NFL preseason Week 1 is done and there's plenty to unpack, per usual. With a blitz of the first on-field action involving every team, there can be snap judgments made about the upcoming expectations for 2023.
Not surprising, per usual, chatter about new, young and old quarterbacks dominated the conversation. Some results brought into question just how good or just how bad certain teams will be in the regular season.
Sifting through the volume of initial performances, here's what you might've missed from the biggest, buzziest preseason storylines so far and how to make sense of it all:
MORE: Grading every NFL rookie QB debut from Week 1 preseason games
NFL preseason Week 1 takeaways
"Trey Lance played himself back into the 49ers' QB competition"
Reaction: "The 49ers will have a hard time sticking with Brock Purdy"
Trey Lance did well in the Week 1 preseason finale on Sunday against the Raiders. He didn't do much as a runner, but looked sharp passing with bottom-roster weapons supporting him (10-of-15, 112 yards, TD, 7.5 yards per attempt, 111.0 rating).
The bad news is that Lance took four sacks in Las Vegas against a backup defense. There's some real volatility in his third-year game, given his injury-related inexperience. In relation, Purdy is much more seasoned going into Year 2 with his significant playing time in 2022, giving the 49ers' steady high QB floor they loved with Jimmy Garoppolo.
Purdy will be the Week 1 regular-season starter barring any setbacks with his elbow injury. And if he's not, there would be a good chance Kyle Shanahan still trusts Sam Darnold more for Pittsburgh. Lance has to go back to hinting at his arm and athletic ceiling, stat.
Overreaction: "The 49ers will have a hard time trading Trey Lance"
The 49ers like to have their quarterback depth and they had to please on Lance being overall efficient while not depending on his legs. But the extensive is a clear indication they want to showcase him a bit, on top of not having Purdy available yet. It's no coincidence that Garoppolo and Josh McDaniels were on the other side.
Las Vegas would be the ideal AFC team to stash and develop Lance with Garoppolo playing the bridge. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay might be the only truly QB-desperate team. The 49ers, of course, would feel better about moving Lance once Purdy gets the green light for game action.
"Justin Fields is now perfect as a passer "
Reaction: D.J. Moore is already making a big difference as his go-to-guy
Fields threw only three passes against the Titans, but thanks to two receivers darting 60-plus yards to the end zone after two of his completions, his efficiency was spotless (3-for-3, 129 yards, 2 TDs, 158.3 rating) without attempting a run in Chicago on Saturday afternoon.
One of those targets was former Panthers wide receiver Moore. While that team reaps the benefits of Bryce Young as franchise QB, the Bears have a dominant No. 1 who already has great chemistry with Fields. Moore gives the receiving corps both stability and big-play ability it didn't have in a run-heavy 2022 season. He'll be a key part in Fields' latest major improvement as a passer.
Overreaction: The Bears' offense has arrived as one of the league's most explosive
Chicago had no problems lighting up Tennessee's backup defense with the short passing game. But even though Fields' arm, accuracy and confidence seem improved, it's difficult yet to believe the Bears belong with the elite scoring machines in the NFL. They'll need consistency from a variety of weapons and hope their power rushing attack can be reliable to supplement Fields. The Bears are on the trajectory, but the true big breakout is a work in progress.
"Russell Wilson in Denver is back to being the Russell Wilson in Seattle"
Reaction: Sean Payton is on the right track to clean up last year's offensive mess
Denver had nowhere to go up with its offensive talent following the disaster with Nathaniel Hackett. Payton could have been a little more subtle, but he was right that dysfunction got in the way of progress for the Broncos last season.
Payton had his starters play deep into the game in Arizona and Wilson responded (7-of-13 passing, 93 yards, TD, 7.2 yards per attempt,, 102.4 passer rating, sack) by staying sharp. The Broncos committed well to the run with plum results minus Javonte Williams and revved up the connection between Wilson and Jerry Jeudy. They are headed to a less-risk approach with better rewards.
Overreaction: Wilson has a strong "Comeback Player of the Year" season ahead of him
First of all, Bills safety Damar Hamiln, who made an inspirational return to the field for that team in Indianapolis on Saturday afternoon, is a heavy heartfelt favorite to take the award. Wilson settled and was steady for last season, but the support may not as spectacular for him. He's working back to being above-average like he was in his Seattle end, but the elite youthful days still seem behind to try to catchup with young guns Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert in the division.
