The NFL preseason often feels like a formality before the regular season begins. This year, the opening slate delivered a wake-up call for several teams. Cleveland’s crowded quarterback competition remained unsettled after a 34-10 loss to Chicago, Atlanta’s offense struggled in a 27-7 defeat to Denver, and Minnesota lost veteran defender Jamal Adams to a season-ending injury despite beating the Giants.
Preseason results rarely provide definitive answers about how a team will perform once the regular season begins. They can, however, expose roster questions, execution problems, and injuries that coaches must address quickly. Cleveland, Atlanta, and Minnesota each left their opening games with significant issues to manage.
Preseason chaos leaves Cleveland’s quarterback race unsettled
Cleveland entered its preseason opener looking for clarity in a crowded quarterback competition, but all 3 quarterbacks who played committed a turnover in a 34-10 loss to the Chicago Bears. Deshaun Watson posted the strongest passing numbers of the group, completing 11 of 15 attempts for 126 yards.
He also lost a fumble when he was strip-sacked on fourth-and-1 in the second quarter, setting up a Chicago scoring drive. Shedeur Sanders completed 6 of 11 passes for 79 yards and threw 1 interception.
Dillon Gabriel finished 5 of 8 for 23 yards and also threw 1 interception. Cleveland, therefore, committed 3 quarterback turnovers in the game, not 4, and the competition remains open heading into the Browns’ next preseason matchup.
Vikings pay a brutal price for preseason win
Minnesota beat the New York Giants 13-10 in its preseason opener, but veteran defender Jamal Adams suffered a serious noncontact injury early in the second quarter and was eventually taken to the locker room on a cart.
Adams joined Minnesota on July 27 after spending the 2025 season with the Las Vegas Raiders. The Vikings had been experimenting with his versatility at linebacker and safety, and he played only 11 defensive snaps before leaving his preseason debut.
Testing later confirmed a torn right quadriceps tendon. Minnesota placed Adams on injured reserve, ending his 2026 season before the regular season began. During a halftime interview, head coach Kevin O’Connell said he was crushed for Adams and that the Vikings would miss him.
Falcons quarterback competition faces an uneasy start
Tua Tagovailoa received the first opportunity to start for Atlanta this preseason as the Falcons continue evaluating their quarterback options. He completed 3 of 5 passes for 22 yards over 2 series, both of which ended in punts.
Atlanta lost 27-7 to the Denver Broncos and finished with 192 total yards. The Falcons converted 4 of 15 third-down opportunities and committed 9 penalties for 78 yards during an uneven offensive performance.
Tagovailoa acknowledged afterward that the showing was not up to the team’s standard and said he needed to play better. Michael Penix Jr. remains part of the quarterback competition but has not yet been fully cleared for team drills while recovering from ACL surgery.
Cleveland’s turnovers give coaches something to correct
Preseason statistics need context because teams rotate personnel, limit starters’ snaps, and avoid showing their full regular-season schemes. Even so, coaches still emphasize ball security and execution during exhibition games.
Cleveland committed 3 turnovers against Chicago, with Deshaun Watson losing a fumble and Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel each throwing 1 interception. Head coach Todd Monken acknowledged that 3 turnovers were not ideal while also saying he was pleased with aspects of the quarterback play.
The mistakes, therefore, matter as evaluation points, but one preseason game does not establish that Cleveland has a deeper quarterback crisis. The Browns will continue the competition with Sanders scheduled to start against Buffalo, while Watson also receives first-team work.
Injuries reveal the fragile side of training camp
Preseason games give coaches valuable live repetitions for evaluating players, but they also increase players’ injury risk before the regular season begins. Jamal Adams’ debut with Minnesota became a stark example.
Adams played only 11 defensive snaps before suffering a non-contact injury in the second quarter against the Giants. Testing later confirmed a quad tendon tear, and Minnesota placed him on injured reserve.
The Vikings must now adjust the versatile linebacker-safety role they had been developing for Adams. Other defenders will receive additional opportunities as Minnesota reshapes that part of the depth chart before Week 1.
Fun fact: Jamal Adams recorded 9.5 sacks for Seattle in 2020, setting the NFL single-season record for sacks by a defensive back.
What Cleveland’s quarterback carousel means going forward
The Browns have cycled through veteran and rookie quarterbacks for years without lasting stability. This season was supposed to bring some resolution. Instead, the opening game added more uncertainty to an already crowded room.
Watson remains the most experienced option despite his uneven history in Cleveland. Sanders and Gabriel represent the team’s newer investments at the position. None of the three separated themselves in a way that settled the competition.
Cleveland needs one quarterback who can win games consistently, not four who can look decent in flashes. The preseason opener did not provide that answer. Training camp practices and the next preseason game will carry extra weight now.
Atlanta’s quarterback competition remains unsettled
Michael Penix Jr. continues to recover from the torn ACL he suffered in November 2025 and has not yet been fully cleared for 11-on-11 work. His recovery has limited Atlanta’s ability to conduct a conventional quarterback competition during training camp.
The Falcons signed Tua Tagovailoa not only to provide insurance during Penix’s recovery but also to compete for the starting job. Tagovailoa received the first preseason start against Denver, completing 3 of 5 passes for 22 yards over 2 series. He also mishandled a shotgun snap before recovering the ball himself.
Atlanta’s offense gained only 192 total yards in the 27-7 loss, but head coach Kevin Stefanski cautioned against drawing a firm conclusion from Tagovailoa’s 9-snap sample. With Penix still working toward full clearance, the quarterback decision remains unsettled as the preseason deepens.
Lessons every NFL team can learn from August
Preseason football does not determine how a team will perform over a full regular season, but it gives coaches live opportunities to evaluate execution, depth, injuries, and position competitions. Turnovers, injuries, and depth-chart battles can all become important evaluation points during these games.
Cleveland left its opener without resolving its quarterback competition. Atlanta also left its first game with questions at quarterback as Michael Penix Jr. continues his recovery and Tua Tagovailoa settles into a new offense. Minnesota learned that even a preseason victory can come with a major cost after losing Jamal Adams for the season.
Cleveland’s quarterback race remains unsettled after all 3 quarterbacks who played committed a turnover. Atlanta’s starting job also remains open, while Minnesota must reshape part of its defensive rotation before Week 1.
None of those developments guarantees regular-season failure. Cleveland and Atlanta still have additional preseason practices and games to evaluate their quarterbacks, while Minnesota has time to adjust its defensive plans.
Little-known fact: Joe Flacco has a winning regular-season record as a Browns starter. He went 4-1 in 2023 and 1-3 in 2025, finishing 5-4 overall.
TL;DR
- Cleveland’s quarterback race got messier after Watson, Sanders, and Gabriel each turned the ball over in a loss to Chicago.
- Atlanta’s Tua Tagovailoa struggled in his first start of the preseason as the Falcons fell to Denver.
- Minnesota beat the Giants but lost defender Jamal Adams to a season-ending knee injury.
- Preseason turnovers can reveal real quarterback issues, even though final scores rarely matter.
- None of these setbacks is fatal in August, but each team now has real work to do before Week 1.
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This article was made with AI assistance and human editing.
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