Four NFL Preseason Games with Intrigue

You will quickly see the trend when it comes to pointing out the best preseason week one games. Where are the young, fun QBs that everyone is dying to see? Two of them are in this game, and that is why I will be sitting down to watch this game on Saturday afternoon.

Miami Dolphins vs. Chicago Bears

Tua Tagovailoa struggled at points last season, and we still do not know exactly how much he will play in this game, but I think that we all want to see Tua get a chance in an offense with explosive players like Will Fuller and Jaylen Waddle. Fuller has been struggling with an injury. Yes, I know, SHOCKING, but Waddle has been great in practice, and I hope that we get to see him Saturday afternoon.

Obviously, Justin Fields is the headliner here, especially with comments from Coach Nagy recently, who suggested that the starters will play one or two series (8-10 plays).

This means we should see a half or more of former Ohio State star Justin Fields, and that is incredibly interesting. Fields has made plenty of wow plays in camp, and I think that the reports on him relative to another hyped rookie QB that we will discuss later have been skewed simply because Andy Dalton has been good in camp. I expect Fields to put on a show and try to make a claim for the starting job ASAP, and that truly starts on Saturday.

Cleveland Browns vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

The Browns are not a very interesting preseason team, loaded with vets, not involving major coaching changes, and no intense key position battles. 

I love Donovan Peoples-Jones as a talent and hope we see a bit of him in this game, but he may even get some veteran treatment. Getting to see Odell Beckham Jr. healthy again would also be a welcome sight for fans.

The Jags are the main attraction here, and that starts with Trevor Lawrence. I think that Lawrence could be a bit slow to stardom based on some of his tendencies, but I do expect wow plays, and I hope that we see a long leash on Lawrence in this game.

They also do have some fun young talents with a new coaching staff, who will be excited to see them play in a real game for the first time. How will Urban Meyer deploy Travis Etienne, and is Laviska Shenault the WR1 on this team?

Cincinnati Bengals vs. Tampa Bay

The Bucs are as uninteresting as could be in this game, and I have almost no interest in anything that they do. I wouldn't have included this game if I wrote this a week ago, and it all stems from the reports from Bengals camp that read incredibly bearish on this offense. Burrow is timid, Chase is struggling, and the O-line is bad. I love the pass volume and skill talent in this offense, but these reports are a bit scary.

I would not be surprised to hear that the Bengals plan on sitting Burrow, which would be a bit disappointing. However, I expect to see Chase make his NFL debut here.

Kansas City Chiefs vs. San Francisco 49ers

This one is very similar to the Bears, but Jimmy Garropolo is NOT playing like he needs to quiet the haters and keep Lance on the bench for very long. This will be the first true game for Lance in about two years' time after not playing in anything but a glorified scrimmage last year when his season at North Dakota State was delayed until the spring.

Lance has been flashing in camp and should be the focus in this game, along with Trey Sermon. The Chiefs are another boring, veteran team in most areas, but at least they have areas of intrigue.

Is Mecole Hardman the WR2, or are other vets like DeMarcus Robinson and Byron Pringle hanging around to challenge him? Is Cornell Powell capable of being a rotational player? Is 6th round offensive lineman Trey Smith the real deal? I will watch the Chiefs offense for the first few drives, even if the stars are nowhere to be found.