NFL Preseason: Who is playing in Week 3?
Week 3 NFL Preseason Gameplans
In the preseason, it’s crucial to know or at least have an idea which team is playing their starters and which ones are benching them. The backup quarterbacks are also important in preseason as most starters are going to skip thethree preseason games or play very little (1-2 series). Let’s take a look at Week 3 and what we’ve found through various media reports including ESPN.com. Stay tuned to this article on Friday as we will attempt to update it as more news comes in about gameplans.
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Saturday, August 27
Jacksonville at Atlanta
Jags: Playing their fourth game. They don’t need to see more of Trevor Lawrence so expect a lot of Jake Luton, E.J. Perry and C.J. Beathard.
Falcons: Marcus Mariota is the starter at quarterback, but Atlanta needs to continue to find out if Desmond Ridder is the future. It’s odd that third-string QB has played more at tight end than he has at quarterback yet, he hasn’t played TE in games. It shows.
LA Rams at Cincinnati:
Rams: Fifth-round pick Kyren Williams (broken foot) will see his first game action at RB. That’s one of the few storylines in this one. John Wolford had a fingernail ripped off at practice on Thursday so Bryce Perkins is likely to play the entire game.
Bengals: No Joe Burrow in this one and no starters. That means Brandon Allen and Jake Browning take all the reps.
Washington at Baltimore:
Commanders: Washington will play their starters for a “very” limited time. That might mean one series for Carson Wentz. Taylor Heinicke and Sam Howell will likely play the rest of the way.
Ravens: No Lamar Jackson or most of the starters in this one. Tyler Huntley has had an excellent preseason going 29 for 32. Expect Anthony Brown to play the second half as the Ravens go for 23 straight preseason wins.
Chicago at Cleveland
Bears: Justin Fields and the offense is expected to play most of the first half. They need it considering they’ve done very little thus far. That likely means Trevor Siemian will play in the second half. Nathan Peterman is also available.
Browns: Jacoby Brissett and most of the starters will play at least a series or two if not more. Kevin Stefanski feels the first-team offense needs more reps. After Brissett, there’s Joshua Dobbs, who had a strong game last week in Game 2.
Philadelphia at Miami:
Eagles: Jalen Hurts doesn’t need the reps. Gardner Minshew will likely play a lot but Reid Sinnett will likely get more time than rookie Carson Strong, who has thrown one pass in preseason.
Dolphins: New coach Mike McDaniel has been very careful with Tua Tagovailoa and even backup Teddy Bridgewater. Expect a lot of action from Skylar Thompson, who has a 121.8 passer rating in preseason.
Arizona at Tennessee:
Cards: No Kyler Murray expected in this one. Colt McCoy did not play last week as Trace McSorley saw most of the action against the Ravens.
Titans: No Ryan Tannehill or Derrick Henry for the entire preseason. Rookie QB Malik Willis has started in both preseason games and played a half. Expect that to continue.
Tampa Bay at Indianapolis:
Bucs: Welcome back Tom Brady. He’ll get the start along with all the starters including new WR Julio Jones. They might see two series and then Blaine Gabbert and Kyle Trask can clean up.
Colts: That’s right, it’s Matt Ryan against Tom Brady in Game 3 of preseason. At least for a quarter or less. QB Sam Ehlinger has continued to improve. He was 9-for-11 for 136yds and two TDs last week. Nick Foles is still the backup.
Minnesota at Denver:
Vikes: Kirk Cousins hasn’t played in preseason and it’s not likely he will play in this one. They just traded for Nick Mullens and he’ll battle with Kellen Mond for the backup spot. Sean Mannion appears to be the odd man out and Mond could be if he doesn’t play well on Saturday.
Broncos: No Russell Wilson which means Brett Rypien gets the start as he pushes for the backup job against Josh Johnson, who will play in the second half. Rypien has played better this preseason, but not will be playing against backups instead of third-stringers.
Sunday, August 28
NY Giants at NY Jets:
Both teams are expected to play their starters some time. The Jets' starters are expected to go up to 1 1/2 quarters according to head coach Robert Saleh.
Detroit at Pittsburgh
So the Lions are expected to start Tim Boyle and he'll go up against Mitch Trubisky, who reportedly is getting pushed by rookie Kenny Pickett, who has had a strong preseason. Steelers' running back Najee Harris is also expected to receive some action.
