In the preseason, some players play themselves into focus, while others cause skepticism. who are the winners and losers of Preseason Week 2

Winner: Brandon Aubrey (Dallas Cowboys)

What a kick! The Dallas Cowboys kicker made a 66-yard field goal in a 27-12 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. The kick would have put him in the NFL record book and tied him with Justin Tucker of the Baltimore Ravens if this hadn’t been a preseason game. But who knows: maybe he can do it again this season…

Winner: Jaren Hall (Minnesota Vikings)

Achieving a perfect passer rating of 158.3 is a feat few quarterbacks can accomplish. Jaren Hall, a fifth-round pick in 2023, did it in his Minnesota Vikings’ 27-12 loss to the Cleveland Browns. To put that in perspective: In the regular season, a perfect passer rating has only been accomplished 78 times so far. Hall “only” had to complete four of his five pass attempts for 87 yards because two of those passes resulted in a touchdown.

Winner: Xavier Worthy (Kansas City Chiefs)

The wide receiver, who was picked in the 1st round at No. 28 overall by the Chiefs this year, proved he could be a weapon for quarterback Patrick Mahomes in a narrow 23-24 loss to the Detroit Lions. He caught three passes for 62 yards, including a touchdown pass. He also ran once for eleven yards.

Winner: Bo Nix (Denver Broncos)

This year’s No. 12 pick of the Denver Broncos immediately underlined his ambitions as starting quarterback in the 27-2 win over the Green Bay Packers. He completed eight of his nine passes for 80 yards and a touchdown. This gave him an advantage over his rivals Jarett Stidham (seven of 11 passes for 65 yards, one interception) and Zach Wilson (two of six passes for 29 yards, one touchdown pass).

Winner: Jaylen Harrell (Tennessee Titans)

As a seventh-round pick, you have to use the preseason to play your way into focus. Jaylen Harrell, who was picked No. 252 by the Tennessee Titans, did so impressively in a 16-15 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. With two sacks and a forced fumble, he was the defense’s most noticeable player.

Losser: Daniel Jones (New York Giants)

The many critics of Daniel Jones must have felt vindicated. The quarterback threw two interceptions, including a pick six, in the 10:28 defeat against the Houston Texans. Otherwise, the highly-paid quarterback completed eleven of his 18 passes for 138 yards. However, he seems to remain prone to mistakes. Can the Giants really afford such a passer on a permanent basis?

Losser: Cole Turner (Washington Commanders)

The tight end had a pitch black day in a 13-6 loss to the Miami Dolphins. The fifth-round pick of the 2022 NFL Draft was thrown at three times and didn’t catch a single one of those passes. He had his hands on the ball twice, but was unable to hold on to it. This even led to an interception once. Even though Washington recovered the egg on this play, Turner left a very bad impression

Losser: Brock Purdy (San Francisco 49ers)

For a top star like Brock Purdy, who was in the Super Bowl last season, the preseason shouldn’t have much significance. But the fact is that Mr. Irrelevant from the 2022 draft was unusually weak in his 49ers’ 16-10 loss to the New Orleans Saints, completing just two of his six passes for 11 yards. He almost threw an interception once. Purdy should perform better to start the season.

Losser: Tony Brown (Cleveland Browns)

The cornerback was only signed by the Browns this year. Since he has not played a regular season game in the NFL since 2020, he has to fight for his place in the squad. However, he did not succeed at all against the Vikings. The pass catchers he covered were thrown at four times. They caught the ball three times for a total of 21 yards and two touchdowns.

Losser: Gardner Minshew (Las Vegas Raiders)

The cult quarterback is likely to start the season as the starting quarterback, but that status is by no means secure. In the 12:27 defeat against the Dallas Cowboys, he only completed ten of his 21 passes for 95 yards. His internal rival Aidan O’Connell made a better impression, completing 14 of 20 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown – even if he did throw an interception.