The most important weekend of the preseason saw 30 of the NFL’s 32 teams in action. The Bengals and Commanders will finish the slate Monday night.
Some teams kept their most important players on the bench; others gave their starters a series or more. Backup quarterbacks had extended opportunities, rookies had a chance to prove themselves, and notable quarterbacks including Brock Purdy, Sam Darnold, Caleb Williams and Dillon Gabriel made their 2025 preseason debuts.
Here is (at least) one thing to know about every team.
AFC East
Bills: They rested virtually every starter and several reserves against the Bears, and the replacements did little right in a blowout loss, failing to convert a single third down.
Dolphins: While starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa didn’t play, two well-known backups — 2021 No. 2 pick Zach Wilson and former Texas star Quinn Ewers — combined to complete 26 of 40 passes for 259 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions and a 111.0 passer rating.
Patriots: Rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson might already be the team’s most reliable offensive player, scoring on an 8-yard touchdown run and converting a third-and-10 in a win over the Vikings. Second-year QB Drake Maye didn’t have his best stuff, while undrafted rookie receiver Efton Chism III might have played his way onto the roster.
Jets: They want to jam it down your throat, running the ball on 10 straight plays at one point in a loss to the Giants. But QB Justin Fields completed just 1 of 5 passes, and has averaged 3.9 air yards per attempt on nine passes over two preseason games.
AFC North
Ravens: Rookie kicker Tyler Loop was 5 of 6 on field goal attempts against the Cowboys, including makes from 51 and 53 yards, and coach John Harbaugh said Loop would be the team’s Week 1 kicker.
Bengals: First-round pick Shemar Stewart, whose contentious holdout dragged into the summer, has done a complete 180 since finally getting his contract signed. Once shunned by fans, he has said and done all the right things and could be a pivotal piece to a pass rush that desperately needs someone to step up. Relatedly: The Bengals have been actively engaging in trade discussions for star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson for weeks, Dianna Russini and Paul Dehner Jr. reported.
Browns: The four-man quarterback competition still doesn’t have a winner, though the Browns say coach Kevin Stefanski will announce one before Saturday’s preseason finale against the Rams. Rookie quarterback Gabriel, making his professional debut Saturday against the Eagles, was sharp early before throwing a pick six. He led three scoring drives and converted his first five third-down chances.
Steelers: First-round pick Derrick Harmon has been as-advertised on the defensive line, recording a sack Saturday against the Bucs. Rookie running back Kaleb Johnson also flashed, including on a 14-yard run.
The rook takes him down 💪 @DerrickHarmon20
📺 #TBvsPIT on @KDKA @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/WSLTT01CgS
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) August 16, 2025
AFC South
Texans: New offensive coordinator Nick Caley saw promising signs as quarterback C.J. Stroud looked comfortable in the pocket and receivers Jayden Higgins and Nico Collins both made standout plays in a win over the Panthers. New running back Nick Chubb looked serviceable, running for 25 yards on five carries during a touchdown drive.
Colts: Coach Shane Steichen said he is “very close” to making a decision between Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones for the starting quarterback job. Richardson played three series in Saturday’s loss to the Packers, two of which resulted in points. Jones went 7 of 11 for 101 yards.
Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence led a pair of long drives against the Saints, though the first drive ended in a fumble before he capped the second with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Parker Washington. There were no Travis Hunter highlights as the two-way rookie sat out the game with an upper-body injury.
Titans: No. 1 pick Cam Ward played three series against the Falcons, completing 2 of 7 passes for 42 yards. He showed off impressive arm strength but failed to lead Tennessee to any points.
AFC West
Broncos: Second-year speedster Troy Franklin continued his strong summer, catching two touchdown passes from backup QB Jarrett Stidham in a win over the Cardinals. He could be a bona fide No. 2 target for Bo Nix this season behind Courtland Sutton.
Chiefs: While starting running back Isiah Pacheco gave signs he’s past the ankle and rib injuries that limited him last season, the depth chart behind him is a mess. Carson Steele and Elijah Mitchell failed to impress, Kareem Hunt (who didn’t play in Friday’s loss to the Seahawks) just turned 30 and rookie Brashard Smith isn’t being used much in the backfield. Could the Chiefs attempt to bring in more help?
Chargers: Receiver Quentin Johnston suffered a concussion on the opening drive against the Rams, and a trio of rookie receivers stole the show. Second-round pick Tre’ Harris led the Chargers with six catches on eight targets for 85 yards, fifth-round pick KeAndre Lambert-Smith had two explosive catches, and undrafted rookie Luke Grimm returned a punt 66 yards for a touchdown.
big play dre, big play tre pic.twitter.com/joRaPGA9re
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) August 17, 2025
Raiders: Rookie running back Ashton Jeanty carried the ball seven times for 33 yards and a touchdown against the 49ers while showing off his famous physicality. Quarterback Geno Smith completed 6 of 8 passes for 55 yards and led two scoring drives.