POWER RANKINGS: Jets, Lions, Ravens hype is real; Chargers, Saints face questions
"Jordan Love made Packers forget more about Aaron Rodgers"
Reaction: The Packers will still miss Aaron Rodgers in many areas of Matt LaFleur's offense
Love and rookie backup Sean Clifford both performed well in Cincinnati with a variety of throws. Love left after a strong tuneup stint (7-of-10 passing, 46 yards, TD, 112.0 passer rating) and alleviated more concerns bout whether he's ready to shine as the starter.
But the camp reporters on Love all have a similar tune: Up and down. The inconsistency is there and for Love to win enough to get the Packers into the playoffs, the running game and defense need to be flawless factors in his dependence, considering the passing game around him is even less experience than he is.
Rodgers took teams to the playoffs that breakdowns in support all around him. If Green Bay breaks down around him, Love is headed to more bad outings than good.
Overreaction: Jordan Love is already here to stay as a top NfC QB
Love definitely has the physical tools to have a big breakout season. But all indications he is a steadily improving work in progress and may not reach his top-half level until later in the season. He also will turn the corner when he lifts the team more than leaning on it.
"This rookie class of quarterbacks has quantity, but there's not much quality"
Reaction: Bryce Young, Anthony Richardson and the rest of the rookies did better than you think.
If Young was just good, Richardson was half-bad and C.J. Stroud was ugly, the fair thing to say is the rookie QBs were an early disappointment. Will Levis, Clayton Tune, Jake Haener and others with some camp hype also were ho-hum.
But then Young did what he could in a tough defensive draw against the Jets. Richardson threw a perfect non-caught deep ball that few QBs can. Stroud was fine with his arm and legs, but his mind and eyes let him down as they often do for young QBs. On flip side, Stetson Bennett, Tanner McKee and Malik Cunningham all had flashed some developmental promise. The rookies as a whole showed they belong with their confidence and comfort level.
Overreaction: The preseason shows there weren't 14th quarterbacks worthy of being drafted
There were probably more than that, with Cunningham standing out among several undrafted QBs working camp. With the rule changes to allow for extra QB insurance on game day and how well Purdy paid off at the end of his rookie season, teams all want to have more options at the game's most important position.
The Jets' defense looks like it will have a dominant season "Hard Knocking" all of opponents
Reaction: The Jets have a lot of young stars but they also are deep everywhere it counts and have few weaknesses.
The Jets revved up their pass rush and coverage early and didn't let up in shutting down the Panthers. Young and the offense didn't get any points because of being under duress and seeing limited throwing windows. The Panthers' running game also sputtered as the offensive line was pushed around.
That's just how good the Jets are, from their first-string to situational impact players through subpackages. They set a tone that they are headed to being an all-time elite defense that can carry a team a long way.
Overreaction: The Jets can't be trusted as a surefire new playoff team until Aaron Rodgers shows he's still got it
The Jets would have been a playoff team last season had Zach Wilson just been a decent, average passer. Now they have a four-time MVP in an offense he knows backward and forward. He will make the line, running game and receivers look better than they are. And he doesn't need to produce a ton of points, obviously, for New York to rack up wins.
"The Saints look an NFC contender again with Derek Carr"
Reaction: The Saints' defense is why they won't be an NFC contender again
The Saints were gutted defensively in their front in the offseason, also losing key coaching and personnel to some division rivals. While Carr lit up the Chiefs (6-of-8 passing, 70 yards, TD, 8.8 yards per attempt, 140.6 passer rating) in his first game back with coach Dennis Allen, keep in mind Jameis Winston all came in behind him and played at a high level.
Carr is likely to face similar frustration he had with limited support from the Raiders' defense and the Saints may not as run as well as they have in the past.
Overreaction: The Saints just got a huge upgrade at QB with Derek Carr
When looking at what Carr did in Las Vegas last season, it wasn't much better than the New Orleans combination of Winston and Andy Dalton now Young's veteran backup in Carolina. There's the buzz that he's the clear best new starting QB in the division, but Young offers more upside.
"The preseason is exciting again with some actual great game action"
Reaction: The NFL is headed to have more "good teams" than usual in 2023.
Sure, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs are the team to beat (again), and will be for a while. But the AFC is bound to have some new contenders in the form of the Jaguars, Jets, Ravens and Steelers. The NFC will be ultra competitive for key sports behind the Eagles and 49ers. The close games and a battle of good performances vs. battles of attrition are signs to come in the regular season.
Overreaction: There still are way too many preseason games and you can't learn anything from them!
The good news about preseason Week 1 is there are only two preseason games left before we get another 17-game regular season. And football being back in the right exhibition dose is great, right?
