NFL.com breaks down what you need to know from Week 1 of the 2021 ¹ú²úÍâÁ÷Íøpreseason. Catch up on each game's biggest takeaways using the links below:
1) After going unselected in the 2021 ¹ú²úÍâÁ÷ÍøDraft, kicker Quinn Nordin said he started looking for jobs on LinkedIn. He might be earning himself a pretty good one with the Patriots. Nordin connected on three field goals in Thursday's preseason opener against the Washington Football Team, including a 50-yarder. It's the latest of several good days from the Michigan product this preseason. He's now reportedly made all 17 of his FG attempts at Gillette Stadium over the past week, though he missed a late PAT versus WFT. Veteran Nick Folk is coming off one of the better seasons of his long career. But he hasn't been participating in training camp for undisclosed reasons. Nordin is giving New England reason to reconsider its starting PK job.
2) The last time we saw Taylor Heinicke, he was making a game out of Washington's wild-card clash with the eventual champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Grizzled vet Ryan Fitzpatrick, of course, has never appeared in a postseason game. The latter quarterback is considered the front-runner in what Ron Rivera has said is an open battle. Neither won the job in Thursday's preseason opener. Fitzpatrick led the first two drives and sandwiched a pretty 24-yard strike to tight end Logan Thomas with short completions. It all amounted to a missed field goal. Heinecke moved the chains a bit more over three possessions, including an 11-yard pass on third-and-long to key Washington's first TD drive. He finished 9 of 15 for 86 yards. Fitz went 5 of 8 for 58 yards. Let the competition continue.
-- Adam Maya
1) The second act and second shot for Dwayne Haskins continued and offered up glimpses of his potential and reminders of his failings. A microcosm of the good, bad and ugly that's characterized his brief ¹ú²úÍâÁ÷Íøtenure came in the second half. On first-and-10 from the Eagles' 21-yard line, Haskins took a four-yard loss on a running play in which everyone was on the same page but the QB. After a short completion, he came back on third down, drew the Eagles offsides, scrambled and hit Anthony Johnson on a free play for a 22-yard touchdown. Haskins' accuracy, which has long been problematic, looked good, but the majority of his throws were short. In his second preseason outing for Pittsburgh, Haskins had an overall positive outing, completing 16 of 22 passes for 161 yards and a touchdown as he led four scoring drives. It was a step in the right direction in the rebuilding of the 2019 ¹ú²úÍâÁ÷ÍøDraft's 15th overall pick.
2) Believed by many to have played his last game in Philadelphia last season, Zach Ertz caught the first ball thrown by Jalen Hurts on Thursday night and caught the first pass of the Eagles' second drive. Dallas Goedert hauled in a 34-yard reception from Hurts on the opening drive, as well. Perhaps it's not all that unfathomable that Ertz (two catches on three targets for 20 yards) will still be on the Eagles' roster, as Howie Roseman prognosticated in July, in Week 1. And perhaps having the tight end tandem of Ertz and Goedert is best for Hurts as he finds his way in his second season.
-- Grant Gordon
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