NFL Preseason, Week 1: 3 major overreactions after first preseason games

The first week of the NFL preseason is officially in the books, which means we have plenty to (over)react to.

Every NFL team takes a different approach to the preseason when it comes to what they show, how much they play their starters, and it's ultimately very difficult to make any sweeping statements about anything you see.

But you never know when the preseason is giving you a glimpse of reality or if it's a mirage. After the full weekend of action, we have a handful of our biggest overreactions from what we saw, and we're going to determine if these observations are lying to us or not.

3 major overreactions after NFL Preseason Week 1

1. We have been way too low on the Steelers

One of the most widely accepted talking points of the offseason is that the Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the easiest regression candidates in the entire NFL. I've been among those who believe that could very well be the case, even if it's just the "football gods" punishing the Steelers for moving on from Mike Tomlin this offseason.

It was actually a post on Twitter/X from NFL Network Draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah that shifted my perspective a little bit, even before their dominating win over the Green Bay Packers in the preseason opener:

This is a really great -- and mission critical -- point from Jeremiah. The Steelers obviously have an aging roster in many areas, especially the starting QB position, but this is not a team that has nothing other than Aaron Rodgers and some older former stars.

The Steelers showed off their roster depth in the win over the Packers, and they also showed they might have some viable options at the quarterback position beyond this year.

The preseason can be a liar, but wouldn't you rather see your young players doing well as opposed to the alternative? The Steelers got some really strong performances out of their young quarterbacks, but even a player like 4th-round rookie Kaden Wetjen is a good reminder that this team is not devoid of talent.

I'm starting to buy more of the Steelers stock for this season, especially compared to a week or so ago.

2. The Titans' rebuilding process won't be overnight, and Cam Ward could take more time than expected

Cam Ward's debut against the 49ers was mostly disastrous. He completed just 5-of-12 passes against the 49ers, he was inaccurate, and it just didn't look like he was comfortable out there at all.

With all of the changes the Titans made this offseason -- getting Robert Saleh as their head coach, bringing in Brian Daboll as OC, drafting Carnell Tate, signing Wan'Dale Robinson -- the expectation has been that Ward would basically show immediate improvement.

That's not really fair to expect that, but it's fair to say that everyone expected better than what we saw from Ward in his preseason debut.

It might end up being that the Titans' rebuilding project under Saleh and Daboll, especially as it relates to Ward, takes a bit more time than simply hitting the ground running in Week 1.

3. The Giants could have the highest variance of outcomes of any team in the league

When you see Jaxson Dart taking hits like we did against the Vikings, it doesn't inspire much confidence about the Giants in the first year under new head coach John Harbaugh.

When you see Jaxson Dart making throws like this? You can't help but believe this team could make some noise in the NFC East.

Jaxson Dart has quickly become one of the most polarizing and fascinating players in the entire NFL. He's must-see TV no matter what you think of him and his projection, but not everyone is ready to acknowledge that the Giants could be a really good team if he is healthy.

But they need to make sure the running backs aren't letting free-running blitzers hit the quarterback.

It could be a really long season for this Giants team (again) if Dart is getting hit like that consistently. It could be a really fun year for this team if he's able to play most of the games.

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