NFC East
Cowboys: Backup QB Joe Milton struggled for the second consecutive preseason game, completing 2 of 8 passes for 14 yards with no touchdowns, one interception and a 0.0 rating against the Ravens. He gave himself a D. Will the Cowboys need to settle on a different backup?
Giants: Rookie Jaxson Dart followed an impressive debut last Saturday with an even better performance against the Jets, completing 14 of 16 passes for 137 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions, and scoring on a QB sneak. Coach Brian Daboll reiterated that Russell Wilson remains the starter.
Eagles: Twenty-eight players sat out, but first-round pick Jihaad Campbell showed that he’ll be an immediate contributor, sacking Browns QB Gabriel while displaying his remarkable closing speed.
Commanders: They’ll play Monday night, but they already had a newsy weekend, with wide receiver Terry McLaurin, who has been holding-in as part of a contract dispute, being activated off the physically unable to perform list.
NFC North
Bears: He was facing Buffalo’s backups but Williams looked sharp, going 5 for 6 on Chicago’s opening drive for 97 yards and a touchdown. “Caleb made a couple big-time throws, in my opinion, to keep that drive going,” first-year coach Ben Johnson said.
Lions: Kyle Allen is closing in on the backup quarterback role, having completed 21 of 25 attempts for 244 yards and four touchdowns in Detroit’s last two games, including Saturday’s loss to the Dolphins. Rookie receiver Isaac TeSlaa continued to shine, catching a touchdown pass for the second straight preseason game.
OK THEN ISAAC!!!#MIAvsDET | 📺 Lions TV Network pic.twitter.com/87msJ88uIN
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) August 16, 2025
Packers: Rookie right tackle Anthony Belton, a second-round pick, committed five first-half penalties against the Colts. Green Bay sat most of its starters — 29 players didn’t suit up because of injury or rest — but 11 first-half penalties still had coach Matt LaFleur on edge.
Vikings: The battle to back up starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy remains open, with Sam Howell, Brett Rypien and 24-year-old Max Brosmer all in contention. Brosmer played well in a loss to the Patriots, while Howell looked uncomfortable and inconsistent.
NFC South
Falcons: Rookie edge rusher James Pearce Jr., the No. 26 pick out of the University of Tennessee, has taken more practice snaps than anyone on the roster this preseason and barely came off the field during Friday’s loss to the Titans, partly because fellow rookie edge rusher Jalon Walker has been sidelined by hamstring and groin injuries.
Panthers: Yikes. The first-team offense finished with minus-2 yards over two series in Saturday’s loss to the Texans, while the defense resembled the same porous unit that was the NFL’s worst in 2024. The Panthers have been outscored 50-13 in two preseason losses.
Saints: Rookie Tyler Shough started at QB but it was second-year signal-caller Spencer Rattler who played the second half and rallied New Orleans from a 17-3 deficit. The highlight was an 11-play, 87-yard drive that ended with him throwing a 20-yard touchdown to Dante Pettis and then scrambling and running for a two-point conversion to force a 17-17 tie.
Spencer Rattler on the day:
▪️ 18/24
▪️ 199 YDS
▪️ 1 TD (rushed for game-tying 2-point conversion)
▪️ 1 INT pic.twitter.com/bQJLE06e87— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) August 17, 2025
Buccaneers: Despite being signed less than two weeks ago, veteran QB Teddy Bridgewater looked comfortable, throwing touchdown passes to Bucky Irving and rookie receiver Emeka Egbuka in a win over the Steelers. Receiver Jalen McMillan left after a scary fall but wrote on social media, “Don’t worry yall.”
NFC West
Cardinals: The starters didn’t play in a blowout loss to the Broncos, but the offense was still unsightly. The final numbers: 135 total yards, 2.9 yards per play, eight first downs and 2 of 13 third-down conversions.
Rams: QB Matthew Stafford, who has been dealing with a back injury, was scheduled to work out on Saturday. The team declined to tell reporters whether that workout happened; coach Sean McVay is expected to say more on the topic on Monday.
49ers: Starting right guard Dominick Puni injured his knee in a win over the Raiders and could miss a couple weeks; kicker Jake Moody made 5 of 6 field-goal attempts, including a 59-yarder for the win; and quarterback Purdy looked sharp, going 5 of 7 for 66 yards on an opening drive while showing promising chemistry with second-year receiver Ricky Pearsall.
Seahawks: The starting offense put together a 10-play, 81-yard touchdown drive against the Chiefs that was everything Mike Macdonald wants in Year 2: under-center runs behind a physical offensive line; play-action bootlegs with wide-open pass catchers in space; and quick decisions from quarterback Darnold.
(Top photos of Jaxson Dart and TreVeyon Henderson: Vincent Carchietta and Brad Rempel / Imagn Images)