The NFL preseason is ripe for overreactions. Much of what unfolds on game days should be taken with a grain of salt as teams hold back the "good stuff" from their playbooks and rest their starters. At the same time, some of the offseason's most important decisions come down to these games. Such is the case in Cleveland, where the Browns might have settled their quarterback competition after a preseason Week 2 eyesore from Deshaun Watson and a solid showing from Shedeur Sanders.
Sanders may be the biggest winner from the second set of preseason games. De'Zhaun Stribling could be on his way to a stellar rookie season with the 49ers if Thursday's display of receiving prowess was any indication. And the Jets' defense actually looks… competitive?
Not all of those takeaways are guaranteed to play out come the regular season. Some of what unfolded in the second week of the preseason will go down as mere exhibition fallout rather than meaningful data.
Let's separate overreactions from reality.
Shedeur Sanders will be the Browns' starting quarterback
The plan was always for Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders to get one start apiece to open the preseason. Now that Todd Monken has the data points he set out to acquire, a decision on which of the two will open the regular season atop the depth chart is imminent. In fact, it could come as soon as Monday. And after Watson's disastrous showing on Saturday, it is hard to picture the veteran winning the job.
It is not as if Sanders went out and won the job himself. He threw an interception in each of his first two preseason outings and was underwhelming in Week 1, albeit with a decent bounce-back effort (9-for-11, 74 yards, one touchdown, one interception) in Week 2. The potential pecking order in Cleveland is more a product of Watson looking unplayable on Saturday.
While Watson outplayed Sanders a week ago, he floundered in his most recent appearance with poorly placed throws and a 5-for-12, 35-yard stat line with an interception. Browns fans booed him off the field, and while Monken said Watson's postgame comments toward the Cleveland faithful will not impact the starting quarterback decision, they were a poor look.
Verdict: Reality
De'Zhaun Stribling will win Offensive Rookie of the Year
It has been difficult to find uplifting storylines from 49ers camp due to their onslaught of injuries, but De'Zhaun Stribling's emergence as a potentially game-changing rookie is as pleasant a development as any in the Bay Area. A week after he racked up seven catches for 63 yards as the leader of San Francisco's receiving unit, Stribling tied with KhaDarel Hodge for the most catches (four) and yards (46) of any 49er on Thursday.
Importantly, three of those catches came on connections with starting quarterback Brock Purdy. The two were on the same page from the get-go in the rout of the Chargers and strung together three completions on the opening drive. Stribling then hauled in a 21-yard grab from Mac Jones on the team's second possession.
Stribling, the No. 33 overall pick in April's draft, saw his Rookie of the Year odds spike. Per DraftKings, his +1100 odds are the fifth-shortest behind only Jeremiyah Love, Jadarian Price, Fernando Mendoza and Carnell Tate. He has been as productive as any of them this preseason, but the sheer volume of contenders for the award (and the fact that Love and Price, at least, figure to hold larger roles) still means he will have to outperform expectations to win the honor.
Verdict: Overreaction… but possible!
Tua Tagovailoa should watch his back
Tua Tagovailoa threw just three passes in the first week of the preseason and watched Saturday's 34-6 drubbing of the Colts from the sideline. That is a starter's preseason workload. His grasp on the role is tenuous, though.
Neither Cooper Rush nor Jack Strand will unseat Tagovailoa from the starting job, but the Falcons have to appreciate what they combined to deliver in this week's offensive showcase. Strand, an undrafted rookie, racked up 212 passing yards, 22 rushing yards and a touchdown both through the air and on the ground. Cooper Rush went 10-for-11.
The real threat to Tagovailoa is twofold. First, he has been underwhelming in camp. Second, Michael Penix Jr. is cleared for 11-on-11 work and figures to make a run at the job. This always figured to be a two-man battle, and now that Penix is healthy, he has about three weeks to make up ground and potentially leap past his fellow southpaw. His momentum from 7-on-7 and individual drills gives him a shot to do so.
Verdict: Reality
Jets' defense is fixed
The Jets' defense infamously went the entire 2025 season without recording an interception. The group secured two takeaways in one game during Week 2 of the preseason. Andre Cisco, who is in the mix for a starting role at one of the safety spots, hauled in the first one while reserve cornerback Samuel Womack III grabbed the second. Both came against Steelers quarterback Will Howard.
Toss in a David Bailey sack, two sacks from Nate Lynn and another from Chase Wilson, and it was a banner day for New York. The starting unit played into the second quarter of a game in which the Steelers went scoreless.
Remember, though, that this came against Pittsburgh's No. 2 offense. And keep in mind that while the Jets overhauled the unit with a plethora of free agent additions, none of them are elite players. Aaron Glenn needs this group to hold its own in 2026, and it may just do that. But this shutout means very little.
Verdict: Overreaction
J.J. McCarthy is not Minnesota's second-best quarterback
When J.J. McCarthy fell short of Kyler Murray in the competition for the Vikings' starting quarterback duties, the reasonable conclusion was that he would settle in as the No. 2 option in the group. Even that might be a stretch for the third-year pro at this point. He had a rough go of it against the Ravens' defense on Saturday; across 18 snaps, he completed just five of 10 passes, took three hits and fell victim to a sack.
Coach Kevin O'Connell said that McCarthy would have played longer if not for being "banged up" during his limited work. That highlights another issue with the former first-round pick: he simply cannot stay healthy.
While O'Connell said a week ago that McCarthy is Minnesota's No. 2 quarterback, it is increasingly clear that he does not have a long-term future in this offense. Carson Wentz might give the Vikings a better chance of winning games if Murray misses any time.
Verdict: Reality
Packers solved their kicking woes
The search to find a successor to Mason Crosby since his departure in 2022 has been anything but smooth for the Packers. It appears that they finally have an answer, however. They were the only team to use a draft pick on a kicker in 2026, and it looks like an astute move. Sixth-rounder Trey Smack has been a preseason standout.
In Week 1, Smack drilled a 58-yard field goal and matched that distance on a kick that was ultimately waved off for a defensive penalty. He went 3-for-3 in his professional debut. That was just the start of it. He was even better this week and made all four of his field goal attempts, with two coming from more than 50 yards out. His longest was a 59-yard blast.
After a year in which Green Bay missed four extra points and was as reliable as a coin flip on kicks beyond 50 yards, special teams could suddenly be a legitimate weapon.
Verdict: Reality
