Skip to main content
Advertising

2025 NFL preseason, Week 2: What We Learned from Saturday's games

NFL.com breaks down what you need to know from Week 2 of the 2025 NFL preseason. Catch up on Saturday's biggest takeaways using the links below:

Miami Dolphins 24, Detroit Lions 17

FULL BOX SCORE


Bobby Kownack's takeaways:


  1. Jaylen Wright spins his wheels a bit. It’s been tough sledding for the Dolphins second-year back thus far this preseason. He did score last week, but he now has 19 yards on 12 carries through two contests. Wright was never able to find space to showcase his speed against Detroit, and he fumbled on his final tote, a red-zone gaffe that would’ve ended an impressive drive for Miami had tight end Tanner Conner not fallen on the ball. The Dolphins released Raheem Mostert to go young in the backfield for 2025, but Wright has yet to show he can be a meaningful complement to De'Von Achane. Sixth-round rookie Ollie Gordon II, however, likely caught the eyes of some fans. He showed burst, decisiveness and highlight-reel ability on multiple runs while going for 50 yards on 10 carries.
  2. Nephew of ex-Lion making roster case. His uncle Za'Darius Smith had four sacks for the Lions last season. Now, undrafted rookie wideout Jackson Meeks is making his best case to continue playing for the Lions beyond this preseason. Meeks led all Lions wideouts with 93 receiving yards on seven catches, and he came wide open on a well-designed out route for a score. Meeks has now stacked two quality performances in a row, having paced Detroit pass catchers last week with 78 yards and another TD. It’ll still be difficult for him to crack the Lions' initial 53-man roster given Detroit's WR depth. For instance, third-rounder Isaac TeSlaa had four receptions and dropped jaws with a beautiful touchdown snag just before halftime, but Meeks has shown he’s at the very least worthy of a priority practice squad add.

Houston Texans 20, Carolina Panthers 3

FULL BOX SCORE


David Ely's takeaways:


  1. Nick Chubb flashes old self in Texans debut. Houston needs someone to assert himself in the backfield with questions surrounding Joe Mixon's availability to start the season. Summer signee Chubb attempted to do just that on Saturday. Chubb -- now two years removed from a gruesome knee injury -- impressed in his first action of the preseason, displaying his trademark quick burst and strong between-the-tackles running that defined his days in Cleveland. Chubb finished with 25 yards on five carries with a long of nine yards in two series with the starters. Another bright spot for Houston: rookie RB Woody Marks, who ripped off runs of 12 and nine yards on his first two totes. Marks finished with 40 yards on the day.
  2. Panthers starters have work to do. Saturday wasn’t the best of days for the Carolina 1s. Bryce Young and the first-team offense, which showed promise last week versus the Browns, regressed against a tough challenge in Houston. Young didn’t complete a pass in two series and the starting group had a discouraging -2 net yards on the day, with its lone first down coming via penalty. The defense didn’t fair much better, allowing chunk plays on the ground and a fourth-and-goal conversion when C.J. Stroud found Nico Collins for six.

Green Bay Packers 23, Indianapolis Colts 19

FULL BOX SCORE


Nick Shook's takeaways:


  1. Colts' QB battle remains close. Both Daniel Jones and Anthony Richardson looked better in Week 2 of the preseason, posting similar stat lines featuring highs and lows. Jones' outing included a pass he sailed beyond an open target downfield but also featured a pretty connection with rookie Tyler Warren down the sideline. Richardson extended a few plays for positive gains and completed a gorgeous pass to Anthony Gould (which was wiped out by a penalty on Adonai Mitchell), but he couldn't find enough success to sustain drives long enough to finish in the end zone. Jones was able to lead a couple of scoring drives before Richardson replaced him, but neither gained much ground in a battle that is frustratingly too close to call. While Shane Steichen will spend plenty of time attempting to come to a final decision on his starting quarterback, he'll have more on his plate on the injury front after four Colts -- including tackles Braden Smith and Blake Freeland -- left with injuries, further complicating their preseason preparation.
  2. Packers need to work on the details. Green Bay embodied sloppiness in Saturday's contest. They reached halftime with more penalties (11) than first downs (6), fumbled away possession in the second quarter and despite tallying 167 total yards of offense in the first half, finished with just three points. The final few minutes of the first half dragged on because it seemed as if neither team could complete a play without drawing a flag. For Green Bay, an illegal formation penalty wiped out an excellent touchdown grab by tight end Ben Sims, and the same player committed the same penalty two downs later, forcing the Packers to settle for a field goal to end the half. The sequence was emblematic of how Green Bay needs to clean up its operation before Week 1, regardless of who is on the field.

