NFL preseason Week 1 scores, highlights: Bryce Young makes NFL debut, Cowboys intercept Trevor Lawrence early

The NFL’s first full weekend of preseason games is underway. There are six games on tap for Saturday that include the highly anticipated debuts of rookie quarterbacks Anthony Richardson and Bryce Young. 

There were several interesting takeaways from Friday’s games. Kenny Pickett and the Steelers offense scored with little difficulty on their only drive against the Buccaneers. Jordan Love threw a touchdown and enjoyed a successful outing in Cincinnati. Commanders quarterback Sam Howell also looked sharp against the Browns. And while he struggled early, Russell Wilson did throw a touchdown pass to Jerry Jeudy on his fourth and final possession in Arizona. 

You can find their highlights (and others) below as we track every notable play and performance from the NFL’s opening week of the preseason. We’ll be adding highlights all weekend, so be sure to check back in throughout the weekend to catch all the latest updates. 

Schedule

Thursday

Texans 20, Patriots 9 (Takeaways)
Seahawks 24, Vikings 13 (Takeaways)

Friday

Packers 36, Bengals 19 (Recap)
Falcons 19, Dolphins 3 (Recap)
Lions 21, Giants 16 (Recap)
Steelers 27, Buccaneers 17 (Takeaways)
Commanders 17, Browns 15 (Recap)
Cardinals 18, Broncos 17 (Recap)

Saturday

Bills 23, Colts 19 (Recap)
Bears 23, Titans 17 (Recap)
Jets 27, Panthers 0 (Recap)
Jaguars at Cowboys, 5 p.m. ET (Gametracker)
Eagles at Ravens, 7 p.m. ET | TV: NFLN (Gametracker)
Chargers at Rams, 9 p.m. ET | TV: NFLN (Preview)

Sunday

Chiefs at Saints, 1 p.m. ET | TV: NFLN (Preview)
49ers at Raiders, 4 p.m. ET | TV: NFLN (Preview)

Jalen Tolbert gets the Cowboys on the board

The Cowboys turned the ball over twice in the first half of their preseason matchup against Jacksonville, including once on the goal line, but Will Grier orchestrated a 12-play, 63-yard scoring drive just before the halftime break to get Dallas on the board.

Grier found second-year wideout Jalen Tolbert wide open in the middle of the field, and he waltzed in for the 17-yard score with just 13 seconds remaining before halftime. 

Jacob Harris diving, 42-yard catch

Well this is certainly one way to make the roster. Former Rams tight end/wide receiver Jacob Harris made a 42-yard diving catch off of a throw from C.J. Beathard that you absolutely need to see. 

Thanks to this massive play, the Jags were able to extend their lead over the Cowboys to double digits three plays later. 

Trevor Lawrence intercepted on Jags’ first drive

After going from worst to first in the AFC South last year, Trevor Lawrence and the Jags are the favorites to again win the division in 2023. The third-year quarterback is seen as a potential dark-horse MVP candidate, but he did not begin the preseason the right way.

On the second play from scrimmage against the Cowboys, Lawrence tried to force a throw downfield, and was picked off by Juanyeh Thomas. 

Lawrence made up for the turnover on his third and final drive with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Christian Kirk.

Bryce Young makes NFL debut

The Panthers traded for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft this offseason, and they used that No. 1 overall pick on quarterback Bryce Young out of Alabama. In his first preseason action, he played just three series while Carolina went 0-for-3 on third downs and punted thrice. 

In all, Young completed 4 of 6 passes for 21 yards, and was sacked once. He took a couple of shots in the pocket, but got up each time. 

Barkley balls out 

Matt Barkley must have thought he was back at USC on Saturday. The former Trojans standout had himself a day that included touchdown passes to Tyrell Shavens and Dezmon Patmon. An 11-year veteran, Barkley completed 12 of his first 13 throws for 153 yards. 

What a Rush: Colts rookie records a pick six  

Colts rookie cornerback Darius Rush‘ NFL debut included a 52-yard pick six of Bills backup quarterback Kyle Allen. 

Richardson picked on third career pass 

Colts rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson’s first NFL pass was a 15-yard completion to former Bill Isaiah McKenzie. His third pass, however, was picked off by Bills cornerback Dane Jackson. The pick set up James Cooks’ 8-yard touchdown run (that you can see below) three plays later. The No. 4 overall pick finished his afternoon 7-for-12 passing for 67 yards. He was sacked once and rushed for 7 yards on two carries.

