Week 3 of the 2019 NFL preseason and the proverbial dress rehearsal games are here but which five contests are the most intriguing on the docket?
Week 3 of the NFL preseason means more than any other preseason game. It’s widely known as the “dress rehearsal game.” The third week of exhibition games is the most critical of the warmups, traditionally the longest look teams take at their starters.
Teams get a more detailed look at how players and schemes mesh together. Yes, it’s still scripted in a vanilla manner but it’s as close to actual NFL football as we have right now.
For fans, it’s just one step closer to the 2019 NFL regular season which can’t come fast enough. Some teams are playing it safe by keeping star players away from preseason, such as Le’Veon Bell with the New York Jets. Even still, some games have more intrigue in Preseason Week 3 than others.
So we’re going to take a look at five such contests, the ones fans should be tuning into.
5. Baltimore Ravens at Philadelphia Eagles – Thu. Aug. 22, 7:30 p.m. ET
Both the Baltimore Ravens and the Philadelphia Eagles have interesting and exciting and uncertainty at the quarterback position. For the Ravens, Lamar Jackson has questions to answer about his ability to play inside the pocket.
The last time fans got a good look at him, the Chargers neutralized him by taking away his legs. Thursday’s game against a tough, even if simplistic, defense could serve as a glance into the future. The Ravens will end the regular season as one of the league leaders in rush attempts. However, look for them to use this game to test how Jackson’s improved pocket skills.
Carson Wentz‘s Eagles have their own concerns. What will they do if Wentz goes down again? There’s no Nick Foles anymore while both Nate Sudfeld and Cody Kessler got knocked out of last week’s game with injuries. As such, there’s little chance we see much of Wentz.
Enter Clayton Thorson, who’ll likely take first teams reps. Could he show enough to the Eagles for them to hold three quarterbacks after signing veteran Josh McCown? The Ravens aren’t going to make it easy but it will be interesting.
He’ll have help with rookie running back Miles Sanders looking to prove that he’s the best of the bunch in Philadelphia. If the Eagles look decent against the Ravens defense, it will provide fans with some sense of assurance.