Winners and losers from NFL preseason Week 2: Will Howard's mystique takes a hit

Week 2 of the NFL preseason has arrived, and with it, a new slate of exhibition games to help solidify roster projections. There are plenty of unsettled depth charts around the league, including QB battles in Cleveland and Las Vegas.

The team-wide outcomes don't really matter in the preseason, but how individuals perform does impact their status with a coach or GM. Whether it's fighting to become a starter or just to stay on the 53-man roster, these games make all the difference. Here's who won — and lost — the week.

Loser: Will Howard

One could reasonably also call this Drew Allar being a winner, but the bigger story is Will Howard and his performance against the Jets. After a stellar on-field debut for the Steelers last week alongside Allar, fans were hyped to see the fan-favorite Howard not only get on the field again, but to get a preseason start and hopefully continue to raise his stock.

That wasn't what happened, however. The Jets defense had the second-year passer in a blender in this game and the stat line reflected it. Yes, he ended up going 10-of-15 on the night, which isn't too shabby. However, so much of that was the checkdown game as he finished with just 74 yards passing. But the truly worrisome part was the two interceptions on the night for Howard — mind you, against a defense in name that didn't record an interception all of last season.

A young quarterback struggling in a preseason game isn't anything new. At the same time, Howard didn't play last preseason due to injury, so him coming out last week and playing with aplomb felt like it only caused his mystique to grow. After a performance like this one, that aura takes a hit. Fans will still be fans of him, but it's entirely possible that Allar now becomes the apple of the fanbase's eye when it comes to their franchise quarterback hopeful.

Winner: New York Jets defense

On the flip side of Howard is the Jets defense in this preseason game. After Aaron Glenn took a ton of heat last year with a defense that wasn't up to his standard, the unit looked legit against the Steelers. Obviously, we know it came against two quarterbacks who, despite their name-brand value, are ostensibly the third and fourth options on Pittsburgh's depth chart. But playing the hand they were dealt, it was quite impressive.

It's not a stretch to say that the Jets are still taking it slow on offense. After the dismal year that Geno Smith put forth last year in Las Vegas, it's hard to imagine New York bringing him back and expecting that he's going to be an All-Pro performer or anything close to that caliber of player. At the same time, this defense has seen a concentrated effort to be reshaped in Glenn's image with better depth and improved personnel from their trade deadline sell-off last season.

They looked the part against the Steelers, picking off Howard twice, recording four sacks on the night (one of which came from David Bailey, it should be said) and obviously pitching a shutout against Pittsburgh. We'll obviously need to see it carry into the season, but things felt like they're trending in the right direction decisively for the Jets defense.

Winner: Bo Nix

Playing for the first time since his season-ending ankle injury in last year's divisional round, Bo Nix looked like everything that Broncos fans could've hoped for in his limited action on Friday night against the Packers.

Nix played the first two drives of the game at the helm of Denver's offense and looked like he hadn't missed a beat. Not only did he spark excitement among Broncos fans with a long completion to newcomer Jayden Waddle, but he led the offense to 10 points in two drives to start the game as well. On the whole, he finished the night going 6-of-9 for 76 yards and one touchdown while not taking a sack and not turning the ball over.

Admittedly, the Packers defense is starting to worry me quite a bit at this point (and frankly, so is Green Bay as a whole), but to see Nix come back to game action for the first time since his injury and perform almost seamlessly is a huge box for Denver and head coach Sean Payton to check.

We saw that the ceiling is limited with Jarrett Stidham even in this preseason game. For a Broncos team with viable Super Bowl aspirations, they need Nix out there performing at a high level to realize those lofty goals. He looked well on track to being that in his debut for this year's slate of exhibition and proverbial "practice" games.

Loser: Fernando Mendoza

The reigning No. 1 overall pick got his first preseason start for the Raiders. He completed 8-of-15 passes for 86 yards and one touchdown. He also, on his third pass of the game, gave up an 80-yard pick six on an ugly throw over the middle. Mendoza was out of sync, a half-beat too slow, virtually all night. Houston's defense, even beyond the starters, can be unforgiving.

Mendoza was able to recover and lead the Raiders on a scoring drive, but Aidan O'Connell looked significantly more comfortable once he subbed in. Given the amount of O'Connell slander that has permeated Las Vegas over the past couple years, that is not the best sign for Mendoza.

It's never wise to panic about your rookie quarterback two weeks into the preseason, but the vibes coming out of Raiders training camp haven't been the best. There's a vast difference between college and NFL, and while Mendoza appeared to be in total command of the offense at Indiana, he won't have the same talent and play-calling advantages in the NFL.

Winners: CJ Stroud and Marlin Klein

There is obviously much less uncertainty around the Texans' quarterback room, as C.J. Stroud is locked as the Week 1 starter. He played briefly on Thursday, completing 4-of-6 passes for 27 yards and converting twice on third down. This could be Stroud's lone preseason appearance, but given all the criticism he faced after Houston's playoffs flameout, it's nice to see him look calm, collected and in control of the offense, even if he's just running point.

Marlin Klein, Houston's second-round pick out of Michigan, hauled in 3-of-4 targets for 31 yards, which led all Texans receivers. This comes on the heels of a solid preseason debut against the Chargers, in which he also led Houston's receiving room with 31 yards (all from one explosive catch).

Coming into camp, it felt like Klein was destined to spend his first year buried on the depth chart behind more experienced tight ends like Dalton Schultz and Foster Moreau. While Schultz will almost certainly maintain his TE1 designation, if Klein keeps breaking through with big plays — and timely plays — he's going to give Texans O.C. Nick Caley reason to promote him.

Loser: Mike McDaniel

The Chargers looked quite overmatched in their 41-17 loss to the 49ers. Again, preseason results are meant to be taken with a hefty grain of salt, but the process matters more, and the process from Los Angeles — particularly on offense — was not great.

Mike McDaniel was the most prized O.C. candidate in the NFL this offseason. His Dolphins tenure fizzled out and ended on negative terms, but he built some of the greatest regular season offenses in recent memory around Tua Tagovailoa. The idea of McDaniel calling plays for Justin Herbert was naturally very appealing.

It still is, but Herbert went three-and-out on his lone drive Thursday. From there, Trey Lance led a sloppy procession of penalties and stunted drives, with the Chargers going 1-for-8 on third downs in the first half. DJ Uiagalelei was, to his credit, pretty sharp as the third-stringer, but the L.A. offense was not very successful overall. McDaniel is installing a new scheme in a new environment, and it's a very complicated, particular scheme. So he clearly has some work left to do.

Winner: De'Zhaun Stribling

De'Zhaun Stribling has led the 49ers in receiving yards in each of their first two preseason games. He did have a bad drop on Thursday, but caught 4-of-5 targets for 46 yards — all in the first quarter. He's lightning-quick and running sharp routes, flashing a strong early connection with Mac Jones in particular.

The receiver room in San Francisco has been an open-ended question all summer, even after the Deebo Samuel reunion. There's some real talent between Mike Evans and Christian Kirk, but there are also injury concerns, especially since tight end George Kittle seems to be perpetually beat-up.

Stribling, a second-round pick out of Ole Miss, has the sort of complementary skill set and over-the-top speed to carve out a nice role for himself next to the more physical Evans. We all watched Deebo struggle in Washington last season, so even in a more familiar offense, it's fair to question how much he has left in the tank. Buy your Stribling stock while it's still available.

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