It’s probably not fun being in the same division as the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders have spent the past few weeks deciding on a starting quarterback, and the Los Angeles Chargers might be contemplating looking for another QB while their starter nurses a foot injury.
Meanwhile, in Kansas City, the back-to-back defending Super Bowl champs are having fun completing behind-the-back passes and expanding the playbook with speedy rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy.
Once again, it’s going to be tough for a team to knock off the Chiefs in the AFC West, but it hasn’t been all bad for their divisional rivals. The Broncos might have something in rookie quarterback Bo Nix, who delivered another impressive preseason performance Sunday. There’s at least clarity in Denver, which can’t exactly be said for Las Vegas.
Let’s analyze the quarterback situations of Raiders and Chargers, and break down how the Chiefs have used Worthy in the preseason. But it’s not all about the AFC West teams for this week’s “Five Things We Learned.” We’ll also attempt to make sense of the Atlanta Falcons deciding not to play rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. despite having every reason to.
Raiders make right move to go with Minshew
Raiders coach Antonio Pierce hoped Gardner Minshew or Aidan O’Connell would make the decision easy for him, but after both quarterbacks struggled again in Week 2 of the preseason, it became clear that neither one was going to step up and take command of the starting job.
Instead of waiting another week, Pierce made the decision to go with Minshew and is hoping for the best. It’s probably a decision he can live with because of Minshew’s starting experience and résumé. The 28-year-old is coming off a season in which he kept the Indianapolis Colts in playoff contention until the final minutes of the regular season, ending the year with a 7–6 record after filling in for Anthony Richardson.
O’Connell helped Pierce become the full-time head coach by winning a few games in the final month of the season, which ironically hurt the team’s chances of landing a quarterback in the first round of the draft. They could’ve had Nix, who was drafted No. 12, one spot before the Raiders were on the clock. But one win was against a terrible Chargers squad that had checked out. A victory against the Chiefs was impressive, but the defense and rushing attack did the bulk of the work.
It also didn’t help O’Connell that new GM Tom Telesco didn’t draft him and signed Minshew to compete for the job, and there were many reports about the Raiders searching for ways to draft Jayden Daniels. But O’Connell, a 2023 fourth-round pick, did get a fair shake to win the job and failed to step up—he had an ugly pick-six Saturday night against the Dallas Cowboys.
With Minshew, you know what you’re getting. He’s an experienced quarterback who’s not afraid to push the ball downfield, which could perhaps keep star receiver Davante Adams happy through the trading deadline. Yes, there will be occasional bone-headed mistakes, but the Raiders could have a dominant defense with Maxx Crosby leading the charge, giving them wiggle room to overcome turnovers and short fields.
It wasn’t a pretty QB competition, but Pierce had enough reasons to side with Minshew over O’Connell before the preseason finale.
Falcons make strange decision to not play Penix
The conspiracy theories swirled after Michael Penix Jr. didn’t play in the Falcons’ preseason matchup against the Baltimore Ravens.
Are the Falcons worried about Kirk Cousins not being fully recovered from his Achilles injury and need Penix healthy to start the season? Or did Atlanta get spooked seeing the Minnesota Vikings lose J.J. McCarthy to a season-ending knee injury?
Regardless, Falcons coach Raheem Morris had a simple explanation, saying he had seen enough from Penix in his preseason debut and didn’t need the rookie quarterback to play in the final two exhibitions. From that response, it sounds as if Morris’s top priority is keeping his top two signal-callers healthy heading into the regular season, which is understandable given all the injuries quarterbacks have sustained in the past year.
However, Penix could have used the preseason reps. He might not play the entire season if it all goes well for Cousins during his first season in Atlanta. And with Cousins signing a lucrative four-year, $180 million contract to leave the Vikings and join the Falcons, it could be multiple seasons before Penix becomes the full-time starter.
On the other hand, Penix is one Cousins injury away from being thrust in as the starter, giving the Falcons more reasons to play him in August. Even Caleb Williams, the top pick in the 2024 draft, had his highs and lows during the Chicago Bears’ preseason matchup vs. the Cincinnati Bengals.
Game experience is vital for building consistency on the field, but the Falcons at least chose a good week to add more quarterback drama. They appear to be favorites to win the NFC South after signing safety Justin Simmons and trading for edge rusher Matthew Judon.
Worthy finding stride with Chiefs
The spotlight in Kansas City would have been on Worthy, a rookie wideout tasked with a big role on a championship offense, if Patrick Mahomes didn’t deliver an amazing behind-the-back pass to Travis Kelce.
It’s been safe to assume Worthy will be a big part of the Chiefs’ offense this season, but now it’s becoming clear that he’s capable of handling the heavy workload based on how well he played against the Detroit Lions (three catches, 62 receiving yards and one touchdown). The game’s first explosive play occurred when Mahomes found Worthy downfield for a 39-yard reception on third-and-10. Later in the first quarter, Worthy connected with backup Carson Wentz for a 22-yard touchdown.
It’s only preseason, but Worthy has displayed reliable hands and a knack for getting open, silencing some of the doubt about his slim 165-pound frame. Chiefs coach Andy Reid has even flashed creativity in the preseason with his new weapon, moving Worthy all over the field. (Worthy had an 11-yard run against the Lions).
Last season, the Chiefs spent most of the regular season searching for consistent pass catchers to assist Mahomes and Kelce. Eventually, Rashee Rice found his stride during his rookie season to help the Chiefs win another Super Bowl.
With Worthy already contributing, the Chiefs may not have issues searching for playmakers and could even have a better offense than last year’s squad, strengthening their odds of becoming the first team in NFL history to win three consecutive Super Bowls.
Giants get mixed results from Jones, Nabers
Daniel Jones made sure to get his new high-profile rookie wide receiver involved after a quiet preseason debut from Malik Nabers last week.
Nabers, the No. 6 pick in April’s draft, flashed his high potential against the Houston Texans thanks to Jones’s six targets, recording four catches for 54 yards, including a 21-yard reception.
But Jones’s rocky preseason performance did very little to show the Giants’ offense will be that much better this season. Once again, Jones had issues protecting the football, throwing two interceptions, including a pick-six, and nearly got picked off on his first pass attempt. (He tried to avoid a safety but only made it worse by chucking it to Texans safety Jalen Pitre, who had a short run into the end zone.)
Those kinds of killer mistakes are why Giants GM Joe Schoen tried to move up in the draft to select a top quarterback prospect. It didn’t work out, and now New York is hoping Nabers can make life easier for Jones. But first the uneven quarterback needs to help himself by minimizing the turnovers or coach Brian Daboll might be breaking a few more tables during the regular season.
It’s time for Chargers to search for new QB2
The Chargers desperately need Justin Herbert to be healthy for the start of the season, or else it could be a long year for new coach Jim Harbaugh.
Backup Easton Stick again failed to inspire confidence in his offense after a rough outing against the Los Angeles Rams. He did play a little better than in his ugly preseason debut, but he really had nowhere to go but up.
In two preseason games with extensive work, Stick has had three turnovers and hasn’t produced a touchdown drive. He nearly got the Chargers in the end zone on an impressive 13-play drive, but fumbled the ball at the Rams’ 1-yard line.
It didn’t make much sense that the Chargers decided to re-sign Stick to be Herbert’s backup after how poorly it went for him in the four starts he lost to end the 2023 season. Now, he might be needed again if Herbert isn’t ready to play due to the foot injury he sustained in training camp. But even if Herbert is cleared, the Chargers should seriously consider searching for a new QB2.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Five Things We Learned From the NFL’s Second Preseason Weekend.
