The second week of NFL preseason kicks into high gear on Saturday with turf wars in both New York and Los Angeles.
The New Yorkers will meet in their annual preseason game at MetLife Stadium, which is the regular-season home for both, after a pair of scrimmages earlier in the week.
New Las Vegas coach Pete Carroll will make his home debut against former Bay Area rival San Francisco on Saturday, while the Los Angeles teams — the Rams and Chargers — will play the in the battle of SoFi Stadium.
Given the caveat that these games are more for coaches to use as evaluation tools inasmuch as starters will see little if any time, results may vary. A look at three:
Miami Dolphins (0-0-1) at Detroit Lions (1-1)
Saturday, CBS/Paramount+, 1 pm ET
The matchup
The Dolphins are expected to take a long look at backup quarterback Zach Wilson, who is fighting with rookie seventh-round draft pick Quinn Ewers to be first in line behind concussion-prone Tua Tagovailoa, which because of that carries more weight than a normal position battle.
Wilson led the Dolphins to touchdowns on both his drives after replacing Tagovailoa for the second series of a 24-24 tie with Chicago last week, and he was sacked four times. Rookie running back Ollie Gordon II will get a chance after moving the depth charge following the season-ending neck injury to Alexander Mattison.
Detroit quarterback Kyle Allen, obtained in the offseason and Jared Goff insurance, outplayed second-year quarterback Hendon Hooker by throwing a pair of touchdown passes a week ago, and the battle continues. The competition will play out against Dolphins’ second-teamers, which has the feel of a mismatch.
The teams scrimmaged twice early in the week, when both teams’ No. 1 offenses played well.
The spread: Dolphins -1 1/2
The money line: Dolphins -118
The total: 36 1/2
The play: Detroit. The Lions have won and covered three of their last four preseason games and benefit by entering this match with an extra game under their belt.
New York Giants (1-0) vs New York Jets (1-0)
Saturday, NFL Network, 7 pm ET
The matchup
The Giants traded up in the draft to get quarterback Jaxson Dart after selecting edge rusher Abdul Carter with the third pick of the first round, and both are expected to get plenty of time in this yearly preseason match.
Dart, drafted as the quarterback of the future after the Giants signed Russell Wilson to a one-year deal, might have wide receiver Garrett Wilson to throw to for a series or two. Wilson signed a five-year, $130 million deal a month ago.
Justin Fields, who played with Wilson in Pittsburgh a year ago, will get a longer look than just the limited snaps he had in the 30-10 victory over Green Bay in the opener, when he completed three of four passes and had two carries for 14 yards and a touchdown.
The spread: Giants -3 1/2
The money line: Giants -190
The total: -39.5
The play: The Jets. The AFC side of New York has won and covered the last four in the exhibition borough series, and three have gone under.
Cincinnati Bengals (0-1) at Washington Commanders (0-1)
Monday, ESPN, 6:10 pm ET
The matchup
The Bengals had a developing situation in practice Wednesday, when defensive lineman Shermar Stewart, their first round draft pick, plowed into quarterback Joe Burrow while sacking him in a live scrimmage.
Burrow, obviously, was not to be touched, and two plays later offensive lineman Lucas Patrick started a fight with Stewart, who later apologized to Burrow.
“He said, ‘It’s cool as long as you do it on Sundays, too,’” said Stewart of Burrow’s response.
Stewart held out through organized teams activities and the first week of training camp before signing a four-year, $19 million deal. He is expected to pair with edge rusher Trey Hendrickson to bulk up the defense, but Hendrickson is still holding out. He has one year and $16 million remaining on his deal.
The Commanders rivaled the Bengals in offense performance behind offensive rookie of the year quarterback Jayden Daniels in 2024, when they were fifth in points and seventh in total yards.
They are operating at a disadvantage again this week while trying synch up with a new group. Starting wide receiver Terry McLaurin, who may not have played regardless, is on the physically unable to perform list while seeking an extension to the three-year, $68.3 million contract he signed in 2022.
The Commanders retooled in the offseason by adding wide receiver Deb Samuel and left tackle Laremy Tunsil, new to Kliff Kingsbury’s offense. But both starting guards are recovering from injury, which will test their depth here.
The spread: Bengals – 4 1/2
The money line: Bengals -200
The total: 42.5
The play: Washington. The Bengals are 0-6-1 straight up and 2-5 in their last seven preseason games after opening with a loss to Philadelphia last week. It’s no secret, they bide time until Burrow jump-starts them in the regular season.
Last week: 1-0
Season: 1-0
