Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson didn’t play a snap in the preseason.
They didn’t need it.
Allen and Jackson were spectacular in their first game action of the season. Jackson led the Baltimore Ravens to a 15-point, fourth-quarter lead only to watch Allen rally the Buffalo Bills to a 41-40 victory.
So much for rust.
Allen was 33 of 46 for 394 yards with two touchdown passes and two more rushing. Jackson was 14 of 19 for 209 yards and two TDs plus 70 yards rushing and another score.
“It’s trusting, trusting our process, trusting our other 10 guys on the football field, trusting what Joe’s (offensive coordinator Joe Brady) calling, and really sticking to our fundamentals and how we worked during training camp, and really just trying to pick up where we left off from last year,” Allen said on the AP’s “On Football” podcast.
The reigning NFL MVP sat out the entire preseason for the first time in his career. But Allen was sharp against a tough defense. He had 251 of his passing yards in the fourth quarter.
Jackson, a two-time MVP and three-time All-Pro, hasn’t played in the preseason since 2021. He just steps on the field and dazzles whenever he gets an opportunity.
NFL coaches have to make difficult decisions each preseason, choosing whether to rest starters or put quarterbacks in harm’s way in meaningless games.
Green Bay’s Jordan Love injured his hand in an exhibition game but was ready to play in Week 1.
Sitting out doesn’t mean guys will be ineffective. Allen and Jackson demonstrated that. So did Aaron Rodgers.
Playing in preseason games doesn’t guarantee success early in the season, either.
Football is a team sport. There are a lot of factors that determine a quarterback’s performance and whether an offense clicks right from the start.
Rodgers was among the 10 starting quarterbacks who didn’t get any reps in exhibition games. He was outstanding in the opener, tossing four TD passes to lead Pittsburgh to a win.
Some of the others had slower starts.
Baker Mayfield was out of sync early for Tampa Bay but made clutch throws to rally the Buccaneers to victory.
Dak Prescott posted a 76.6 passer rating, though the Cowboys had several dropped passes.
Jared Goff and Detroit’s entire offense had a rough time against Green Bay in John Morton’s first game as offensive coordinator.
Meanwhile, quarterbacks who played in the preseason had mixed results.
Joe Burrow threw for just 113 yards and one TD but Cincinnati still edged Cleveland 17-16.
Patrick Mahomes lost another wide receiver to injury and needed a while to get Kansas City’s offense going in a loss to the Chargers in Brazil.
Tua Tagovailoa had one of his worst games as a pro, tossing two interceptions in Miami’s lopsided loss to Indianapolis.
Bo Nix threw two picks but Denver held on to defeat Tennessee.
“It’s probably the toughest part of our position, in my opinion, is bouncing back from the negative because you work really hard, you get one shot at it, and every once in a while when you miss it, it’s tough because that’s what you just want to think about it, you just want to fix it so bad that that’s what you’re thinking about,” Nix said. “The real advantage, the real edge, is when guys can just go to the next play, move on. … Glad it’s Week 1, not Week 21 and make these mistakes now and learn from them.”
Justin Herbert played in his first career preseason game this season, and came out firing against the Chiefs. He finished with 318 yards passing, three TDs and had a 131.7 rating for the Chargers.
Geno Smith appeared in all three preseason games, and looked like he was in midseason form in Week 1. Smith threw for 362 yards to lead Las Vegas to a win.
“I think it’s all the time we spend together, all the time in the meeting rooms, just hearing his voice and directly from him exactly what he wants to get accomplished with each and every play,” Smith said about building chemistry with offensive coordinator Chip Kelly. “When I think about Chip, man, like he’s so cerebral and such a smart coach, and he’s always thinking of the next thing, the next layer to attack the defense. And that’s something that I’m always doing as well.”
Week 2 could bring different results for everyone. But no preseason won’t be an excuse for anyone.
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