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The opening week of the NFL preseason is a time of both immense hope and palpable anxiety. It’s a showcase of opportunity, where young players and backups get a chance to prove their worth under the bright lights. It’s also a time of high stress, as coaches and fans hold their breath, hoping to escape the exhibition slate without injuries to key players. Thursday night’s action was a perfect illustration of this duality. In Philadelphia, a backup quarterback seized his moment and put on a spectacular performance. In Baltimore, however, the worst fears of a franchise were realized as their starting quarterback was forced to leave the game with an injury. It’s a volatile time of year where player stocks can rise and fall in a single night, creating a dynamic landscape for fans and sports handicappers to analyze as the regular season approaches.
McKee’s 3-TD Night Powers Eagles Past Bengals
With starting quarterback Jalen Hurts held out of the preseason opener, backup Tanner McKee stepped into the spotlight and delivered a brilliant performance, accounting for three first-half touchdowns to lead the host Philadelphia Eagles to a 34-27 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. McKee looked poised and in command from the start, completing 20 of 25 passes for 252 yards. He capped the Eagles’ opening drive with a 1-yard touchdown run, then showed off his arm with two second-quarter touchdown passes to Ainias Smith and Darius Cooper. McKee’s stellar performance in his extended playing time is sure to give the Eagles’ coaching staff a major confidence boost and will be a talking point on all the top sports picks sites.
While the Eagles’ backup stole the show, the Bengals’ starter looked every bit the part of a superstar in his limited action. Joe Burrow was flawless in his two series of work, leading Cincinnati to two touchdowns and completing 9 of his 10 pass attempts for 123 yards and two scores.
| Quarterback Tale of the Tape | Tanner McKee (PHI) | Joe Burrow (CIN) |
| Completions/Attempts | 20-of-25 | 9-of-10 |
| Passing Yards | 252 | 123 |
| Passing TDs | 2 | 2 |
| Rushing TDs | 1 | 0 |
Ravens Win, but Colts Lose Starter Richardson to Injury
The Baltimore Ravens used a dominant first half to secure a 24-16 victory over the Indianapolis Colts, but the game was overshadowed by a significant injury to Colts starting quarterback Anthony Richardson. The third-year signal-caller left the game in his second series with a dislocated pinkie suffered on a sack and did not return. The potential loss of a starting quarterback like Richardson can have a massive, immediate impact on a team’s future odds and scores, and the Colts will be anxiously awaiting updates on his status.
The Ravens, who sat their starter Lamar Jackson, showed off their impressive depth by scoring in all three phases of the game in the first half. Running backs Keaton Mitchell and Rasheen Ali each punched in a rushing touchdown, while rookie sensation LaJohntay Wester provided the most electrifying play of the night with an 87-yard punt return for a touchdown. The Ravens’ ability to score in multiple ways showcases their depth, a key reason they are consistently ranked highly on the NFL power ranking leaderboard.
| Baltimore’s First-Half | Touchdown Scorers |
| Player | Type of TD |
| Keaton Mitchell | Rushing |
| LaJohntay Wester | Punt Return |
| Rasheen Ali | Rushing |
Looking Ahead
The biggest storyline emerging from Thursday’s games is the health of Anthony Richardson. The severity of his pinkie injury and how much time he might miss will be the top concern for the Colts franchise heading into Week 2 of the preseason. For the Eagles, the focus will be on the continued development of Tanner McKee, who has proven he is a more than capable backup should he be called upon during the regular season.
