NFL news and notes: Week 3 preseason

On Saturday night, the third week of the NFL preseason continued. There was plenty both good and bad, especially from the quarterback spot. Let’s give a full rundown…

• The New York Jets are going to be picking first come April. New York did the right thing by tearing the team to the ground in a full-scale rebuild effort, but it’s going to be very ugly. Christian Hackenberg threw a pair of pick-sixes and while one of them wasn’t his fault, his overall play was hideous. The Jets were down 29-3 at halftime to the New York Giants. Enough said.

• In Houston, the Texans would love to start Deshaun Watson in Week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Unfortunately, that won’t be happening. There is no reason to panic in Houston about Watson, but the youngster clearly needs reps in practice and time to develop behind Tom Savage. The Texans were shut out 13-0 by the New Orleans Saints, while Watson completed just 11-of-21 throws for 116 yards and an interception.

• If the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are going to live up to their lofty expectations, Jameis Winston has to stop making dumb mistakes. Winston threw a horrendous interception in the end zone last week in Jacksonville, but was bailed out by a controversial call ruling the play dead. This weekend, Winston again fired into traffic in the red zone, and this time the interception stood. Cleveland Browns rookie safety Jabrill Peppers made him pay, helping Cleveland notch its third win of the preseason. Winston has ample talent, but he makes far too many mistakes for a quarterback with his abilities.

• The Los Angeles Chargers were dominant in the battle for L.A., handling the Rams with 21 first-quarter points. While the Chargers watched Philip Rivers go 6-of-6 for 85 yards and a touchdown, they also forced second-year quarterback Jared Goff into a bevy of errors. The Rams saw Goff throw an interception to Jason Verrett on a bad miss, and also witnessed him fumble the ball on a 75-yard scoop-and-score for Melvin Ingram.

• The Buffalo Bills have to be crossing their fingers with Tyrod Taylor. Taylor went down in the first quarter against the Baltimore Ravens with a concussion, obviously sidelining him the rest of the night. Taylor is now in concussion protocol and can’t play until cleared by the doctors. Without Taylor, Buffalo’s offense goes from bad to unwatchable, with the team already having traded Sammy Watkins while Anquan Boldin abruptly retired.

• Finally, the Denver Broncos have to be very concerned about their quarterback play. Trevor Siemian was rightfully named the starter after last weekend, but he struggled against the Green Bay Packers, completing 13-of-22 for 127 yards along with a bad interception. If the Broncos are going to compete in the AFC West, Siemian has to be much better.