New England Patriots 20, Minnesota Vikings 12

FULL BOX SCORE


Bobby Kownack's takeaways:


  1. Trio of new Patriots looks promising. New England’s first-team offense got two drives and 15 plays against a collection of mostly Minnesota backups, picking up 83 yards and a touchdown. Mack Hollins served as Drake Maye’s most trusty option. The former Bill collected three receptions for 38 yards, including a 20-yard toe-tapper on the sideline to convert the first of three third-down conversions on the Pats’ first TD drive. Rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson continued to fuel his preseason hype machine, too. He showed tremendous speed bursting through a massive hole for 11 yards on a third-and-10, then three plays later flexed his muscle, shaking off multiple Vikings defenders on a bruising trip to the end zone. Lastly, undrafted rookie WR Efton Chism III completely dominated the second-team offense’s most impressive drive, accounting for 52 yards (on three catches) during an 88-yard TD march in the second quarter.
  2. Depth behind J.J. McCarthy has rough day. Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell rested McCarthy after seeing what he wanted this week in joint practices. Sam Howell got the start, and he didn’t necessarily inspire confidence should he need to play in the regular season. Howell was jumpy and inaccurate, going 1 of 5 for 13 yards. He did some good with his legs, but his lowlight came while trying to buy time. In the first quarter, Howell threw up an inexplicable, off-balanced prayer into the waiting arms of New England’s Alex Austin. While Brett Rypien went 7 of 11 for 83 yards and had the offense moving better, he notably zipped a red-zone fourth-down attempt too high for anyone to even have a chance. The Vikings are all in on McCarthy, and he must make good on their belief in him -- there doesn’t seem to be anyone the quality of Sam Darnold behind him this year.

Cleveland Browns 22, Philadelphia Eagles 13

FULL BOX SCORE


Nick Shook's takeaways:


  1. Highs and lows for Dillon Gabriel. One week after Shedeur Sanders made waves with his impressive preseason debut, Gabriel tried his best to follow suit. His first drive lived up to that standard, as Gabriel converted three third downs through the air on an 13-play, 63-yard march that included a perfect 4-of-4 start for the rookie. It wasn't all perfect, though; Gabriel learned a hard lesson when rolling left on the Browns' next possession, firing a pass into traffic that was intercepted and returned for a touchdown. In total, Gabriel looked confident and threw with conviction, completing 13 of 18 passes for 143 yards. It will be interesting to see how he handles more complex looks beyond the preseason.
  2. Have a day, Andrew Mukuba. Because of time missed in camp, the rookie safety from Texas seemed to have lost too much ground to Sydney Brown in the battle for the starting safety job prior to Saturday. One day filled with standout play, however, might have changed the equation. Mukuba only finished with one tackle but registered two takeaways, including an interception he returned for a touchdown made possible only by his refusal to give up on the play. Fittingly, when Gabriel and Pierre Strong botched a handoff, Mukuba magnetically found the loose ball and recovered it in Browns territory. At minimum, the Eagles saw some examples of what they envisioned when they spent the 64th pick on Mukuba.

FULL BOX SCORE


Nick Shook's takeaways to come:

FULL BOX SCORE


Nick Shook's takeaways to come:

FULL BOX SCORE


Christian Gonzales' takeaways to come:

FULL BOX SCORE


Jeremy Bergman's takeaways to come:

FULL BOX SCORE


Christian Gonzales' takeaways to come:

FULL BOX SCORE


Christian Gonzales' takeaways to come:

Related Content