We are officially in the final week of the preseason and NFC rosters are starting to take greater shape with each joint practice and preseason rep. Naturally, winners and losers will be involved as this process continues.

So, with that being said, let’s go ahead and dive in and discuss who showed up and who didn’t over the weekend.

Arizona Cardinals

Winner: WR Simi Fehoko
Loser: Cardinals’ discipline
The take: There’s a lot of competition in the Cardinals receiver room and Fehoko stood out against the Cowboys, logging two receptions for 47 yards on three targets. The stat line included an impressive 37-yard catch.

Through training camp and the preseason, the Cardinals certainly look like a team trying to find its way under a new head coach. They’ve just been sloppy when it comes to penalties and the overall operations on both sides of the ball.

Atlanta Falcons

Winner: QBs not named Tua Tagovailoa
Loser: OLB Azeez Ojulari
The take: Neither Tagovailoa nor Michael Penix Jr. played against the Colts, which paved the way for Cooper Rush and Jack Strand to have big days. Both guys combined for a 22-of-28 completion rate that amounted to 297 total passing yards and a passing touchdown. And on top of that, Penix Jr. was cleared for 11-on-11s, so even he scored a win over the weekend.

You would’ve barely noticed Ojulari was on the field if it weren’t for the Falcons’ desperate need to find a pass rusher to rely on after the Jalon Walker injury/James Pearce suspension.

Carolina Panthers

Winner: RB Jonathan Brooks
Loser: WR David Moore
The take: Last week against the Buffalo Bills, running back Jonathon Brooks played in an NFL game for the first time since tearing his ACL in 2024. On Friday, Brooks scored his first career NFL touchdown, a significant milestone for him after everything he’s been through. Brooks still had a light workload against the Jacksonville Jaguars and it’s hard to tell if he’s fully ready for a full game come Week 1. However, with a player like this and everything he’s gone through, you have to celebrate all of the little victories.

David Moore has been one of Dave Canales’ most trusted players going back to their days in Seattle and Tampa Bay. He has been a roster lock every year in Carolina thanks to that connection, but things might finally change this year. Even after the Chris Brazzell II injury, the Panthers have solid depth at the wide receiver position. Ja’seem Reed is locked into a roster spot and the final spot as the WR6 is easily going to come down to Jimmy Horn Jr. or John Metchie III after Friday’s game, which means Canales might finally be forced to make a tough decision with his favorite veteran.

Chicago Bears

Winner: DT Jordan van den Berg
Loser: LT Braxton Jones
The take: The rookie sixth-round defensive tackle was the best player on the field for the Bears for the second consecutive week. Jordan van den Berg had two pressures, three tackles, and two stops in the run game. Those numbers alone don’t do enough justice to how consistently he pushed the pocket in both phases and the motor he played with. He was all over the field all night long. What makes this even more impressive is that van den Berg is still raw in his game. Yet, he’s dominating at the NFL level despite having significant room to grow. He’s going to push for real snaps on the Bears’ interior alongside Grady Jarrett and Gervon Dexter Sr.

Earlier this week, I felt the left tackle job was Braxton Jones’ to lose. He had the opportunity to solidify the starting role in this game and build cohesion with the rest of the starting offensive line heading into the regular season. Instead, he posted the lowest pass blocking grade on the entire team. The rest of the competition at left tackle didn’t inspire confidence either as the game went on. None of the four looked like a capable long-term answer, but Jones had the clearest path to the job and fell flat on Saturday.

Dallas Cowboys

Winner: LB Jaishawn Barham
Loser: QB Sam Howell
The take: The Cowboys third-round rookie looked like someone who can actually start at middle linebacker. That should go a long way for the defense.

Brian Schottenheimer says the Cowboys QB competition remains open but Joe Milton vastly outplayed Howell, who threw a red zone pick.

Detroit Lions

Winner: DE D.J. Wonnum
Loser: QB Joshua Dobbs
The take: Wonnum had a big night in what was his Lions debut. He had two sacks, even though only one of them counted. But he was able to show both pass-rush ability and run-stuffing ability and it didn’t require Aidan Hutchinson opening up opportunities for him.

It was already bad enough that Dobbs has essentially received zero reps at practice since signing, but it only got worse when he fumbled on his first dropback and threw an egregious interception on his second drive. The Lions are definitely going to go QB shopping soon.

Green Bay Packers

Winner: K Trey Smack
Loser: EDGE Barryn Sorrell
The take: The rookie sixth-round pick continued his dominant preseason with another convincing performance. Smack converted three field goals and two extra points in the first half alone, including a 59-yard field goal. Whether you agreed with the Packers spending draft capital on a kicker or not, Smack has been a revelation this preseason and is giving Green Bay legitimate hope that its long-running kicking issues are finally solved.

