Saturday night saw a number of teams in preseason action. Kenny Pickett, among others, showed he could be the new face of the Pittsburgh Steelers – but a rookie receiver also made his presence known. However, Matt Araiza, punter of the Buffalo Bills, delivered the highlight of the night.

Munich – Kenny Picket laid the groundwork in his first game for the Pittsburgh Steelers to become the starting quarterback next season.

The 24-year-old rookie was convincing in his first appearance and even threw the decisive touchdown with a few seconds left to win the game.

In total, he completed 13 of 15 passes, threw for 95 yards and two touchdowns.

But Mitchell Trubisky and Mason Rudolph also performed well. In a 32-25 win over the Seattle Seahawks, the three signal callers finished with a passing accuracy of over 70 percent and found the end zone four times – without throwing an interception.

For the Seahawks, despite the close result in the end, it opened up that it will likely be a difficult season in the Rebuild.

Miami Dolphins at Tampa Bay Buccaneers 26:24

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were without Tom Brady for the first game of the preseason, but the Miami Dolphins also played without some of their potential starters for Week 1.

The Bucs were able to rely on veteran Blaine Gabbert, who completed a perfect drive and found Jaelon Darden in the end zone for the touchdown.

Brady’s potential heir Kyle Trask, on the other hand, did not have a good night. He suffered an interception and a fumble in the first half, which Sam Eguaveon picked up for a Dolphins score. However, the rookie quarterback nearly led the game-winning drive – but the last-second field goal was missed.

For the Dolphins, a former Dallas Cowboys receiver made his presence felt. Ced Wilson put in a strong performance and proved that the competition can’t just focus on Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.

New Orleans Saints at Houston Texans 13:17

The New Orleans Saints relied on three-time Pro Bowler Andy Dalton as the starter, while Jameis Winston got no playing time. In a near-perfect drive, the former Cincinnati Bengal showed he is still a backup to be reckoned with.

Winston, however, who has only completed one of his past five seasons and has struggled a lot with injuries, will likely remain the designated starter.

A fourth-round pick from Florida played big for the Houston Texans. Running back Dameon Pierce delivered 20 yards on his first run and averaged nearly ten yards per run in the first half.

In a game otherwise devoid of highlights, Johnny Johnson’s catch in the end zone in the final minute set up the touchdown for a narrow 17-13 win.

Dallas Cowboys at Denver Broncos 7:17

The Dallas Cowboys are picking up where they left off last season. 127 penalties were a league high in 2021, and in the 7-17 loss to the Denver Broncos alone, the Cowboys caused 17 penalties for 129 yards.

On top of that, nothing was going right offensively. The offence only achieved 316 yards in total. It wasn’t until five minutes before the end that Ben DiNucci and Simi Fehoko scored the first points. At that point, Mike McCarthy’s team was already down 0:17.

Not even Russel Wilson played for the Broncos, only his backup Josh Johnson, who, however, was convincing with 172 yards on 16 of 23 passes. He led three consecutive drives in the second quarter that resulted in points, including two touchdown passes.

Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Chargers 29:22

The Los Angeles Rams got off to a successful start to the preseason, winning the “Battle of Los Angeles” against the Chargers 29-22.

The outstanding player for the reigning Super Bowl champions was undrafted rookie receiver Lance McCutcheon, who caught two touchdowns and a two-point conversion. In total, he was responsible for half of the Rams’ completions.

The Chargers held on for a long time, but without their star linebackers Kyle van Noy and Khalil Mack they were no match for the Rams’ offensive power.

Carolina Panthers at Washington Commanders 23:21

All eyes were on the Carolina Panthers’ quarterback position, but it was the defense that got the attention in the end. Only in the last quarter did the Panthers put on the brakes a little, let the Washington Commanders operate more freely and made the game unnecessarily tense.

However, a decisive goal with just a few seconds left secured the 23:21 victory for the Panthers.

Both Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield got their drives, with the latter being used as a starter and delivering a more convincing performance than his competitor at the quarterback position.

Head coach Matt Rhule, however, made it clear immediately after the game that the decision on who gets the job as starter is not yet final. He said they would look at the tape of the game again and make a new decision for the next game.

Indianapolis Colts at Buffalo Bills: 24:27

Under Frank Reich, the Indianapolis Colts traditionally started the regular season poorly. However, his plan to rely more on starters in the preseason also went awry in the first attempt.

Both Matt Ryan and other potential first-week starters played the second quarter, but no one could really convince. Ryan completed six of ten passes in four drives for 58 yards and was sacked once. The O-line proved to be a weak point against the Buffalo Bills.

But as the Bills used their second line, the game remained open until the decisive field goal in the final second. Raheem Blackshear turned it on with his two touchdown runs in the fourth quarter and ensured that the Bills were victorious in the end with 27:24.

However, the absolute highlight of the game was delivered by Bills rookie Matt Araiza with his insane 82-yard punt.

82-YARD PUNT ALERT

: @nflnetwork WIVB pic.twitter.com/UNib6Zv2lM

– Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) August 13, 2022