NFL preseason Week 2 of 2026 is complete, with 16 games played from Thursday through Sunday. The weekend produced six wins by at least 20 points, two shutouts and three games decided by four points or fewer. San Francisco posted the highest total in a 41-17 win over the Chargers, while the Rams delivered the largest shutout, 34-0 over New Orleans. Tennessee closed the slate by beating Seattle 19-16. Those are useful results, but they are not regular-season records: preseason wins and losses do not carry into the standings. The more durable story is what each game revealed about protection, backup quarterbacks, young pass catchers and players trying to earn the last roster places.
Complete NFL Preseason Week 2 2026 results by day
Here are all the final scores, arranged in the order the slate unfolded. This is a results snapshot, not a replacement for the dedicated NFL preseason Week 2 schedule and game view, which is the better destination when you need the week in schedule format.
| Day | Final result |
|---|---|
| Thursday | Raiders 22, Texans 20 |
| Thursday | 49ers 41, Chargers 17 |
| Friday | Jets 17, Steelers 0 |
| Friday | Panthers 34, Jaguars 17 |
| Friday | Packers 33, Broncos 13 |
| Saturday | Lions 17, Commanders 13 |
| Saturday | Bills 31, Browns 7 |
| Saturday | Falcons 34, Colts 6 |
| Saturday | Ravens 13, Vikings 3 |
| Saturday | Rams 34, Saints 0 |
| Saturday | Giants 26, Dolphins 3 |
| Saturday | Bengals 27, Bears 9 |
| Saturday | Patriots 24, Eagles 21 |
| Saturday | Buccaneers 16, Chiefs 15 |
| Saturday | Cowboys 34, Cardinals 13 |
| Sunday | Titans 19, Seahawks 16 |
The distribution matters. Saturday supplied ten of the 16 games, so a league-wide impression based on one early window can be misleading. A 30-point win may have come largely against reserves, while a losing team may still have received the one clean starting-series result it wanted. The sections below therefore treat the scoreboard as the index and the individual reps as the evidence.
Thursday: Houston tests Fernando Mendoza, while San Francisco's young weapons surge
Raiders 22, Texans 20: The comeback did not erase the pressure problem
Las Vegas recovered from a 20-3 halftime deficit, and Aidan O'Connell completed a 96-yard late drive with a one-yard touchdown run with 14 seconds remaining. That finish showed useful composure from the Raiders' reserves. For the long-term evaluation, however, Fernando Mendoza's first half was the more important tape.
The No. 1 overall pick completed 8 of 15 passes for 86 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. He was hit five times, pressured on 37.5% of his dropbacks and sacked once while playing behind a line that did not include the regular starters. Houston linebacker Wade Woodaz converted the interception into an 80-yard touchdown. The play was a costly decision, but it would be too simple to reduce Mendoza's night to the pick-six. The recurring pressure limited the structure of the offense and made it harder to determine whether an unsuccessful rep belonged primarily to the quarterback, the protection or the route timing.
The practical Raiders takeaway is twofold. Mendoza must speed up his answers when the pocket collapses, and Las Vegas must avoid treating a rookie quarterback's preseason exposure as useful merely because it supplies more snaps. Repetition helps only when the unit can execute the assignment well enough to make the evaluation fair.
49ers 41, Chargers 17: Opportunity meets repeatable production
San Francisco's score was emphatic, but De'Zhaun Stribling's usage carried more predictive value than the margin. The rookie caught four passes for 46 yards on five targets in only 14 snaps. Three of those receptions came from Brock Purdy on the opening drive, a meaningful detail because it showed Stribling fitting into a starting-quarterback sequence rather than accumulating every yard late against deep reserves. He had already produced seven catches for 63 yards in Week 1.
Stribling did drop a deep throw later, so the tape was not spotless. Still, consecutive productive games and immediate involvement with Purdy strengthened the case that his skill set can translate across lineup groups. Jacob Cowing added a different kind of roster value with an 83-yard punt-return touchdown. For a player competing near the bottom of a receiver room, a game-changing special-teams contribution can be as important as another catch. San Francisco learned more from those defined roles than it did from reaching 41 points.
