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NFL Nation, ESPN
The Philadelphia Eagles kicked off the second week of the 2024 NFL preseason with a win over the New England Patriots on Thursday. The rest of the league continues with games on Saturday and Sunday (full schedule below).
Week 2 of the preseason often serves as a dress rehearsal for the regular season, and our NFL Nation reporters will tell you what you need to know about each game as we approach cut-down day on Tuesday, August 27.
Game on Thursday
Eagle: Quarterback Jalen Hurts and the rest of the offensive starters had the night off. A handful of starters were used on defense while defensive coordinator Vic Fangio continued to sift through competition at some key positions, including linebacker and cornerback. Several linebackers helped them against the Patriots. Zack Baun, who has had the most first-team appearances this summer alongside Devin White, showed good pursuit and stopped running back Rhamondre Stevenson early in the first quarter without allowing any yardage. Nakobe Dean spent much of his night in the New England backfield and finished the night with five tackles, the most on his team.
There were positive developments among the edge rushers as well. Nolan Smith Jr., a first-round pick in 2023, recorded his second sack of the preseason. Free agent signing Bryce Huff was primarily a pass rush specialist during his time with the Jets, creating uncertainty about whether he could be a three-down player. Time will tell, but he made a nice set-up in the first quarter to block a short pass to the right side and recorded three tackles in limited action. — Tim McManus
Next game: vs. Vikings (Saturday, August 24, 1:00 p.m. ET)
Patriots: Rookie quarterback Drake Maye played four series in two quarters — 25 snaps total — and the results (albeit against the Eagles’ backups) sparked hope for the Patriots’ future. After playing just one series last week, Maye helped the offense to 10 points — a 51-yard field goal by Joey Slye and a 4-yard TD run of his own. He entered the game early in the second quarter in place of starter Jacoby Brissett (3 series, 3 of 7 for 17 yards, 1 interception).
Maye’s statistics – 6 of 11 passes for 47 yards, plus 15 yards on four carries – didn’t exactly reflect the calmness of his performance as he patiently worked through his progressions. In the third quarter, for example, he threw a pinpoint deep ball to a diving rookie wide receiver Javon Baker, who was dropped. Had that ball gone right – and Maye couldn’t have thrown it any better – it would have been a headline play. — Mike Reiss
Next game: at Commanders (Sunday, August 25, 8 p.m. ET)
Games on Saturday
Atlanta Falcons at Baltimore Ravens, 12pm ET
Cincinnati Bengals at Chicago Bears, 1:00 p.m. ET
New York Giants at Houston Texans, 1 p.m. ET
Detroit Lions at Kansas City Chiefs, 4:00 p.m. ET
Minnesota Vikings at Cleveland Browns, 4:25 p.m. ET
Seattle Seahawks at Tennessee Titans, 7:00 p.m. ET
Arizona Cardinals at Indianapolis Colts, 7:00 p.m. ET
Washington Commanders at Miami Dolphins, 7:00 p.m. ET
Buffalo Bills at Pittsburgh Steelers, 7:00 p.m. ET
New York Jets at Carolina Panthers, 7:00 p.m. ET
Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Chargers, 7:05 p.m. ET
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Jacksonville Jaguars, 7:30 p.m. ET
Dallas Cowboys at Las Vegas Raiders, 10:00 p.m. ET
Sunday games
Green Bay Packers at Denver Broncos, 8 p.m. ET
New Orleans Saints at San Francisco 49ers, 8 p.m. ET
