It's not like we haven't seen Jordan Love play a lot in the preseason before. However, this preseason is a lot different.
There's much more pressure on Love to perform, as the 2020 first-round pick takes over the Green Bay Packers' starting quarterback job from Aaron Rodgers. The Packers don't normally play starters in the preseason but will this year, mostly to get Love as comfortable as possible before the season opener.
The first look at Love as the Packers' preferred starter wasn't perfect, but it was pretty good.
Love led a short touchdown drive against the Cincinnati Bengals, capped by a nice play-action pass to Romeo Doubs in the end zone. Love played two series and took a seat. He finished 7-of-10 for 46 yards and that touchdown to Doubs.
Most of Love's attempts were short, quick throws, but he did well getting the ball to his playmakers. His one deep shot was to Christian Watson, and might have been a tick late as Bengals safety Dax Hill was able to drift over and break it up.
Love also badly missed wide-open rookie tight end Luke Musgrave on a third-down pass on Green Bay's first possession, and that can't happen in the regular season. It will be a teaching moment.
The rest of Love's outing was positive. He looked in control, making quick decisions on his short passes. The Packers used a lot of play action, and Love looked comfortable on those plays. His touchdown to Doubs had great touch, as he lofted the pass to Doubs against man coverage. You'd like to see more yards per attempt from Love, but overall it was a good first preseason performance.
The reports on Love in training camp and joint practices against the Bengals have been mostly positive. He's mostly an unknown as he takes over the Packers' QB job from a legend. If he plays like he did in his brief outing at Cincinnati, the Packers' transition might not be so bad.
Spotlight team: Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers had to be thrilled with how the first-team offense looked to start their preseason opener.
On the first drive for the offense, second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett was sharp. He was 6-of-7 for 70 yards and a touchdown. He looked good rolling left and hitting Diontae Johnson for a first down. He made a nice throw to George Pickens, who broke through the defense and ran the rest of the way on a 33-yard touchdown. That was it for Pickett on Friday.
It’s a big year for Pickett, who mostly struggled as a rookie but also had some very good moments. The Steelers want to see him look more comfortable and be more consistent this season. Having Pickens, a highlight reel receiver, and other top targets should help. The first glimpse of Pickett in the preseason was promising. If that’s a sign of things to come, Pickett might be in for a very nice growth season.
Standout player: Baker Mayfield
Mayfield is battling for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' starting quarterback job, and while his first preseason game wasn't great, it ended on a very good note.
Mayfield was content keeping mostly everything short and safe early on, sometimes due to pressure from the Pittsburgh Steelers. That worked for a touchdown drive that concluded with a great pass from Mayfield to Trey Palmer in the back of the end zone. Palmer deftly got his feet in bounds for the score, a nice statement for Mayfield in his competition with Kyle Trask.
Mayfield looked downfield a little more after the touchdown pass, perhaps with more confidence after his TD throw. A 19-yard gain to Palmer was brought back due to offensive pass interference. Then Mayfield hit Kaylon Geiger for 20 yards. Mayfield's night ended with him completing 8-of-9 passes for 63 yards. Mayfield probably didn't win the quarterback competition with his performance Friday, but it was a good first step for him.
Other games
Washington Commanders at Cleveland Browns: The start of the game was delayed by bad weather. Both teams planned to use starters to begin the game.
New York Giants at Detroit Lions: Rookie first-round running back Jahmyr Gibbs made his preseason debut for the Lions. Gibbs played in the first quarter and had 19 yards on six carries, and also made a nice catch on an 18-yard gain. Overall it was a solid preseason debut for the 12th pick of the draft.
Atlanta Falcons at Miami Dolphins: The most intriguing player in Friday's game might have been Dolphins rookie running back Devon Achane, who has been getting a lot of camp buzz. He didn't do anything to move up the depth chart on Friday, with 20 yards on eight carries in the first half and a carry that lost a yard on third-and-2 near the goal line. He did have an 11-yard catch. The Dolphins haven't invested much in the running back position and Achane could emerge with a big role, and he has a couple more preseason games to make an impression.
Denver Broncos at Arizona Cardinals: The Broncos were expected to use their starters, which is the opposite of what Nathaniel Hackett did last preseason. The Cardinals planned to use some starters, and new coach Jonathan Gannon was hoping to get a win, saying "Every time you strap it up and go in between the white lines, you want to win the game, so that's always the No. 1 goal," Gannon said, via Cards Wire.
Final thoughts
• The Dolphins didn't play anyone of note in Friday's preseason opener.
There was a thought that maybe the Dolphins would get some starters a little time in the first preseason game, especially on defense due to a scheme change with new coordinator Vic Fangio, but Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel sat his players like he did in the preseason opener last year.
• The Bengals need some running back depth after Joe Mixon, and Chris Evans had an explosive run against the Packers. Evans broke a 33-yard run in the second quarter. Evans is in his third season and has been mostly used as a pass catcher, but if he can prove himself to be a capable runner, he could have a nice role behind Mixon.
• The Packers didn't invest much in the backup quarterback position after Jordan Love. Sean Clifford, a rookie fifth-round pick, is the presumed leader for the No. 2 job. Clifford had an up-and-down first half in relief of Love, leading a touchdown drive but then throwing a horrific pick-six in the second quarter. The Packers might be in some trouble if Love misses time.