NFL Training Camp Updates

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGh1vqY6I34

The NFL is gearing up for the new season in training camp again this week, and the playoff contenders of 2018 aren’t crushing it the same way they did last year. The New England Patriots were on the field again, but miscommunication caused a lot of dropped balls. They still won 26-17 against the Redskins. Eric Decker, new to the team, isn’t the best or the worst player, sometimes dropping and other times catching passes. Meanwhile, Philadelphia Eagles’ Alshon Jeffrey played last season with a torn rotator cuff, so we don’t know whether he’ll be available to play this season. Because he had surgery in the off season, the Eagles may need to delay adding this star player back to the team, which could cost them in the playoffs.

The NFL preseason hasn’t been tough for all the playoff contenders though - Stefon Diggs of the Minnesota Vikings is showing promise as their wide receiver, having shown a fantastic catching skill set in training camp games. The Steelers won 31 to 14 against the Eagles on Thursday, despite the Steelers having multiple players with minor injuries. They’ve been lucky enough to avoid any major injuries yet, although the remainder of training camp and the NFL preseason will tell whether that stays true. The Jacksonville Jaguars have showed a lot of promise during training camp, with AJ Cann playing a strong right guard after missing the offseason due to an injury. Rumor had it that the position would be up for grabs, but Cann has showed he’s not ready to call it quits.

The LA Rams notably extended Todd Gurley’s contract until 2023, GQ naming him one of the “next wave of stars” in the NFL. The Kansas City Chiefs lost to the Houston Texans 17-10, in spite of strong play by Demarcus Robinson. On August 17th, they’ll continue their preseason game by taking on the Falcons. The New Orleans Saints won 24-20 against the Jaguars on Thursday, Tom Savage playing a great game as backup quarterback. There has been some question as to whether he’ll be replacing Drew Brees, the Saints’ 39-year-old quarterback who last year showed signs of slowing down - but the replacement would definitely be a disappointment to longtime fans of Brees. The Tennessee Titans lost to the Green Bay Packers 17-31 on Thursday, with quarterback Marcus Mariota scoring a touchdown for the Titans. Darius Jennings also scored a touchdown for the Titans, seemingly in a streak of solid plays over the course of training camp.

The Carolina Panthers won 28-23 against the Buffalo Bills on Thursday, in spite of quarterback Cam Newton’s rough patch, having been intercepted multiple times throughout the course of training camp. Their next preseason game will be against the Dolphins on Friday. The Atlanta Falcons suffered the worst loss of the preseason, losing 0-17 against the New York Jets in a foul-heavy game. But who’s to say whether it was a predictor of future losses or just foul luck? We’ll have to keep an eye on the rest of the training camp games.