The former fourth-round pick from last year’s draft wasn’t able to generate much pressure against the Broncos, and Brenton Cox was arguably more effective as a pass rusher on the night. Without Micah Parsons available, Sorrell is still expected to start opposite Lukas Van Ness, and that reality is difficult for Green Bay. The Packers may struggle to generate consistent pressure without sending disguised blitzes. Denver does have one of the best offensive lines in football, so the matchup was far from favorable, but it wasn’t an inspiring performance from Sorrell.

Los Angeles Rams

Winner: Rams defense
Loser: QB Ty Simpson
The take: I don’t care if it’s preseason. It’s a major win for the defense if it’s able to shutout an offense. Just imagine what this unit will look like at full capacity.

Simpson didn’t really play too terribly – it’s just more of the fact Stetson Bennett outplayed him. It’ll be intriguing to see how much playing time Simpson receives in the finale.

Minnesota Vikings

Winner: DT Elijah Williams
Loser: QB J.J. McCarthy
The take: The second year player out of Morgan State continues to thrive. He earned a contract out of Morgan State last year when he flashed at rookie minicamp. He then made the roster and stuck around all year. Williams has continued that level of play this preseason and hasn’t lost any athleticism after putting on a lot of mass in the offseason.

There isn’t any sugar coating it. McCarthy isn’t good at football, and there isn’t enough there to expect him to improve enough for the Vikings to have him as a quality starter. Everyone would love for it to work, but it just isn’t.

New Orleans Saints

Winner: Saints’ 3rd down offense
Loser: QBs Zach Wilson and Spencer Rattler
The take: Look, it’s hard to find a bright spot in a 34-0 loss, but the Saints finished the game 7-of-16 on third down, which is rather surprising considering the overall output on offense. Converting almost half of your third downs is certainly a positive takeaway, no matter the final outcome.

Tyler Shough appears to be the future, but behind him is a total unknown. The backups completed a combined 20-of-35 passes for 196 yards and two interceptions. Plus a sack. There simply needs to be more consistent play behind Shough.

New York Giants

Winner: RB Devin Singletary
Loser: RB Tyrone Tracy Jr.
The take: Singletary took a pay cut earlier in the year to stay on the team and he’s fighting for a roster spot in a crowded running back room. He looked against the Dolphins, ripping off a 13-yard touchdown and going for 40 yards on eight carries, overall.

On the flip side, Tracy Jr. had yet another disappointing game. He had a really bad miss in pass pro against the Vikings and then fumbled the ball all by hisself against the ‘Fins. I don’t think Tracy Jr. has lost his roster spot just yet, but it’s not looking good heading into the final game.

Philadelphia Eagles

Winner: DT Ty Robinson
Loser: QB Andy Dalton
The take: Robinson is basically a lock to add to the Eagles’ deep defensive line rotation after a first half that saw him record four pressures, two sacks, and three QB hits. The second-year player absolutely dominated.

It looks like Father Time has caught up to Dalton. 3-of-10 for 44 yards (he almost threw two interceptions as well) is definitely not what you want to see out of a 16th-year veteran in the preseason.

San Francisco 49ers

Winner: WR Jacob Cowing
Loser: QB Adrian Martinez
The take: Cowan’s electric 83-yard punt return touchdown shows a need for him to stay on the 49ers for special teams, as he would likely not make it if it came down to wide receiver play.

For Martinez, it’s simple. He needs a big preseason and he didn’t get it done on Thursday night. He’s put up back-to-back stinkers, so far, including 2 picks (1 pick-6) against the Chargers.

Seattle Seahawks

Winner: QB Drew Lock
Loser: QB Jalen Milroe
The take: We’re double-dipping in the quarterback room, here, but it’s warranted. Lock looked great on Sunday night, completing 12-of-14 passes for 103 yards and a touchdown. He threw an interception, but it was mainly the product of poor pass protection from RB Jacardia Wright. A penalty negated the pick, so it’s not on the stat sheet.

Milroe was simply bad. His final stat line read 6-of-11 for 55 yards, two interceptions, and two sacks. He can’t execute normal/typical quarterback duties at a high level and it’s totally stripping away what he can do athletically.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Winner: QB Jalon Daniels
Loser: EDGE Chris Braswell
The take: Another week, another big performance from Daniels. The kid is absolutely electric and is literally responsible for directing every single Buccaneers touchdown drive of the postseason, so far.

Braswell seems like low-hanging fruit, but it’s important to note that he’s now dealing with an injury that’s caused him to miss practice and game time. That’s not ideal, at all, for a guy fighting for one of the last, likely the last, EDGE spot.

Washington Commanders

Winner: WR Antonio Williams
Loser: QB Sam Hartman
The take: Williams showed that he has the ability to be a solid WR3 as a rookie while showing promise to elevate to a WR2 after flashing good hands and a very athletic 20+ yard grab over the middle.

Even with a head start in the NFL & a head full of great hair, Hartman was outshined by rookie Athan Kaliakmanis in game two of the preseason. Hartman seemed like a great QB3, until Kaliakmanis reminded everyone you can always do better. Preseason week 3 will give Washington a big duel at the QB3 spot.