4 yards

Joe Flacco: 10/17, 178 yards, TD, sack

Nick Mullens: 1/5, 4 yards, 2 INT, sack

 

Jalen Hurts only played the first two series tonight, leading the Eagles to an opening field goal before coming up a little short on a third-down scramble that would have extended their second drive. The biggest play for Hurts was the one he missed on, as he overthrew Quez Watkins on what would have been as easy a 98-yard touchdown as you can get in the NFL. Four of his seven targets went to a tight end, including his best throw on a long completion to Dallas Goedert, which meshes with the reports out of camp so far and is likely a trend that will continue assuming Zach Ertz remains with the team.

 

 

Joe Flacco got most of his yards on a pass that he threw two yards behind the line of scrimmage thanks to Quez Watkins taking a screen 78 yards for a touchdown. Flacco also led two drives of eight and nine plays that resulted in field goals, but it all came against the backup defense of the Steelers. Despite the Eagles’ public unwillingness to commit to Hurts as the starter for Week 1, it would appear that he has the job locked down, as expected. Nick Mullens was somehow worse than his stat line would indicate, making two awful throws and looking completely lost against end-of-the-roster players. Kyle Shanahan might truly be a wizard for making Mullens look halfway decent for the 49ers.

 

 

Running Backs

 

Boston Scott: 1 carry, 4 yards

Kenneth Gainwell: 2 carries, 14 yards | 4 targets, 2 receptions, 6 yards

Jordan Howard: 1 carry, 3 yards

Jason Huntley: 4 carries, 15 yards | 3 targets, 1 reception, 4 yards

Kerryon Johnson: 2 carries, 12 yards

 

Miles Sanders got the night off, so the most interesting thing that happened for the Eagles running backs was that Boston Scott only handled one carry before leaving the game. That would suggest that the coaches view him as securely in the role of backup to Sanders and didn’t feel the need to evaluate him tonight. Jordan Howard also saw the field with the starters, and also didn’t get much work, and he seems likely to be the short-yardage back. Kenneth Gainwell saw four targets and has an outside chance at being the team’s third-down back but he was not overly impressive in his preseason debut.

 

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

 Jalen Reagor: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 20 yards

Quez Watkins: 2 targets, 1 reception, 79 yards, TD

Zach Ertz: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 20 yards

Dallas Goedert: 1 target, 1 reception, 34 yards

Tyree Jackson: 5 targets, 2 receptions, 32 yards

 

Quez Watkins is very fast and came into the game with a lot of buzz around him out of camp. He didn’t disappoint, starting off by easily beating a defender for what should have been a long touchdown that Hurts missed on. Undeterred, Watkins took a screen pass from Joe Flacco and did this with it:

 

 

Those might be backups he’s running by, but it is still incredibly impressive to just run away from other NFL players like that. His speed alone will get him on the field, and he has a chance to earn a real role in this offense especially if Devonta Smith’s injury lingers. Jalen Reagor didn’t have the same type of splash play, but he looked like a real NFL wide receiver tonight which is a step in the right direction after he struggled at the start of training camp. 

 

 

Travis Fulgham and Greg Ward both ran with the first-team offense, but neither one received a target. Both players had some success last season, but it’s unclear how committed the Eagles are to them.

 

 

Zach Ertz, playing despite an abundance of trade rumors all offseason, showed that regardless of the quarterback he will demand targets. They may not be targets down the field, and he might not run very far after catching them, but he will get targets nonetheless. Dallas Goedert had the one long reception, but the breakout fantasy managers have been hoping for may be on hold for another season with Ertz still in the picture. Tyree Jackson, a former quarterback converted to tight end, flashed some athleticism and made a nice jumping catch. It will be hard for him to make an impact on the Eagles, but he would be a name to keep an eye on should he catch on with a more tight end-needy team later in the offseason.

 

 — Dan Adams (@dadams0323 on Twitter).

Series Navigation
Introduction
Washington @ Patriots
Steelers @ Eagles
Titans @ Falcons
Bills @ Lions
Cowboys @ Cardinals
Dolphins @ Bears
Broncos @ Vikings
Browns @ Jaguars
Saints @ Ravens
Jets @ Giants
Bengals @ Buccaneers
Texans @ Packers
Chiefs @ 49ers
Seahawks @ Raiders
Chargers @ Rams
Panthers @ Colts

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