The first week of the 2024 NFL Preseason is still in full swing. Justin Fields had a mixed debut with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Michael Penix Jr. celebrated his debut

Preparations for the new NFL season are underway, with three games on the program on Saturday night German time, followed by four more on Saturday evening. A special focus was on Justin Fields, who made his debut with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Chicago Bears @ Buffalo Bills 33:6

The Buffalo Bills suffered a clear defeat on Saturday: The Chicago Bears won 33-6. Both teams started with their regular quarterbacks in the first quarter. Josh Allen started for the Bills and Caleb Williams for the Bears.

The Bears secured a 6-0 lead in the first quarter with two field goals, then Allen’s day was already over. He was replaced by Mitch Trubisky. His first series led to a field goal and thus to a 3:6 lead for the Bills.

The Bears really got going in the second half. Williams was out before the end of the second quarter. With 95 passing yards and 4/7, he still led the statistics at the end. Tyson Bagent came in for him.

Velus Jones scored the first touchdown of the game in the third quarter and the Bears added three touchdowns in the final quarter. The Bills were only able to counter this with a field goal in the third quarter

Washington Commanders @ New York Jets 17:20

In a close duel in all phases, the New York Jets narrowly prevailed 20:17. The Commanders had to play their first preseason game without their offensive tackles Andrew Wylie and Brandon Coleman.

Chris Paul and Trent Scott were given the task of protecting Washington’s rookie Jayden Daniels. He immediately gained 42 yards with his second pass. A few minutes later, he scored his first rushing touchdown to give the Commanders a 6-0 lead and kicker Ramiz Ahmed increased the lead to 7-0.

However, the Jets came back in the second quarter. A touchdown by Jason Brownlee and the extra point by Zuerlein Kick equalized the score. Two field goals by Ramiz Ahmed and Zuerlein made it 10:10 at half-time.

It was not until the final quarter that things really got going again. The Commanders took the lead with a touchdown from Michael Wiley, but the Jets were able to equalize again. It was not until 21 seconds before the end of the game that New York finally made the final score 20:17. A field goal by Austin Seibert from 37 yards out was to make the difference.

Houston Texans @ Pittsburgh Steelers 20:12

Justin Fields’ debut with the Pittsburgh Steelers can probably be described simply as “mixed”.

In the 12:20 defeat against the Houston Texans, the quarterback was involved in three drives, completing five of six pass attempts and covering 67 yards. However, Fields was also directly involved in two bad snaps that led to fumbles. He was also sacked twice.

“We definitely shot ourselves in the foot,” noted Fields after the game. His rival for the starting job, Russell Wilson, did not play. Instead, Kyle Allen was on the field for much of the game, finishing with a statline of 17/23 for 193 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

For the Texans, C.J. Stroud also came on briefly and scored his team’s only passing touchdown. Tank Dell carried his pass into the end zone for a 34-yard touchdown.

Atlanta Falcons @ Miami Dolphins 13:20

Also highly anticipated was the debut of rookie Michael Penix Jr. for the Atlanta Falcons. In the absence of Kirk Cousins, the first-round pick from April played the first five drives of the game, but remained largely inconspicuous.

The highlight of his performance was a 41-yard pass to Chris Blair. “It was fun competing with my teammates,” Penix said, “I’ve been playing the game since I was 5 years old. No nervousness. No jitters. I was just ready to get going. “

The Falcons recently had to cope with the premature retirement of receiver Rondale Moore, who suffered a serious knee injury in practice. In the search for a new number three behind Drake London and Darnell Mooney, no other receiver was able to make a lasting impression against Miami.

The Dolphins were also without their stars, with neither Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle nor the two running backs Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane making an appearance. Instead, a rookie was able to make a big impression for the first time.

Running back Jaylen Wright shared the backfield with Chris Brooks, but played much more noticeably. With ten runs, Wright covered 55 yards and ran into the end zone once. On the receiver side, Tanner Conner made his mark on the game, catching three passes for 70 yards.

Philadelphia Eagles @ Baltimore Ravens 16:13

If both teams have an optimal season, the duel between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Baltimore Ravens could well take place in the Super Bowl in six months’ time. But now the backups were on the field.

The game was nothing for gourmets, and the Ravens in particular should hope that Lamar Jackson doesn’t get injured after the performance of Josh Johnson and Devin Leary. Baltimore managed just 181 offensive yards. Leary provided the only touchdown with a one-yard run into the end zone.

Things looked a little better for the Eagles, for whom new signing Kenny Pickett was in action for large parts of the game. The ex-Steeler found Will Shipley with a seven-yard pass in the end zone.