Friday: Clean starter reps matter more than the final margins
Jets 17, Steelers 0: One possession gives New York a usable answer
Geno Smith played one series and made it count. He finished 7 of 7 to six different targets, accounting for 65 of the yards on a 10-play, 69-yard touchdown drive. The distribution was as encouraging as the completion rate: a scripted opening possession is more valuable when the quarterback shows he can find the correct answer rather than force the ball to one featured receiver.
Pittsburgh's offensive-line tape was harder to dismiss. Broderick Jones was charged in the NFL recap with five pressures and two sacks allowed, leaving him with seven pressures and three sacks over 102 preseason snaps through two games. Preseason protection statistics can depend on assignment and quarterback timing, but repeated losses across a large workload deserve attention. The Jets' shutout will disappear from the standings; the Steelers still must decide whether Jones's volume is producing progress.
Panthers 34, Jaguars 17: Carolina gets the sequence it needed
Carolina's starting offense did not score on its first possession. On the second, it traveled 58 yards in seven plays. Jonathon Brooks began the drive with an 11-yard run and finished it with a one-yard touchdown, while Bryce Young connected with Tetairoa McMillan for gains of 17 and eight yards as the field compressed. That sequence mattered because it linked early-down movement, quarterback rhythm and goal-line execution in one possession.
The opposition caveat is essential: Jacksonville rested its starters. Carolina can bank the execution without treating it as proof that the offense will move the same way against a first-unit defense. On the Jaguars' side, Ameer Abdullah made an efficient depth-chart case with 45 yards on six carries and three receptions for 37 yards. The veteran displayed both rushing and receiving utility in a game that was stopped with two minutes remaining because of severe weather. His 82 scrimmage yards say more about a possible backup role than Jacksonville's 17-point loss says about the team.
Packers 33, Broncos 13: Two starting quarterbacks complete different assignments
Jordan Love's opening drive was untidy in a productive way. Green Bay navigated penalties, a reviewed fumble and a fourth-down situation before Love found MarShawn Lloyd for an 11-yard touchdown. Love completed 5 of 7 passes for 56 yards on the 12-play series. For a veteran starter, handling disrupted down-and-distance situations without giving the ball away was a more useful rehearsal than chasing another empty-field drive.
Bo Nix had a different goal: return to game action safely after the ankle injury that ended his previous season. He went 6 of 9 for 76 yards across two scoring possessions, including a 21-yard touchdown to RJ Harvey, and left the game healthy. Denver lost by 20 after the lineup changed, but the first-team evaluation was considerably better than the final score suggests. Friday repeatedly made the same point: isolate who played, against whom, for how long and with what assignment before drawing a conclusion from the margin.
Saturday afternoon: Defensive depth turns close auditions into lopsided scores
The seven early and middle-window games produced five victories by double digits. The common thread was not simply superior offense. Pressure, takeaways and the ability of reserve units to avoid drive-killing errors repeatedly widened the margins.
Quarterback evaluations require the pressure column
Detroit's 17-13 win over Washington gave both teams more questions than certainty. Jayden Daniels played only three snaps and faced pressure on his first two, too little work to support a meaningful offensive verdict. Lions backup candidates Joshua Dobbs and Luke Altmyer supplied more evidence. Dobbs finished 7 of 12 for 74 yards and broke a 50-yard run, but also experienced a strip-sack and an interception amid inconsistent protection. Altmyer went 9 of 13 for 86 yards. The contrast left Detroit evaluating style and decision-making, not merely completion percentage.
Buffalo's 31-7 win created an even sharper Cleveland quarterback comparison. Shedeur Sanders completed his first eight passes, then finished 9 of 11 for 74 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Deshaun Watson went 5 of 12 for 34 yards and an interception across four drives. Those lines favored Sanders on the day, but the Browns also used different surrounding groups and saw both quarterbacks face Bills reserves. The responsible conclusion is that Sanders strengthened his case, not that one afternoon automatically settled the job. Damar Hamlin's tipped-ball interception and team-high five tackles showed why Buffalo's defensive-depth evaluation was equally significant.
