American Football
2026 NFL preseason Week 1 recap: Mendoza, Love, Stribling shine
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Football is back! With every game streamed live and free on DAZN, 12 teams took to the field on the opening night of the NFL preseason, and there were takeaways aplenty.
While many veterans rested or played just a series or two, some still did enough to command our attention, and a handful of rookies made stellar debuts.
Here, DAZN News breaks down how Fernando Mendoza, Jeremiyah Love, De'Zhaun Stribling, and more stole the show in the early preseason Week 1 games.
Arizona Cardinals 27-14 Las Vegas Raiders
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Cousins and Mendoza shine
Kirk Cousins opened the scoring on the first drive of the night, capping off a ten-play, 68-yard drive with a 13-yard strike to tight end Michael Mayer.
But as efficient as Cousins was, the real story was Fernando Mendoza, who overcame his early struggles to finish 10-of-16 passing for 97 yards and a touchdown.
The Heisman winner found sixth-round rookie Malik Benson for 19 yards before marching the offense down the field and throwing a touchdown to Jack Bech.
Entertaining as it was, nothing we saw changes the fact that Cousins will start in Week 1, and Mendoza will take over down the stretch.
Jeremiyah Love starts slow, ends fast
Love's managed only eight yards on his first four carries, but before the half ended, he had broken off two big gains of 15, 8, 9, and 15 once again.
The Notre Dame product displayed many of the traits that made him the highest-drafted RB since Saquon Barkley in 2018, finishing with 11 carries for 58 yards and three catches for 14 more.
The Love-Tyler Allgeier backfield-by-committee talk might get a little quieter with more performances like these.
Washington gives Jeanty a real backup
Ashton Jeanty was out there for seven snaps to open the game, averaging over five yards on his three carries before giving way to speedster Mike Washington.
Washington followed up with 63 yards on six attempts, the bulk of it arriving on one 53-yard tear through the second level.
Every team needs a No. 2 back it can trust, and while it's too early to suggest Washington will be that guy, he certainly made a strong case.
Green Bay Packers 9-28 Pittsburgh Steelers
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Drew Allar and Kaden Wetjen emerge
Mike McCarthy's first game as Steelers head coach turned into something resembling a rout, and the story of the night belonged to a third-round rookie.
Drew Allar did not play until late in the third quarter, coming in as the third quarterback of the night, but he really looked the part.
His first pass went 74 yards, a slant to fellow rookie Kaden Wetjen that turned into a one-sided footrace, and he scored on the ground soon after.
Allar ended the night 10 of 13 for 154 yards, with two touchdown passes and a rushing score.
Cue the way-too-early talk of him becoming Aaron Rodgers' successor in 2026.
Germie Bernard makes his case
Rookie Germie Bernard showed out, corralling four of his five targets for 51 yards, one of which turned into a 25-yard gain after he spun through two defenders along the sideline.
The second-round pick has D.K. Metcalf and Michael Pittman ahead of him in the pecking order, neither of whom played, but his performance bodes well for the future.
Golden's role taking shape
With Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks no longer in town, much can be gleaned from Matthew Golden's snap count.
He did not miss a single snap in Green Bay's opening possession, all of them coming in standard personnel grouping.
You won't find him in the box score, but the mere fact that he didn't come off the field bodes well for his 2026 outlook.
Detroit Lions 14-16 Cincinnati Bengals
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Burrow tests a new look
Cincinnati wants to run more play action from under center this season, and the concerns about how that adjustment is going in camp didn't show up here.
He was sacked on one such play.
But otherwise, two of his five completions came after faking a handoff, and he finished 5-of-6 for 39 yards before he exited.
Blake Miller's first start at right tackle
Blake Miller, the 17th pick in this year's draft, made his debut at tackle and looked pretty steady.
Expected to start in Week 1 after the release of Taylor Decker, it's so far, so good for the Clemson product.
Isaac TeSlaa struggled
A catchable ball bounced off his hands and helmet before turning into an interception that ended a drive.
And a well-placed fourth-down throw from Luke Altmyer slipped through his hands two drives later, another chance gone.
It's too early to panic, but zero catches on three targets across 11 routes isn't the start TeSlaa needed if he is to work his way into Drew Petzing's plans.
Indianapolis Colts 13-13 New England Patriots
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A tie that came down to kickers
If a tie had to happen, at least it came in the preseason.
Indianapolis spent most of the first half pinned in their own territory, with four of their possessions ending in New England's favour.
The Patriots should have capitalised, but kicker Andy Borregales missed three of his five attempts, the last one sailing wide from 49 yards as the clock hit 13 seconds.
Spencer Shrader made the two that mattered for Indianapolis, capped by a 61-yard bomb to tie the game late.
Anthony Richardson's rocky return
Anthony Richardson had not played a snap since early last season, and he had to knock off some of the rust.
He finished 11-of-14 for 145 yards and added a rushing score, but also threw an interception and lost a fumble.
Shane Steichen said, "He did a lot of good things," but Richardson disagreed, telling reporters, "I don't even think I played that well, honestly."
Was this an audition for another team? Trade talk is swirling. In the meantime, and of course, Daniel Jones is locked in as QB1.
Colts' rookie defenders flash early
Bryce Boettcher looked the part on his debut, finishing with three tackles. A fast riser in training camp and tipped to start come Week 1, you could be forgiven for forgetting that he's a fourth-round rookie.
Caden Curry had arguably the better night of the two, finishing with a sack, a team-high five tackles, and two pass deflections.
He'll need plenty more performances like this if he is to crack the deep edge group, but it was a promising outing nonetheless.
Los Angeles Chargers 27-7 Houston Texans
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Amar Johnson steals the night
Justin Herbert and C.J. Stroud both sat this one out, which usually means a forgettable preseason opener. Instead, an undrafted running back turned it into the most entertaining game of the night.
Nobody outside of the Chargers' building was talking about Amar Johnson before yesterday, but he's certainly got everyone's attention now.
He capped a second-quarter drive with a seven-yard touchdown run, then turned a swing pass into a 55-yard sprint that set up a second score.
Two rushing touchdowns, a two-point conversion, and 68 yards on just two catches, all from a player who spent last year on the practice squad.
While it was fun to watch, the odds are stacked against him. Omarion Hampton, Keaton Mitchell, and Kimani Vidal will leave very few snaps for others.
Marlin Klein draws high praise from Ryans
Tight end Marlin Klein caught a nice ball over the middle for 31 yards on Houston's opening drive.
The German-born rookie didn't play much beyond that, but his performance still caught the attention of head coach DeMeco Ryans.
"I thought he really shined today," Ryans told reporters. "Everybody saw the pass that he caught.
"It's where I see him where he can excel for our offense and just open the offense. His catch radius is tough to guard."
Dalton Schultz figures to be TE1, but the second-rounder out of Michigan may not be far behind.
Tennessee Titans 19-13 San Francisco 49ers
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Stribling's breakout continues
De'Zhaun Stribling caught seven of eight targets for 62 yards, including a spectacular sideline grab made looking back over his own shoulder that set up San Francisco's only touchdown.
The rookie has enjoyed a standout camp, silencing the doubters who questioned the draft capital the 49ers invested in him in April.
With Ricky Pearsall out for the season and Christian Kirk banged up, the runway in front of Stribling only gets wider from here.
Saleh returns to his old building
Robert Saleh spent last season as San Francisco's defensive coordinator, and in this game he returned as Tennessee's head coach.
Winning a preseason game over his former team won't give Saleh much satisfaction, but he'll take the victory.
Ward struggles, Tate stays quiet
Cam Ward's endured an uneven night, going 5-of-12 for 57 yards and walking away with a meager 56.6 passer rating.
Carnell Tate's debut was even quieter, targeted twice and connected zero times.
Thursday was not the debut either player wanted, but there's plenty of time for the two to find their groove.
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