offGrid NFL - Five things we learned from NFL preseason Week One

1. Packers may surprise a few people this season

After a dominant victory over the Cincinnati Bengals this week, it’s clear to see that the Green Bay Packers depth is not as bad as everyone seems to have been making it out to be.

When @Packers HC Matt LaFleur turned on Friday's tape, he saw the team playing differently than he's ever seen before.

"There was a different play style than we've seen maybe here in the past. I really thought these guys were attacking it the right way, really in every phase." pic.twitter.com/NcfevbJPRC
— John Miller (@JohnMillerNBC26) August 13, 2023

Jordan Love was impressive, almost perfect in everything and has shown he can go on to do more. While it’s still early days, the more games he plays the better he will become, and Love could definitely prove to be a problem for the NFC North rivals. If the defense can come together and Love gets the support he needs to develop, the Packers could be a dark horse playoff contending team come the end of the year.

2. Nathan Rourke looks a talented Quarterback

After the Jacksonville Jaguars defeated the Dallas Cowboys 28-23, many people weren’t just talking about the win. The potential of former CFL quarterback Nathan Rourke stood out for all to see, including the viral play where he literally fended off half of the Cowboys defense before being able to throw a touchdown pass from a squatting position as he was being pulled down.

Jaguars’ QB Nathan Rourke: pic.twitter.com/jNymKh8FMn
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 13, 2023

Rourke completed 9 passes on 17 attempts for 153 yards and a touchdown on that play. He ended with a 103.3 passer rating, and a lot of admirers from his performance.

3. No need to panic on NFL rookie QBs

All eyes were on CJ Stroud, Anthony Richardson, Bryce Young, Will Levis, Max Duggan and Stetson Bennett this past weekend. They were all drafted this year and a lot of people are starting to count out the rookie quarterbacks already and it’s interesting to see.

Take a look at how the rookie QBs fared in Week 1 of the preseason. 👀 pic.twitter.com/BqZE4ECHV6
— theScore Bet (@theScoreBet) August 14, 2023

Stetson Bennett got the most reps out of all of them as he recorded 17 passes completed on 29 attempts for 191 yards and a touchdown. The other quarterbacks didn’t get enough time to prove themselves yet, so let’s give it time before we start counting them out.

4. The Browns must stay healthy if they want 2023 success

The past two weeks (or should I say two decades) the Cleveland Browns have had many inconveniences when it comes to injuries. Last week, it was noted two defensive ends were injured and could potentially miss the entire 2023 season. Now to start the week, the Browns are now out of two linebackers.

Browns’ linebacker Jacob Phillips, a former starter who finished last season on injured reserve due to a pectoral injury, will miss this season with a torn pec, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 12, 2023

What is going on with these players and their conditioning? I understand injuries happen but the Browns are supposed to be playoff contenders, these injuries are very effective and costly, they need to protect players as best as they can.

5. 49ers QB battle isn’t over yet…

With the San Francisco 49ers coming off of a troubling loss to the Raiders, it’s safe to say the 49ers still don’t have a solid conclusion to a starting quarterback dilemma. Trey Lance had a few hiccups but he played solid, Sam Darnold had a some dots, while Brock Purdy didn’t play.

"I don't think Trey Lance can play in Kyle Shanahan's offense. I've seen enough."

👀 @danorlovsky7 pic.twitter.com/pSMxcTg2Gi
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) August 14, 2023

Next week, Purdy should play a few snaps just to see where they are at, but so far, Trey Lance seems like the go to man. There is no solid conclusion yet, but time will tell when the 49ers can decide their starter.