Atlanta and Baltimore expose protection gaps
Atlanta beat Indianapolis 34-6 behind unusually stable reserve blocking. The Falcons allowed only one pressure over their first three drives and three in the first half. Tyler Goodson's 49-yard touchdown run made that trench advantage visible. Indianapolis received no comparable lift from its backup-quarterback competition: Riley Leonard went 7 of 14 for 62 yards, while Anthony Richardson completed 3 of 9 for 24. The result did not settle either roster, but it gave the Colts a clear Week 3 assignment?create simpler completions and demand faster decisions.
Baltimore's 13-3 win over Minnesota followed the same logic. J.J. McCarthy faced six pressures and one sack on 11 dropbacks. A 50-yard connection to Tai Felton demonstrated the explosive upside, but the rest of the passing sample was 4 of 9 for 31 yards. When nearly two-thirds of a small dropback sample is affected by pressure, separating quarterback execution from line performance becomes the first review task.
The other blowouts still produced individual evidence
Los Angeles shut out New Orleans 34-0 as Stetson Bennett led four first-half scoring drives of at least nine plays and scored twice on the ground. His 7-of-9, 102-yard performance on throws traveling 10 to 19 yards suggested repeatable intermediate control, while Alex Cook's 100-yard interception return illustrated how a single defensive play can distort a final margin. In the Giants' 26-3 win, Tyrone Tracy Jr. gained 26 yards on six carries but lost a fumble, making ball security the notable roster datum. Cincinnati's 27-9 win included rookie receiver Colbie Young turning eight targets into three catches for 48 yards and a touchdown. None of those snapshots guarantees a roster place. Each gives coaches a specific trait to verify again.
Saturday night: Joe Milton III and Behren Morton create the loudest roster tape
Cowboys 34, Cardinals 13: Milton turns tools into consecutive scores
Joe Milton III delivered the night's most forceful quarterback case. After Dallas's first possession ended on downs, he directed four consecutive scoring drives. Milton went 9 of 13 for 179 yards, two passing touchdowns and no interceptions, added a rushing score and produced a 151.4 passer rating. The explosive plays?a 53-yard touchdown to Jonathan Mingo and a 70-yard completion to Camden Brown?showed the arm talent everyone already associates with him. More important was converting those tools into sustained scoring possessions.
Sam Howell completed 7 of 10 passes for 65 yards but threw an interception in the end zone. That does not make the backup job official, yet the same-game comparison gave Dallas a clean piece of evidence: Milton created more points and avoided the negative turnover. Week 3 would need to test whether he can repeat the decision-making when the easy explosive throw is unavailable.
Patriots 24, Eagles 21: Morton proves that flexibility has real roster value
Behren Morton produced a rare two-position audition. The rookie quarterback completed 13 of 17 passes for 129 yards, then threw a 37-yard go-ahead touchdown with 57 seconds left. He also handled three punts for 133 total yards, with individual kicks of 48, 43 and 42 yards. New England is unlikely to design its season around a quarterback-punter, but emergency competence creates flexibility on a game-day roster. Morton's calm late drive supplied the more conventional quarterback evidence.
Philadelphia lost, but its reserve offensive line created movement in the running game. That is another reminder that a preseason result can contain positive unit tape for both sides: New England found late-game quarterback execution, while Philadelphia tested whether young blockers could sustain their assignments together.
Buccaneers 16, Chiefs 15: Small samples reward process, not conclusions
Tampa Bay gained only nine net yards and one first down over Baker Mayfield's two drives, but he worked without his starting left tackle and top four receivers. That context turns eight offensive plays into an exposure exercise, not a forecast. The Bucs' starting defense supplied the stronger unit result by forcing the Justin Fields-led offense into consecutive three-and-outs.
Kansas City's young defenders offered a useful lesson in evaluating plays beyond tackles and interceptions. First-round corner Mansoor Delane played only 11 snaps but influenced space and pursuit. Second-round edge R Mason Thomas registered four pressures in 14 snaps. Pressure rate and assignment integrity over such a small sample still require confirmation, yet they give coaches a precise reason to expand or vary the next audition.
