Friday was a meaty day for Week three of the NFL Preseason. While each game had their moments of grandeur, some stood out more than the others, although not all for good reasons. For now, let’s just focus on the positive, as I present to you the top performances from every team that played the Friday slot of week three of the 2018 NFL Preseason.
New York Giants vs Detroit Lions (30-17)
New York Giants: Will Hernandez (LG)
QB Davis Webb had a bounce-back game after a disastrous outing last week against the Cleveland Browns. TE Evan Engram made his presence known against Detroit’s coverage, fighting for every yard he could grind out.
But consider this; I would not be able to write out that top sentence if it wasn’t for Big Blue’s offensive line holding down the fort against a ferocious Lions front seven, especially rookie left guard Will Hernandez.
The job of an offensive lineman is a rough one; you are generally ignored when you do your job right, and you’re crucified by fans and media like when you fail. That’s just the business.
Hernandez comes out as the unsung hero of the game. In pass protection, he held his own against DT Sylvester Williams, while double teaming former Pro Bowl DE Ziggy Ansah. As a run blocker, Hernandez does a good job staying low and driving his helmet into the chest of the defender.
The second round pick out of UTEP came in as a multi-faceted offensive lineman; able to play anywhere on the line with ease. After two weeks of consistent dominance, it seems Hernandez has that left guard spot on lock down, forming one of the top blocking duos alongside former Patriots LT Nate Solder.
Detroit Lions: CB Darius Slay (CB)
Last year, Slay tied for first in the NFL with 8 interceptions made, while also leading the league in pass deflections with 26. Yet, whenever the conversation over who is the top cornerback in the NFL pops-up, he is left out of the conversation.
Names like Patrick Peterson, Jalen Ramsey, and Richard Sherman garner all the headlines, the praise and admiration from the masses. But that doesn’t really bother Pro Bowl corner. On the contrary, it seems to motivate him.
Against the Giants, Slay did his best impression of a prime Darrelle Revis; deflecting three well-thrown passes by Giants QB Davis Webb, with one of them preventing a down-the-middle touchdown pass to Sterling Shepard.
After a stellar breakout year in 2017, Slay could be a Darkhorse contender for Defensive Player of the Year. Should Detroit actually run away with the NFC North crown this season (no matter how unlikely), expect Slay to be a major factor in doing so.
Kansas City Chiefs vs Atlanta Falcons (28-14)
Kansas City Chiefs: Patrick Mahomes (QB)
When Alex Smith held the rains of the Chiefs offense, head coach Andy Reid played much more conservatively, opting for the short and middle routes for a game manager-type quarterback like Smith.
Now, with Smith shipped away to Washington, Coach Reid can finally implement the “gunslinger” game plan he ran when he was the quarterback coach of a one Brett Favre during his tenure with the Packers, with the “Brett Favre” of this equation being second year QB Patrick Mahomes.
Throughout the off season, the hype train for Mahomes has been full speed ahead, with many pundits praising the young QB for the one start he made against the Broncos in 2017, while others critique him, believing him to be turnover-prone and raw.
And yet…
Against the Falcons, Mahomes completed 66 percent of his passes for 138 yards and a spectacular 70-yard touchdown pass to Tyreek Hill, who was triple covered (see play above for better visualization).
While Mahomes did have a pick in the game, swiped out of the air by one of The Diverse Report’s player to watch, SS Damontae Kazee, that’s the price you pay for having a gunslinger at QB. You win some, you lose some.
Atlanta Falcons: Calvin Ridley (WR/KR)
The first-round pick out of Alabama played against the Chiefs like a… well, like a first round pick out of Alabama. Having star receivers like Julio Jones and Mohamad Sanu on the roster, one would think it’d be difficult for Ridley to standout on the Falcons depth chart.
Plays like that are why the Falcons picked Ridley with the 26th overall pick. A big bodied receiver with the physicality to beat defenders easily in jump ball situations, tied with speed that can take the top off a defense; it’s surprising Ridley wasn’t picked sooner.
Ridley ended his night leading the Falcons in receptions (3), receiving yards (49), and tying first for touchdowns (1), while also carving out 34 yards on his first ever NFL kick return.
While it’s not very likely the Falcons would use a first-round pick as a kick returner, it will be interesting to see how Atlanta will implement Ridley into their offense and/or special teams.
Buffalo Bills vs Cleveland Browns (19-17)
Buffalo Bills: Marcus Murphy (RB)
Bills starting running back LeSean “Shady” McCoy has wrapped up in a legal dispute with his ex-girlfriend that ranges from being evicted from Shady’s house to assault/robbery/home invasion, Buffalo has had to scramble in order to find someone to take Shady’s place while he’s gone.
Luckily for the Bills, they didn’t have to do much.
Third-year running back Marcus Murphy was on fire against the Browns defense. Agile, elusive, coupled with a 4.61 speed make Murphy more than viable to fill in for Shady.
