2024 NFL preseason, Week 3: What We Learned from Friday's tripleheader

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Grant Gordon's takeaways:

1. Lawrence-to-Engram connection stands out in Jags’ impressive showing. If you’re going to roll out your starters for the preseason finale, the Jaguars turned in the type of performance you’re striving to get. Opening the game with a 92-yard drive to pay dirt, the Trevor Lawrence-led contingent scored on each of its two series, both concluding with touchdown catches from Evan Engram. Travis Etienne looked marvelous, gashing the Falcons’ backups, while Lawrence was sharp for the most part and got phenomenal protection from his offensive line. He had a spick-and-span pocket to work from as he allowed rookie first-rounder Brian Thomas Jr. to run wide open for a 38-yard gain. Not long after, Lawrence lofted a ball over double coverage that Engram came down with for a 6-yard TD. On their ensuing drive, this time a 62-yard march, Lawrence and Engram connected in the red zone again for a 5-yard score. Lawrence was 8-of-10 for 92 yards, the two scores and a 144.6 rating. Engram hauled in four catches for 28 yards and was all over the field, lining up at tight end, in the slot, out wide and, perhaps most interestingly, at fullback four times. Granted, it was against the Atlanta backups, but Jacksonville’s starters got in some productive work with Lawrence in good form and Engram looking as if he could be an even bigger part of the Jags offense after a 2023 Pro Bowl campaign. 
2. Kevin King comeback season. It’s been roughly 42 months since Kevin King has played in an NFL game and he’s putting in the work to end that absence in a few weeks. King, who signed with the Falcons in April after missing the past two seasons due to personal reasons and then a torn Achilles tendon, left a lasting impression that he deserves a roster spot. The former Green Bay Packers cornerback lined up primarily at safety and showed he can still move when he tracked down Travis Etienne for a tackle on the game’s first drive. A few plays later, however, he got beat over the top for a TD when he was caught playing up too close. He had an interception in the Falcons’ first preseason tilt and logged more than 40 snaps on Friday with three tackles and a run stuff. The 29-year-old’s long-awaited official return could come Sept. 8 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

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Christian Gonzales' takeaways:

1. Buccaneers starters take care of business. In Baker Mayfield’s first taste of 2024 preseason action, the Bucs starters came out hot against Miami’s second-string defense Friday night. Rachaad White looked the part of a workhorse back as he had five touches on the opening drive. With Mayfield completing all three of his passes for 54 yards, White capped off Tampa Bay’s first drive with a rushing touchdown. Head coach Todd Bowles pulled his starters after the convincing showing. Even though it was against Miami’s backups, Mayfield appeared comfortable in first-year offensive coordinator Liam Coen’s scheme, brief as his appearance was.
2. The Dolphins’ QB2 situation might have taken an interesting turn. With Mike White starting the game, the fourth-year veteran struggled as he completed 5 of 9 passes for only 37 yards in four drives. When Skylar Thompson entered the game, he orchestrated a seven-play, 65-yard drive for Miami’s first score. Thompson finished the night with a 19-for-27, 190-yard, two-touchdown and one-interception passing line. Over the three preseason games, White completed 20 of 43 passes for 179 yards, zero touchdowns and zero interceptions, while Thompson went 35 of 61 for 346 yards, three TDs and two INTs. Head coach Mike McDaniel will have to decide on who he's going to go with as his backup QB behind Tua Tagovailoa.

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Grant Gordon's takeaways:

1. Niners backfield runs deep. Though the Brock Purdy-led Niners offense didn’t put up the dazzling display it seemed head coach Kyle Shanahan was looking for, Friday night served notice that San Francisco has a deep running back room rife with hard-chargers. With Christian McCaffrey, arguably the NFL’s top back, and Elijah Mitchell sitting as they nurse injuries, Jordan Mason and Isaac Guerendo provided plenty of punch. Mason averaged 5.3 yards per carry on eight totes, scored a touchdown and looked at home with a mostly-starters offensive cast. Then there’s Guerendo, the buzzworthy fourth-round pick who’s a 6-foot, 220-pound bowling ball of bad intentions with the zip to break off a 92-yard kick return. A violent runner with 4.33 speed, Guerendo is going to be a whole lot of fun to watch. 
2. McAllister makes 81-yard argument for roster spot. Making a splash play on special teams is a tried-and-true way for players on the roster bubble to make the cut. With one cut and some ridiculous speed, Tyreik McAllister did just that -- and then some more. McAllister exploded for an 81-yard punt return for a touchdown in the first half Friday, scoring the preseason’s only PR TD thus far. With the Raiders’ usual returners -- Tre Tucker and Ameer Abdullah -- resting up, McAllister took his opportunity and ran with it, needing to make just one dazzling cut before sprinting around the 49ers punter for six. He wasn’t done there, as he scored again on a 35-yard, second-half reception. McAllister exploited some shoddy coverage, went back to a high pass, made a great grab, spun and raced in for six more. A former Canadian Football League special teams standout, he put his best feet forward in hopes of making the Las Vegas roster.