Sunday finale: Tennessee wins, but Drew Lock produces Seattle's clearest signal
Tennessee owned the 19-16 final, yet Seattle's backup offense produced the most convincing sustained stretch. Drew Lock completed 12 of 14 passes for 103 yards and a touchdown, leading the Seahawks to points on three straight possessions against Tennessee's starting defense. The opening series covered 79 yards in seven plays and ended with a 36-yard play-action touchdown to Elijah Arroyo. That combination?efficiency, scoring continuity and work against a first unit?is precisely the context that makes preseason tape useful.
Cam Ward completed 8 of 12 passes for 69 yards without a touchdown or interception over three drives. His best gain was a 33-yard connection with Tony Pollard, but the offense gave him limited support: Ward was pressured four times, sacked once, and the Titans ran for only 10 yards during his series. Across two preseason appearances, he was 13 of 24 for 126 yards with no touchdown or interception, while six drives produced 10 points.
Those numbers point to an offense still building timing, not a finished judgment on Ward. Tennessee can identify specific problems?early-down efficiency, protection and complementary rushing?rather than ask its quarterback to solve every long-yardage situation. Seattle, meanwhile, can treat Lock's performance as evidence that the second unit can function if the starter is unavailable. The Sunday result is the week's cleanest example of why ?who won?? and ?who learned the most?? can have different answers.
NFL Preseason Week 2 stock report: Who helped or hurt a roster case?
This stock report is an editorial reading of Week 2 evidence, not an official depth chart or transaction list. A player can improve his case and still be cut because of positional numbers, special-teams needs, contracts or another club's available players.
- Stock up ? De'Zhaun Stribling: Production in consecutive games matters, and his early catches from Purdy showed that the 49ers could evaluate him within a higher-level offensive group.
- Stock up ? Joe Milton III: Four straight scoring drives, two explosive completions and no interception combined physical upside with the negative-play avoidance Dallas needed to see.
- Stock up ? Behren Morton: The late touchdown drive was the core quarterback proof. Three competent emergency punts added a second pathway to game-day usefulness.
- Stock up ? Ameer Abdullah and Atlanta's reserve line: Abdullah's 82 scrimmage yards demonstrated dual-purpose depth, while Atlanta's low pressure total made several other offensive evaluations possible.
- More evidence needed ? Pittsburgh's tackle plan: Five pressures and two sacks allowed in one game extended a two-week issue for Broderick Jones. The Steelers needed to identify whether technique, health, position or help rules could change the outcome.
- More evidence needed ? Indianapolis and New Orleans backup quarterbacks: Low completion output for the Colts and turnovers in the Saints' shutout raised the cost of the final audition. The job was to show dependable operation, not merely produce one spectacular throw.
The best way to use these labels is to ask whether the trait should travel. Route separation with different quarterbacks, protection recognition, ball security and special-teams execution are more transferable than a fourth-quarter touchdown against exhausted reserves. Fans following one club can use the NFL team schedule directory to pair this evaluation context with that team's next game.
What Week 2 means heading into Week 3 and roster cuts
Week 2 fed directly into a compressed final decision window. The official calendar placed the third preseason weekend on August 27-29, followed by the deadline to reduce rosters to a maximum of 53 players at 6 p.m. ET on August 30. Waiver claims were due the next day before clubs could establish practice squads. That sequence explains why a Week 2 performance could change a player's opportunity even though its result never affected the regular-season standings.
For coaches, the final test was rarely ?repeat the box score.? It was more specific:
- Repeat the winning trait. A receiver who separated needed to do it against a different coverage; a quarterback who hit explosives needed to operate when the defense removed the deep ball.
- Eliminate the damaging trait. Protection busts, late throws, fumbles and penalties carry more roster risk when they recur.
- Add a second role. Return coverage, emergency punting, multiple line positions and third-down receiving can decide the last few roster places.
- Finish available. The value of another exhibition rep disappears if unnecessary exposure compromises readiness for the regular season.
The completed NFL preseason Week 3 page provides the next game-by-game layer, while the team schedule hub carries each club into the regular season. Because times, statuses and data can change, the site's schedule data status page is the right checkpoint for current listings. Week 2's lasting lesson is simple: final scores tell you where to look; role-specific, repeatable execution tells you what might last.
Comments