2025 Preseason Week 2 Takeaways

Last season, we saw many more starters in week 2 than in week 1 of the preseason. This year, we got the opposite: a surprisingly high number of starters in week 1 while the stars almost all rested in week 2. Some squads indeed attempted to resolve some positional battles, but for the most part, this week was about depth players battling for roster spots and trying to stave off the injury bug. Therefore, it’s tough to draw too many sweeping conclusions. However, my job here is to provide you with information about those who did participate, especially the rookies. So let’s get to it! Here are my 2025 preseason week 2 takeaways.

Chiefs’ Run Defense Could Be Their Ultimate Undoing

Most talk about the Chiefs’ blowout loss to the Eagles in the Super Bowl centered on their offense. Specifically, the offensive line let QB Patrick Mahomes down, and he needed more weapons to return to his previous lofty heights. Injury returns (WRs Rashee Rice and Hollywood Brown ) and investments at LT (signing Jaylon Moore and drafting Josh Simmons) have me less worried about all that though. What I found truly alarming this week was how the Chiefs could not stop the run whatsoever. DT Chris Jones did not play, but he’s more of a rusher anyway. Several other starters suited up, and the results were awful.

Kansas City surrendered 119 1st-quarter rushing yards to the Seahawks. They yielded 268 yards and 2 rushing scores in total at an alarming 5.6 yards per carry. Five different Seattle players had 30+ yards rushing, including backup QB Drew Lock! Most disturbingly, Seattle is a team whose offensive line gets criticized constantly, so this shouldn’t have even been a particularly hard matchup. KC’s run defense showed cracks in that Super Bowl, but most wrote that off as Philadelphia simply being too elite on the ground. We can now likely conclude that the issue runs far deeper for the Chiefs’ stop unit.

Making matters worse is the fact that the Chiefs need to get through some excellent rushing attacks to return the Lombardi trophy to Arrowhead. Philadelphia, Baltimore, Buffalo, and more are all dangerous on the ground, with the latter two being KC’s prime AFC competition. Once guys like LB Nick Bolton begin to play, things should improve a bit, but you can’t guarantee that every starter will stay healthy. Some of the guys we saw this week will play important snaps for the Chiefs. Nothing I saw against the Seahawks suggests that they can adequately defend the run if pressed into service, and that’s a problem.

Travis Hunter’s Injury Underlines the Two-Way Star’s Risk

Nobody can deny that Jacksonville WR/CB Travis Hunter is blazing his own trail. Not since his college coach Deion Sanders has someone even come close to playing both offense and defense in the NFL. Even Sanders didn’t do it very often or very long. When you win the Heisman doing it though, expectations are raised. Hunter himself hasn’t limited his own potential, adamantly stating that he will play on both sides of the ball. His skill level isn’t in question, but one thing has some experts worried: can Hunter’s body hold up to the punishment of professional football when subjected to that many snaps per game?

One elite WR has already raised doubts about Hunter’s two-way drams. The Rams’ Davante Adams stated that he doesn’t think it’s possible to pull off, worrying that Hunter could have a short career. Hunter, long used to naysayers, probably didn’t put much stock into those comments. However, it’s only week 2 of his rookie preseason, and an injury has already popped up. It’s described as an “upper-body injury” without additional details, and the coaches claim that he was held out of the team’s game against New Orleans as a precaution. However, the injury raises a key point: it’s hard enough to make it through a season as a one-way player.

Hunter is trying to do something unprecedented. I see countless players miss games every year while playing just one position. He’s intending to play two positions full time. Hunter is not a large guy at 6’1″ and 185 lbs. That makes his body susceptible to punishment under regular circumstances. Every little nick has double the effect as well given his two-way status. I really hope he can succeed and make good on his immense talent. From an ability standpoint, Hunter can pull this off. I just fear that Adams may have been prophetic in his words, as there’s only so much that the human body can withstand.

In 2023 QB Battle, CJ Stroud Shows Up Bryce Young Yet Again

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, Carolina should’ve taken CJ Stroud with the #1 overall pick in 2023. The coach at the time, Frank Reich, wanted to do so but got overruled by owner David Tepper, who wanted Bryce Young. While that decision looked foolish instantaneously as the Texans won the AFC South with Stroud as a rookie, Young showed signs of life late last year after an early-season benching. The differences between the two passers came to the forefront in an ugly way when they met this weekend, however. Whereas Stroud looked in complete command, Young seemed absolutely lost.

Stroud played two series. After a three-and-out, he led Houston to a TD, finding favorite target Nico Collins in the end zone. He finished 6/8 for 44 yards and the score, already looking comfortable within the system installed by new OC Nick Caley. Young also played two series, but they were both disastrous. On the first, he threw two incompletions that led to a three-and-out. After getting the ball back, he took an 8-yard sack to kill the next drive in 3 plays as well. He did not complete a pass, and his day was done after two poor efforts. Carolina scored just once all afternoon in a 20-3 loss.

Granted, Houston’s defensive front is incredible. Carolina’s line also still has some issues. This is year 3 for Young though, and his best attribute was supposed to be his pocket presence. When you’re 5’9″ and don’t have an elite arm, the intangibles need to shine through. In this particular game, they definitely didn’t, and that contrasted sharply with what Stroud displayed. The Texans’ star looked poised and fired darts without putting the ball in harm’s way at all despite his own poor protection. Sadly for Panthers fans, these QBs explain why their team is a cellar dweller while Houston is angling for a 3rd-straight division title.

Did 49ers K Jake Moody Save His Job with Game-Winning Kick?

