Takeaways and schedule ahead of the 2023 NFL season

Week 2 of preseason games for the 2023 NFL season kicked off Thursday night with a matchup between the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns.

Not many starters saw action, though a couple of prospective Eagles defensive players were on the field for the Browns’ first couple of jacks.

It will be interesting to see if appetizer usage picks up this week. There are two games on Friday, 11 on Saturday and one each on Sunday and Monday. The Saturday roster has several interesting games, including Jacksonville in Detroit, Buffalo in Pittsburgh, and New England in Green Bay. Action ends Monday night on ESPN with Baltimore in Washington.

Here are the highlights from Thursday’s game, along with the rest of the Week 2 pre-season schedule.

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Thursday match

the Eagles: Linebacker Nakobe Dean offered some hope that the central defense is in good hands. One of the only starters to see action for Philadelphia was Dean, who made a turnover near the Eagles’ goal line when he shot downfield and hit linebacker John Kelly Jr., knocking the ball loose. Safety K’Von Wallace retrieved it for a Philly takeaway. The Eagles are facing linebacker uncertainty following the departures of starters TJ Edwards and Keizer White in free agency. Dean, a second-year out of Georgia player, is expected to secure linebacker MIKE’s spot, where he will be tasked with relaying calls and getting the defensive lineup. He’s been dealing with an ankle injury and has had a very quiet summer up to this point, but he showed some playmaking ability on Thursday that made him a star for the National Champion Bulldogs. – Tim McManus

Next match: vs. the Colts (8 p.m. ET, Thursday, Aug. 24)

Brown: Rookie quarterback Dorian Thompson Robinson continued his preseason form with another impressive performance against Philadelphia. Playing the first half in his first professional start, Robinson-Thompson completed 13 of 25 passes for 164 yards. He also rushed for 18 yards on four carries. The Browns drove on three carries inside the Philly 25-yard line. The former UCLA star has positioned himself to become Cleveland’s long-term backup QB to the future behind superstar Deshaun Watson. DTR will probably be the No. 3 QB this season behind Watson and Joshua Dobbs. But he is on track to become the No. 2 QB by 2024. – Jake Trotter

Next match: At Chiefs (1 p.m. ET Saturday, Aug. 26)

NFL preseason games on friday

Carolina Panthers at New York Giants: 7 p.m. ET, NFL Network

Cincinnati Bengals at Atlanta Falcons: 7:30 p.m. ET

NFL preseason games on Saturday

Jacksonville Jaguars at Detroit Lions: 1 p.m. EST, NFL Network

Miami Dolphins at Houston Texans: 4 p.m. ET, NFL Network

Buffalo Bills at Pittsburgh Steelers: 6:30 p.m. ET

Chicago Bears at Indianapolis Colts: 7 p.m. ET, NFL Network

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New York Jets: 7:30 p.m. ET

New England Patriots at Green Bay Packers: 8 p.m. ET

Tennessee Titans at Minnesota Vikings: 8 p.m. ET

Kansas City Chiefs at Arizona Cardinals: 8 p.m. ET

Denver Broncos at San Francisco 49ers: 8:30 p.m. ET

Las Vegas Raiders at Los Angeles Rams: 9 p.m. ET

Dallas Cowboys at Seattle Seahawks: 10 p.m. ET, NFL Network

NFL preseason game on Sunday

New Orleans Saints at Los Angeles Chargers: 7:05 p.m. ET, NFL Network

NFL preseason game on Monday

Baltimore Ravens at Washington Leaders: 8 p.m. EST, ESPN