NFL Preseason Blitz: Watson outplayed Sanders vs. Bears in latest stage of Browns QB battle

Round 1 went to Deshaun Watson.

The Cleveland Browns’ quarterback situation remains fluid, and Shedeur Sanders will get the start in Week 2 of the preseason, but Watson was the better of the two quarterbacks on Saturday against the Chicago Bears.

In his first game action since October 2024, Watson had an up-and-down day overall against some of Chicago’s starters, leading two scoring drives but struggling more when the Bears’ pressure ramped up. Sanders faced mostly Bears backups and didn’t do enough to change his standing, with his afternoon ending with an interception.

Watson earned the start against the Bears and played the first half, settling in nicely after a slow start. After a three-and-out – three straight runs – to start the game, Watson got comfortable with a battery of short, accurate passes, leading to a Browns field goal. 

On Cleveland’s third series, Watson hit all four of his pass attempts, including a 43-yard screen to Dylan Sampson, and converted a fourth-down QB sneak. Rookie WR KC Concepcion took an end around 14 yards for a touchdown and a 10-0 Browns lead.

After a missed field-goal try by the Bears, Watson again had the Browns in scoring position. Once more they went for it on fourth down, but Watson was strip sacked for his first turnover of the preseason. 

The pressure from the Bears kept up, and Watson’s effectiveness waned. In the second quarter, Watson completed only 3-of-6 passes for 24 yards, taking two sacks, with a Chicago defensive hold wiping out another sack. Watson finished his day 11-for-15 passing for 126 yards and three scrambles for 4 yards. He was not very aggressive, throwing mostly short passes, but the Browns’ offense looked wholly better.

Sanders entered the game after the Bears took a 17-10 lead to start the second half. Lining up with Cleveland’s second-team offense and facing mostly Bears reserves on defense, Sanders was far more aggressive than Watson was, hitting on passes of 24 and 35 yards in his first four snaps. 

3rd and 13 and Shedeur and the Browns convert with ease

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The problem? The other two snaps in those first four were a botched snap and a batted pass that nearly was picked. The Browns drove to the Chicago 5-yard line on his first series but turned the ball over on a failed fourth-down rushing attempt where it appeared Sanders was slow getting the ball out from center and into the hands of RB Ahmani Marshall.

That kind of summed up Sanders’ day. He played three series (17 official snaps) and completed 6-of-11 throws for 79 yards and a pick. Sanders wasn’t sacked but did face some pressure.

Sanders was hurried on his interception early in the fourth quarter, but it was a bad overthrow and an easy pick. That was his last snap of the game before giving way to Dillon Gabriel, who was also intercepted on his first series of work.

Nothing was decided Saturday, it appears. But if you thought Watson had the better chance to start Week 1 coming into Saturday’s exhibition game, then you probably left it feeling even stronger in your beliefs. Sanders will have his crack next week, but it appears he has some ground to make up. 

The Bills christened new Highmark Stadium with a terrific showing from the starting units early against the Carolina Panthers.

Josh Allen and the offense got the ball first, leading field-goal and touchdown drives on their only two series with the starting unit. Allen got the ball to DJ Moore early and found Keon Coleman – go figure – for the first official TD in the new building.

The newfangled Buffalo defense also did work, too, forcing the Panthers into back-to-back three and outs. Deone Walker, all 6-foot-7 of him, nearly swallowed 5-9 Panthers QB Bryce Young on his second-series sack.

The early returns looked great. But there was one hold-your-breath moment.

Moore got up gingerly after his third catch of the game, an 18-yard grab that set up Coleman’s TD on the next play. The Bills’ medical staff was looking at Moore’s lower leg while he had a towel draped over his head, but he was walking around on the sideline afterward. 

Buffalo’s offensive starters came off the field after that, but it’s hard to believe Moore would have returned either way. The early indications are that the Bills and Moore dodged a bullet, although we’ll have to wait for official word. Allen also was sacked a pair of times, but he dodged any injuries.

The Bills got a nice showing from their starters on each side of the ball in their new stadium. That’s all you can ask for in the preseason. But it also came with a few nervous moments. It will be interesting to see how Joe Brady handles the rest of the preseason in terms of starters’ reps.

There’s some bubbling excitement surrounding the New York Giants these days in John Harbaugh’s first season, but there also are some reasons to be cautious. Dart might be the biggest name in both categories.

The second-year QB showed some real playmaking ability as a rookie, often playing without some of the Giants’ best offensive players last year, and the hope is that he can take a step forward in his development under Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy and with a more full complement of playmakers around him.

But he also was tested for five concussions – five trips to the medical test – in a 10-game span last season. The Giants have made self-preservation a point of emphasis for Dart, and they’ve said they’ll also try to protect him as best they can.

Saturday’s preseason debut saw Dart visit the tent after a big hit from the Vikings’ Jay Ward. Giants RB Tyrone Tracy Jr. missed a block and got his quarterback creamed, which necessitates the tent visit.

BIG FOOTBALL HITS ARE SO BACK.

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Dart appeared OK afterward, and he semi-bristled at a tent-related question midgame. He returned to the game after clearing concussion protocol to deliver a terrific TD strike to rookie WR Malachi Fields, who is earning his stripes this summer. Those two figure to hook up a few times this season.

The level of difficulty here from Dart 🔥

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But if there was a scary takeaway from this game it was Dart again taking a big hit. The Giants have a chance to surprise some people this season, but protecting their quarterback remains a concern for the new staff until proven otherwise.

• With Caleb Williams sitting out against the Browns (and potentially the entire preseason), Saturday was a good opportunity for Bears backup QB Tyson Bagent. He’s fully established as the Bears’ QB2, and some believe he might rival some NFL starters in terms of talent. Bagent’s outing Saturday was mostly fine – some clear ups and a few downs. He stared down Browns rookie Michael Coats Jr. for an interception, and Bagent also missed a few other throws, but he led two scoring drives and overall did what he needed to do. Bagent’s best target was WR Kaden Davis, who’s spent time on three other teams’ rosters and was a special-teamer for the Browns the past two seasons. For a guy who’s never recorded a regular-season catch, Davis looked terrific with catches of 21 and 41 yards, catching four passes for 88 yards on five targets. He has an uphill battle to make the Bears’ opening 53, but Davis built on a strong camp showing with a good outing against Cleveland.

• After all the Denzel Boston buzz this summer in Cleveland, it was KC Concepcion’s turn to steal some of the thunder. Concepcion caught three passes for 27 yards from Deshaun Watson and also took a 14-yard end around for a touchdown. The first-round pick from Texas A&M had a nice third-down conversion and looked primed for a big role this season.