Big-play Bears 

On his first play as a Bear, DJ Moore scored on a 62-yard pass from Justin Fields. A former first-round pick who has three 1,000-yard seasons to his credit, Moore was traded to Chicago as part of the deal that gave the Panthers the No. 1 overall pick in April’s draft — which turned out to be Bryce Young.

The Bears’ big-play offense struck again on its next drive, as Fields beat the Titans’ blitz before hitting Khalil Herbert on a 56-yard touchdown. 

Malik scampers for six 

Facing the Bears in Chicago, Titans quarterback Malik Willis capped off the game’s first drive with a 2-yard touchdown run that included his impressive juke of Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards. The score capped off a 12-play drive that included a 30-yard completion from Willis to Chris Moore. 

Cardinals rally to win 

Down 17-10, the Cardinals drove 75 yards in the game’s final 90 seconds. Arizona got to within a point of the Broncos when David Blough hit rookie Brian Cobbs for an 18-yard score. Instead of settling for a tie, Arizona won the game when another rookie, running back Emari Demercado, rumbled into the end zone on the Cardinals’ two-point try. 

Browns rookie QB strikes again 

A week after his impressive debut in the Hall of Fame game, Browns rookie quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson had another strong performance Friday night against the Commanders. He completed 9 of his first 10 throws that included his seven-yard touchdown to David Bell. 

Russ salvages 2023 debut

After a rocky start, Russell Wilson got the Broncos on the board on a 21-yard strike to Jerry Jeudy with under seven minutes left in the first half of Denver’s game against Arizona. 

Punt return TD

Dodging tackles, Falcons’ cornerback Dee Alford ran 79 yards to the end zone for the punt return score. Atlanta went on to beat Miami, 19-3. 

Wilson has wheels

Packers’ Emanuel Wilson beats Bengals’ Larry Brooks and used his speed to take it to the house.

Pick-6

Dolphins quarterback Skylar Thompson’s pass was tipped by wide receiver Chris Coleman and into the hands of Falcons defensive back Breon Borders, who ran it back for six.

Howell to Dotson

Jahan Dotson put the Commanders on the board with a touchdown pass from quarterback Sam Howell. As both players enter their second year in the league, they are showing promise for the future.

Browns safety

Safeties in the NFL don’t happen too often, but isn’t it fun when they do?! This one came from a penalty in the end zone. A holding call on Commanders’ Andrew Wylie put two on the board for the Browns.

Austin making plays

Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph and wide receiver Calvin Austin III connected for a 67-yard touchdown. Austin missed his rookie season with an injury, but has impressed so far in training camp. He continued rolling with a big play Friday night.

Interception x2

Tycen Anderson has Packers’ quarterback Sean Clifford’s number. The second-year Bengals safety intercepted Clifford twice in the first half. 

Here is a look at his first pick, which he turned into a touchdown return.

95-yard return

Maurice Alexander took it 95 yards to the house and made it look easy, giving the Lions the first touchdown of the game.

Bobbling INT

What a PLAY. Zyon McCollum picked off quarterback Mitch Trubisky’s pass intended for wide receiver Cody White. Excellent coverage and staying with the ball off a bounce allowed the second-year cornerback to make the interception. 

Baker cooks

Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield had a very small window to put the ball, and rookie Trey Palmer brought the pass in and got both feet down in the back of the end zone to put Tampa Bay on the board.

Love TD

Packers quarterback Jordon Love’s night is now over, but before he exited the team’s first preseason game he found the end zone. Love threw his first TD as Green Bay’s starter with a toss to Romeo Doubs in the first quarter.

Branch shows off

Brian Branch was expected by many to be a first-rounder this past April, but fell to the second and was taken No. 45 overall by the Detroit Lions. He made his presence known against the New York Giants, slamming Cole Beasley to the ground.

Drop by Williams

Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams has struggled with drops during training camp, and it was more of the same in the team’s first preseason game. Williams beat the defender to the ball, but couldn’t haul it in for a big gain.

Pickett to Pickens 

Kenny Pickett started his first game of the year off strong. In the team’s first preseason contest, he connected with George Pickens for a 32-yard touchdown.

Pickett went 6-for-7 for 70 yards on the scoring drive.

Watson DENIED

Jordan Love was looking to find wide receiver Christian Watson, but Daxton Hill was not having it. Hill got in the way and batted the ball down right before Watson could make any attempt to make a catch.