NFL preseason winners, losers: Who hurt or helped their cause?

The NFL preseason concluded on August 29th with the Chicago Bears defeating the Tennessee Titans 24-15 in Nashville's Nissan Stadium. It was hard to glean much from the exhibition games, especially since some teams kept their best players out of them. However, there were some takeaways from the three-week period. The Dallas Cowboys, who reached the NFC Championship game last season, showed a revamped defense and a revamped offense capable of competing in the NFC.

Patrick Mahomes, who missed the 2025 season due to injury, is expected to start for the Kansas City Chiefs in their Monday Night opener. The Kansas City Chiefs have a strong chance to be the 2026 NFC champions, as they won all three of their preseason games, thanks to backup players. The Oakland Raiders' Fernando Mendoza, Rams' Ty Simpson, Arizona Cardinals' Carson Beck, Pittsburgh Steelers' Drew Allar, and New York Jets' Cade Klubnik all had impressive preseason performances.

The Cleveland Browns' rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders likely gets his first start of the 2026 season, making it a competitive rookie quarterback battle. On the other side, Deshaun Watson had a disappointing preseason, which could hurt his chances of finding a new home. Rookie quarterbacks other than Simpson generally struggled after their strong preseason performances.