I’ve given San Francisco’s kicker some flak in the past. To be clear: it has all been deserved. Jake Moody has been shaky ever since he was drafted, and his misses have made life tougher for the 49ers. The team brought Greg Joseph in to compete with him this offseason. However, he wasn’t an upgrade and was subsequently released. HC Kyle Shanahan insisted that the position was not settled, but Moody became the only kicker on the roster. This week, his second FG attempt against Las Vegas sailed wide left. Though it was a 53-yard attempt, it showcased the same problem. When needed most, Moody came up short (not literally).

From then on though, Moody was money. All four of SF’s second-half drives ended in FG attempts, and Moody converted each of them. Finishing 5/6 was highly encouraging, but he saved his best for last. With the game tied at 19, the 49ers intercepted a pass at the LV 41 with 13 seconds left. Two incompletions later, Moody buried a walk-off 59-yard FG to earn the victory. Had this been a regular-season game, the kick would’ve been a career-long for the maligned kicker. Beyond the length, Moody showed that he could deliver in the clutch. Perhaps that will be the kick that solidifies his standing within the organization.

Rookie Watch

We begin this week’s rookie section with the QBs, where we once again saw mixed results. Tennessee’s Cam Ward got off to a great start with a 35-yard strike to fellow rookie WR Elic Ayomanor. However, he completed just one more pass on the day and finished 2/7 for 42 yards. The Titans scored no offensive points while the #1 pick was in the game, and he seemed a bit out of sync with his receivers. On the positive side, Ward’s arm talent popped off the screen, and timing is something that can be fixed. The important part is that he made good decisions with the football and didn’t make any critical mistakes.

Fellow first-rounder Jaxson Dart of the Giants had a much better day. Despite having his stats fluffed with a 30-yard screen (during a Russell Wilson drive for some odd reason), he looked sharp, going 14/16 for 137 yards, a TD, and a rushing score. He was very much in rhythm, and he looks ready to start now. However, I love that HC Brian Daboll is not changing his plans. Letting Dart sit and learn is working well so far, and I’d hate that to get messed up. The other positive rookie QB performance came from Miami’s Quinn Ewers (11/17, 116 yards, 2 TDs), who rebounded from a disastrous outing to lead a comeback in a win over Detroit.

The other two rookie QB performances were far less encouraging. Cleveland’s Dillon Gabriel got the same opportunity Shedeur Sanders had last week, with the latter missing this game with an oblique injury. Gabriel (13/18, 143 yards) made some nice throws, but he made two critical errors: a fumble on a strip sack and a pick six. I’d give Sanders the edge among the Browns’ rookies. New Orleans’ Tyler Shough (9/12, 66 yards) was alright but didn’t lead to many points. He and Spencer Rattler are basically tied in this QB competition, but it’s not because they’re both balling out. Neither one seems like a surefire starter.

Elsewhere around the league, the Dolphins-Lions game had numerous offensive rookie standouts. Two Lions receivers, Jackson Meeks (7/93/1) and Isaac TeSlaa (4/41/1), both starred. The former is interestingly the nephew of former Lion Za’Darius Smith, but Detroit is so deep at WR that he may not make the roster. TeSlaa was a 3rd-round pick that got panned (I personally only critiqued the trade up to acquire him), but he has acquitted himself well thus far. Miami RB Ollie Gordon (10/50) and WR Theo Wease Jr (6/80/2) also had great games, with the latter now an important bruiser with Alexander Mattison done for the year.

At RB, Raiders’ 6th-overall pick Ashton Jeanty stated his arrival. He earned 33 hard yards and a score on 7 carries, showing off how hard he is to bring down. Seattle’s Damien Martinez (11/50/1) had the most production among the parade of Seahawks runners. He’s more of a depth piece, but his hard-charging style is intriguing. Pittsburgh’s Kaleb Johnson (11/50) did the same, but he may be a critical part of the offense (and a kick returner). Only one TE had a notable week, and that was Tennessee’s Gunnar Helm (4/48/1). After a poor 40 time tanked his stock, it was good to see him lead the team in receiving yards.

The WRs had a very nice week. Two of them, the Rams’ Brennan Presley (6/102) and the Chargers’ Tre Harris (6/85), went against each other. Harris, a second-round pick, needs to be productive right away. This was a good start. Denver’s Pat Bryant (4/70), considered a 3rd-round reach, played well too. NYG’s Beaux Collins had just one catch, but it was an 80-yard bomb that showed his speed. New England’s Efton Chism (6/71/1) shined again, and I think he locked up a roster spot. Finally, Chicago’s Luther Burden III (3/49) did well as a receiver, but I was super impressed by his blocking. That’s how you make a good impression.

Over on defense, two Eagles starred. First-round LB Jihaad Campbell (4 tackles, sack) demonstrated his do-everything ability. Second-round S Andrew Mukuba, viewed as a big reach, earned a 75-yard pick six and a fumble recovery. Never doubt GM Howie Roseman when it comes to drafting. Conversely, the rival Giants have made questionable draft choices. For example, they took OLB Abdul Carter 3rd overall instead of trading their pick when they already had a great edge rushing group. Carter had a rough game, most notably being stoned by Jets TE Stone Smartt while rushing the passer. His reaction was even weaker.

Moving on to the front seven, Dolphins DT Jordan Phillips earned 4 tackles and 1.5 sacks. The big man showed interior rushing ability that Miami hasn’t seen since Christian Wilkins. Broncos LB Jordan Turner also earned 1.5 sacks, but he tallied 3 QB hits, demonstrating even more consistent pressure. 49ers LB Nick Martin had a sack of his own, and he was very active in the run game, earning a team-high 6 tackles (2 for loss). Lastly, Pittsburgh’s first-rounder, DT Derrick Harmon, earned his first NFL sack. I bring him up because with veteran Cam Heyward holding in, Harmon may instantly become a highly important player.