The Saturday slate of preseason action certainly had plenty of debuts that were worth paying attention to. Cameron Ward started his first game for the Titans, while Jaxson Dart also played well in his debut for the Giants.
Travis Hunter played both offense and defense for the Jaguars, who made some history in their preseason opener. J.J. McCarthy also returned for the Vikings in their preseason opener, his first game since rupturing his Achilles last year. Some starting quarterbacks didn't play, namely Aaron Rodgers with the Steelers and Dak Prescott with the Cowboys.
Eight games were on the Saturday preseason slate for Week 1. Below, you can find all of Saturday's top takeaways in our one-stop shop for everything that happened in the NFL in Week 1 of the preseason.
Cam Little set NFL history in the Jaguars' preseason opener against the Steelers, even if the field goal doesn't count in the NFL record books. Little drilled a 70-yard field goal just before the half, which is the first 70-yard field goal made in NFL history.
Little made all four field goals on the night, all over 40 yards. Two of which were over 50 yards, including a 52 yarder in the fourth quarter. The 70 yarder is the one that will be remembered for a long time, even if it was a preseason game.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid usually plays his starters in preseason games, as has been the case over his 27 seasons as a head coach. So Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs' first-team offense would get some snaps in Week 1 of the preseaosn, even if it was just for a series.
All Mahomes needed was just one pass before Reid pulled him, as Mahomes threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Jason Brownlee for a touchdown in the first minute of the game. The 49ers botched the opening kickoff to give the Chiefs great field position, as Mahomes played only three snaps before getting pulled from the game.
Based on the back shoulder throw to Brownlee, Mahomes looks in midseason form.
Ward played just two series in his NFL debut, and he looked like the No. 1 overall pick on the Titans' second series. Getting good offensive line protection, Ward threw a deep pass over the middle to Calvin Ridley for a 27-yard gain, followed by 10 and 13-yard completions to Ridley.
Ridley showed he could get open as a No. 1 wideout for Ward, who went 5 of 6 for 57 yards on the scoring drive, Ward finished 5 of 8 for 67 yards before being pulled. He almost threw an interception, but the protection was good and Ward looked comfortable in the pocket.
This was a good start.
Hunter logged 19 snaps in his preseason debut, but how the snaps were distributed was the key. He played 11 snaps on offense, finishing with two catches for nine yards -- on two targets. Hunter played eight snaps on defense, and wasn't targeted at all in the game.
The Jaguars are going to play Hunter on offense and defense, and eased him into both in the preseason opener.
The Giants won't be starting Dart in Week 1 of the regular season, but Brian Daboll and the coaching staff have to be impressed with Dart's preseason debut. On Dart's first series, he showed off the arm that got him selected in the first round -- a deep pass down the left side to Lil'Jordan Humphrey for the touchdown.
Dart had a strong debut after entering the game for Russell Wilson, finishing 12 of 19 for 154 yards and a touchdown (106.0 rating). The Giants can afford to be patient with Dart, but all signs have pointed to the rookie having a strong camp.
McCarthy played in his first preseason game with the Vikings, one year after tearing his meniscus and missing all of his rookie season. He got the start in the Vikings' preseason opener and threw consecutive throws to Jordan Addison for 5 and 10 yards.
The offensive line forced McCarthy out of the pocket several times, causing him to get rid of the ball and make forced throws. He played just one series, going 4 of 7 for 30 yards and having a first-down run for 8 yards.
More snaps are certainly needed for McCarthy.
Thursday
Ravens 24, Colts 16 (recap)
Eagles 34, Bengals 27 (recap)
Raiders 23, Seahawks 23 (recap)
Friday
Lions 17, Falcons 10 (recap)
Browns 30, Panthers 10 (recap)
Patriots 48, Commanders 18 (recap)
Saturday
Giants 34, Bills 25 (recap)
Vikings 20, Texans 10 (recap)
Rams 31, Cowboys 21 (recap)
Steelers 31, Jaguars 25 (recap)
Buccaneers 29, Titans 7 (recap)
Jets 30, Packers 10 (recap)
Cardinals 20, Chiefs 17 (recap)
Broncos 30, 49ers 9 (recap)
Sunday
Dolphins at Bears, 1 p.m. (preview)
Saints at Chargers, 4:05 p.m. (preview)
Shilo Sanders put a hard hit on Brandon Allen in Titans-Buccaneers. The older brother of Shedeur Sanders, Shilo Sanders is battling for a roster spot in Tampa Bay.
The rookie has had a strong showing this summer.
It's Gardner Minshew, who is QB2 for Kansas City this year after Carson Wentz had the job last year. Minshew was in Jacksonville, then Philadelphia, then Indianapolis, then Las Vegas in various roles.
He's QB2 in KC.
The 49ers pressured Bo Nix as the second-year QB just threw the ball away with pressure up the A-gap. Nix had nowhere to go and was called for intentional grounding.
Chase Lucas got Nix as he got rid of the ball.
Tony Pollard caps an 11-play, 65-yard drive for the Titans -- the first TD drive for Ward in the NFL. Ward is 5 of 8 passing for 67 yards, the highlight being a 27-yard pass to Calvin Ridley.
Ward was 5 of 6 for 57 yards on the scoring drive, and that was all Tennessee needed to see from its rookie QB. He was pulled after two series.
The NFL record for field goals is 66 yards by Justin Tucker. It's preseason and doesn't count in the record books, but Jaguars kicker Cam Little just bombed one from 70 yards out! That's right -- 70!!!
That is the longest in any NFL game -- no matter if it's preseason or regular season!
Cody Benjamin has got you covered.
Look at this back-shoulder throw from Mahomes to Jason Brownlee. Good placement by Mahomes and an even better catch by Brownlee. This is why Andy Reid likes to get his first team some work in the preseason.
Not a good opening series for Ward, as he goes three-and-out on the Titans' first offensive series. Ward threw an incomplete pass to Van Jefferson and a deep pass that went no where on third down after a pressure. 0-for-2 for 0 yards on the first series for the reigning No. 1 overall draft pick.
Egbuka didn't need much to make an impact in the league. A standout at Buccaneers camp, Egbuka caught a 21-yard pass from Kyle Trask that set up the Buccaneers for a FG on their first possession. Egbuka may be WR2 for Tampa in Week 1 with Chris Godwin still recovering from an injury. The kid can play.
Mason Rudolph -- playing for Aaron Rodgers (rest) -- threw a 19-yard dart to Washington for the score. Washington did a Jimmy Graham dunk-on-the-goal-post celebration after catching the touchdown.
Yes, that's a penalty, but it's still fun.
Jaguars have Hunter playing the 'X' on offense and Trevor Lawrence didn't hesitate to find him. Hunter has two catches for 9 yards in the first quarter. Lawrence is 6-of-7 for 42 yards.
The Jaguars rookie is prepping to do work on both offense and defense in his preseason debut:
Kevin O'Connell and Co. play it safe in Minnesota, giving J.J. McCarthy just a single offensive series against the Houston Texans. McCarthy finished 4 of 7 for 30 yards, helping set up a field goal. He also picked up eight yards on a first-down scramble. A solid day, given how much heat McCarthy had faced against the Vikings' own defense in recent weeks of training camp.
The former Arizona Cardinals wide receiver, who'd been competing for a reserve role with the Vikings, is carted off in Minnesota after suffering an apparent leg injury on a punt return against the Houston Texans. Moore missed all of 2024 with the Atlanta Falcons due to an ACL tear. Players from both sides huddled around the veteran before his exit.
McCarthy's surgically repaired knee looks just fine, as it has all of training camp:
