American Football
NFL preseason Week 2: Five key storylines to watch
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We are approaching the halfway point of the NFL preseason, but there are still several debates left to settle.
Teams deciding on a QB, rookies standing out, starters returning to the field, and battles on the practice field have headlined this week in the NFL.
Here are five key things to look out for during the preseason Week 2 games, all of which are streaming live and free on DAZN.
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Colts QB2 battle: Riley Leonard vs. Anthony Richardson Sr.
Shane Steichen is still dabbing over Leonard and Richardson Sr. for the QB2 spot behind Daniel Jones.
"The guy that’s going to be most consistent is going to win that job," said Steichen.
"Those guys are battling. It’s back and forth right now. Obviously we will grade the tape, go through it and get better every day.”
The Colts announced that Leonard will start the first half against the Falcons on Saturday and Richardson Sr. will finish the second half.
Baker Mayfield, Justin Herbert among starters set to play
Starters across the league will have some playing time this weekend, with Mayfield set to start in Tampa against the Chiefs.
Herbert is the only other confirmed starting QB who will "play a series" against the 49ers.
Other teams like the Jaguars and the Lions announced that they will play some of their starters for a couple of plays.
"Not everybody will play. We are going to play a significant amount of starters. That's my plan right now," said Dan Campbell.
De'Zhaun Stribling, Drew Allar: Rookies out to prove a point
The rookies stole the spotlight during Week 1, and there is no reason why they won't do it again this week.
Out to prove he deserves the QB2 spot, Allar showed off last Thursday against the Packers with two TDs and 153 yards.
De'Zhaun Stribling has big shoes to fill as WR2 behind injured Mike Evans. The rookie displayed big potential against the Titans last week.
Another rookie standout was Ty Simpson, who threw for two TDs and 190 yards against the Chiefs.
Will the rookie be able to take the QB2 spot from Stetson Bennett?
Browns still debating over Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson
In what has been deemed an "unfair" battle for QB1 in Cleveland, Sanders and Watson will be out again on Saturday to fight for the spot.
Todd Monken announced that Sanders would start the game against the Bills, but there are doubts over whether both QBs are being given the same conditions, given that Sanders will play with different players than the ones Watson played with last weekend.
ESPN's Ben Solak sees this competition going one way, and it might be for the veteran QB.
Nick Cammett / Stringer
Will the joint practices drama carry onto the field?
Multiple practices around the country suffered from eventful encounters between teams or teammates, the biggest one being (at least) six physical altercations between the Cowboys and the Saints.
Dallas will face New Orleans at home next week for their last game of the preseason.
Bo Nix and teammate Malcom Roach were also part of a wrangle in practice, where the QB threw a ball at Roach after the latter let Nix get hit.
Later during practice, Nix also had an issue with Nik Bonitto, which resulted in a bigger fight between the team that left Calvin Trockmorton bleeding.
Bo Nix threw a pick, and a scrum started among the linemen.
Nix ran to the pile and grabbed Nik Bonitto by the leg, trying to pull him off the pile. Took a minute to separate the sides. Most heated I’ve seen in the Sean Payton era.
Calvin Throckmorton was bleeding.
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