NFL Preseason 2015: Analyzing Most Intriguing Matchups on Week 2 Schedule

Although the NFL preseason is often an exercise in confirmation bias, the games themselves can offer a brief snapshot into the thought process of a head coach and whether a player is coming along in his development on the field.

Three more weeks of games remain until the regular season kicks off in September.

Looking ahead to Week 2, the four games below should be among the more fascinating to watch.

Week 2 Schedule

Time (ET)	Away	Home	National TV Info
Thurs., Aug. 20
7:30 p.m.	Detroit Lions	Washington Redskins	---
8 p.m.	Buffalo Bills	Cleveland Browns	ESPN
Fri., Aug. 21
7:30 p.m.	Atlanta Falcons	New York Jets	---
8 p.m.	Seattle Seahawks	Kansas City Chiefs	NFL Network
Sat., Aug. 22
7 p.m.	Miami Dolphins	Carolina Panthers	---
7 p.m.	Baltimore Ravens	Philadelphia Eagles	NFL Network
7:30 p.m.	Chicago Bears	Indianapolis Colts	---
7:30 p.m.	New England Patriots	New Orleans Saints	---
7:30 p.m.	Jacksonville Jaguars	New York Giants	---
8 p.m.	Denver Broncos	Houston Texans	---
8 p.m.	Oakland Raiders	Minnesota Vikings	---
10 p.m.	San Diego Chargers	Arizona Cardinals	NFL Network
Sun., Aug. 23
1 p.m.	Green Bay Packers	Pittsburgh Steelers	NFL Network
8 p.m.	Dallas Cowboys	San Francisco 49ers	---
8 p.m.	St. Louis Rams	Tennessee Titans	Fox
Mon., Aug. 24
8 p.m.	Cincinnati Bengals	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	ESPN

Intriguing Matchups

New England Patriots at New Orleans Saints

Michael Dwyer/Associated Press

The chance remains Tom Brady could have some or all of his four-game suspension wiped out. The NFL Players' Association filed a lawsuit on his behalf at a U.S. District Court, and a resolution will likely be reached before the regular season begins.

Still, the Patriots should operate on the belief Jimmy Garoppolo will be their starting quarterback for at least the first couple of regular-season games this year. As a result, it's important for Garoppolo to become more and more comfortable under center this preseason.

In Week 1, the 23-year-old struggled a bit, going 20-of-30 for 159 yards with an interception. He was also sacked seven times in a 22-11 defeat to the Green Bay Packers.

"It was ups and downs," Garoppolo said of his performance, per Christopher L. Gasper of the Boston Globe. "I got a long way to go, obviously. Eleven points isn’t by any means good enough. There is room for improvement."

Another shaky showing against the New Orleans Saints shouldn't be cause for panic in New England, but at the same time, fans will want to see Garoppolo making positive strides in Week 2.

San Diego Chargers at Arizona Cardinals

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

This could be a game with genuine fantasy football stakes.

Andre Ellington is the unquestioned No. 1 running back for the Arizona Cardinals. He's also a must-start in standard and points-per-reception fantasy leagues. Barring injury, that's not going to change between now and the regular season.

The question is who will be deputized as Ellington's backup.

Between his size (5'9", 199 lbs) and the number of touches he receives during a game, the 26-year-old is a bit of an injury risk. He ended the 2014 season on injured reserve with a hernia, while a hamstring injury has dogged him this preseason.

As a result, adding his backup to your fantasy team might be a solid insurance plan.

But right now, it's anybody's guess who that player will be. Kerwynn Williams and David Johnson are in the mix, while Chris Johnson is close to signing with the team. Fox Sports' Jay Glazer reported Friday the veteran running back will have a physical with the Cardinals.

Should he sign, Chris Johnson would be the favorite to land the backup job, but his performance in recent years leaves a lot to be desired, per ESPN Stats & Info:

Assuming Johnson is on the field for Arizona next Saturday, Bruce Arians might get a much better idea of his backfield hierarchy.

Between Williams and Johnson, whoever has the better game would be setting himself up well going forward.

Buffalo Bills at Cleveland Browns

Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

Tyrod Taylor may well be putting himself in line to start for the Buffalo Bills in Week 1 of the regular season. Bills head coach Rex Ryan named him the starter for Thursday's clash with the Cleveland Browns, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Taylor played well in a 25-24 defeat to the Carolina Panthers. He went 5-of-8 passing for 49 yards along with 47 rushing yards on six carries. You can catch some of his highlights below:

If you're the Bills, why not give Taylor a chance to win the job? Your other options are Matt Cassel and EJ Manuel, the latter of whom the coaching staff doesn't seem to favor at all. ESPN.com's Mike Rodak reported Manuel will play with the third-stringers against the Browns.

We've seen Cassel's ceiling, and he's a thoroughly average NFL quarterback. Maybe that's good enough to get Buffalo into the playoffs, but it's not likely. Meanwhile, Manuel was a work in progress when he entered the league, and he hasn't shown much progression between 2013 and now.

Playing well in two preseason games isn't a surefire indicator Taylor can be a productive NFL starting QB, but at least he'd be doing something to separate himself from the pack.

Oakland Raiders at Minnesota Vikings

Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press

The Minnesota Vikings didn't exactly excel in pass protection last year, ranking 27th according to Football Outsiders. Making matters worse, the Vikings could be without Phil Loadholt this year after he suffered what may be a torn Achilles against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday, per ESPN.com's Ben Goessling.

Mark Craig of the Star Tribune reported Minnesota's plan would be to replace Loadholt with an internal candidate, which would seemingly put T.J. Clemmings in pole position to start at right tackle.

Bleacher Report's Cian Fahey argued the injury may not even be a significant loss for the Vikings:

"

I joked about it last night but I don't actually think Loadholt's injury is a huge loss to MIN. Have QB and RB to overcome bad OL and...

— Cian Fahey (@Cianaf) August 16, 2015"

"

...while Loadholt was one of their better OL, he's nothing special. Just gotta try and accelerate Clemmings' transition.

— Cian Fahey (@Cianaf) August 16, 2015"

Right tackle isn't the most vital position when it comes to protecting the quarterback, but it has to be a bit worrying for Vikings fans that the team must now break in a new starter this close to the regular season.

Next Saturday's game against the Oakland Raiders could go some way toward revealing whether Clemmings is ready to take over for Loadholt on a full-time basis.

Teddy Bridgewater's second season will be very important with regard to his overall development. And consistently having time in the pocket would benefit him greatly as he looks to cut down on last year's 12 interceptions.