NFL News and Notes: Preseason Games are Underway

Read Time:2 Minute, 10 Second

As the NFL preseason kicked off and players look to make the final roster, a few games have become thrillers. Miami played Tampa Bay Saturday and needless to say, the Dolphins supporting cast knew how to play situational football better. The Raiders and Vikings continue to look for their QB2.

The Bucs had Kyle Trask and backup Blaine Gabbert as their two quarterbacks for the entire game. Gabbert started the first drive by completing all five of his passes for 56 yards and a touchdown to finish. After sitting out his entire rookie season, Trask played the rest of the game for the team finishing 25/33, with 258 passing yards, and a touchdown. The former Florida Gator might have made some mistakes in losing a fumble and throwing an interception but he shows promise for the future of the Buccaneers. Offensively, the Buccaneers moved the ball effectively with Trask under center. He was able to overcome some bad situations and seemed to put those bad situations behind him quickly.

On the other hand, seventh-round pick Skylar Thompson started the entire game for Miami at quarterback. He completed 20/28 of his passes for 218 yards and a touchdown. Thompson shows a lot of potential but the team might place him on the practice squad come Week 1. He has a strong arm and solid mobility in the pocket. Let’s see how he does the rest of the NFL preseason though.

The Vikings played both Kellen Mond and Sean Mannion. Mond finished 9/14 of his passes, 119 yards, and one touchdown and Mannion finished 8/12 of his passes with 79 yards.

NFL fans of the purple and gold saw a tough position battle play out at backup quarterback between the two. Mannion played most of the first half and led the Vikings’ offense on a pair of drives that ended with short field goals. Mond on the other hand mustered up three scoring drives that included two touchdown passes to newly acquired receiver Albert Wilson.

The Raiders played Jarrett Stidham and Nick Mullens. They received solid play from Stidham as he finished 10/15 of his passes for 68 yards. Mullens finished 7/9 of his passes for 94 yards and a touchdown. and fellow backup quarterback Nick Mullens, who were a combined 17 of 24 for 162 yards and two touchdowns. Both quarterbacks had the help of wide receiver DJ Turner, whose explosive performance included a 34-yard touchdown catch on the team’s first drive of the third quarter.