The only issue is that Murphy is buried in the depth chart behind journeymen running backs Chris Ivory and Travaris Cadet. Fortunately for Murphy, he’s been the better man out of the three; racking up 74 rushing yards and two touchdowns over the past two weeks (and being the leading rusher in both games).
Cleveland Browns: Carlos Hyde (RB)
So THAT’S why the Browns signed Carlos Hyde to a three-year, $15.25 million-dollar deal.
It has stifled me all offseason long as to why the Browns signed Hyde to such a lucrative deal when they were going to draft Georgia RB Nick Chubb at the top of the second round. Both Chubb and Hyde have similar skill sets; power run players that can deliver hits just as hard as they can take them, along with a knack for catching the ball (even though Chubb might be the better of the two in that department).
The one edge Hyde has over Chubb is experience, and that soul-stealing stiff arm he delivers to FS Jordan Poyer shows it.
Just four years into his NFL Career (all with the 49ers), Hyde came just 60 yards short of tallying his first ever thousand rushing yard season, coming closer the year before with 988 rushing yards.
Could this be the year Hyde breaks a thousand? Can he prove that he deserves to be the Browns number one back, over taking Chubb and established veteran Duke Johnson, Jr.? He’ll have some…stiff competition, but he’ll be able to keep them at…arm’s length (I’ll stop now).
Miami Dolphins vs Carolina Panthers (20-27)
Miami Dolphins: Greg Joseph and Jason Sanders (K)
Unless your name is “Adam Vinatieri” or “Justin Tucker,” no one cares about kickers. The perception for an NFL kicker is that it is an incredibly easy job; just kick the ball between two posts. But it’s not that simple.
A kicker can make or break playoff teams. Last year, the Los Angeles Chargers lost four games by seven points or less, with terrible kicking production being the main culprit.
For the Miami Dolphins, the starting kicking job is up for grabs between rookies Greg Joseph and Jason Sanders. Both Sanders and Joseph were exceptional against the Panthers, putting up more than 50 percent of Miami’s points. Sanders made kicks from 29, 32, and 42 yards out, while Joseph put one up from 54 yards.
Together, Sanders and Joseph make a dynamic kicking duo; Sanders can kick the short and intermediate distances, while Joseph can go for the long-distance kicks. However, it’s rare for a team to carry more than one kicker on the roster, so whether it’s the sniper-accurate Sanders or the cannon-legged Joseph, one thing is for sure; the Dolphins are set at kicker.
Carolina Panthers: Christian McCaffrey (RB)
Christian McCaffrey absolutely balled the starting Dolphins defense. The speedy second-year back showed that he is not just a gadget player; shaking off a tackle in the box, then breaking out the jets for a 71-yard touchdown run.
McCaffrey also hauled in an 18-yard quick in route from Cam Newton for the first down, leaving LB Kiko Alonso in the dust after he cut in.
The second-year back out of Stanford was a dynamic option for the Panthers last year, combining with Jonathan Stewart to form a deadly backfield. With Stewart gone, though, McCaffrey has a chance to breakout into a David Johnson-type player, maybe even break into the infamous “1,000 yard rushing yards-1,000 yard receiving yards in a season” club.
Arizona Cardinals vs News Orleans Saints (20-15)
Arizona Cardinals: Josh Rosen (QB)
Last week, Josh Rosen felt the pressure. None of his receivers were able to create much separation from the Chargers’ secondary, there was no running game to fall back on, and the offensive line was just absolute trash. As a result, he completed less than 50 percent of his passes for 41 yards, no score or turnover.
Against the Saints, the Cardinals offense looked completely different, especially Rosen. With better protection and an improved receiving core, Rosen’s stats improved as well. Completing 62 percent of his passes, Rosen threw for 107 yards and a touchdown to Christian Kirk.
Despite the success, it seems that Rosen is still buried behind Sam Bradford for the starting quarterback, and unless Sam’s ACL tears a third time, it’s going to stay that way. Like other teams that drafted QBs in the first round, the Arizona Cardinals aren’t trying to win the Super Bowl this year. They just want to develop Rosen, then build around him for years to come.
Rosen, on the other hand, wants a chance to start so he can prove once and for all that nine mistakes were made ahead of him on draft night.
New Orleans Saints: Tre’Quan Smith (WR)
Third-round wide receiver Tre’Quan Smith was an excellent depth choice for the Saints. In a receiver core with Michael Thomas, Ted Ginn, Jr., and Cam Meredith, Smith has the chance to learn and develop behind some quality talent.
While QB Drew Brees didn’t play tonight, we were able to see how well Smith can perform when playing with a terrible string of passers.
Now imagine that, but with Drew Brees throwing the rock. Scary, right?
Smith lead the team in receiving yards (60) against the Cardinals, averaging 20 yards per catch. Similar to the Falcons, the Saints have plenty of weapons to use at their disposal this season. It’s just a matter of how they’ll use them once the 2018 regular season rolls around.
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