Winners and Losers from NFL Preseason Week 3

Week 3 of the NFL's preseason is often considered the "dress rehearsal." Teams usually play their starters well into the second half, and it's supposed to give the best indication of where each franchise stands as they prepare for the regular season. 

Some teams obviously look better than others even at this point in the season.

It's still preseason, and any discussion should be framed with this in mind. But something can be gleaned from every performance. Players are still fighting for jobs. Coaches and general managers are molding their rosters. And fans are trying to discover exactly who their favorite team will be this fall. 

A few coaches, like the Philadelphia Eagle's Chip Kelly, can walk around with smug grins on their faces.

Kelly's methods have been questioned from the moment he decided to leave the collegiate ranks to lead an NFL franchise. This past offseason was particularly strenuous after the coach decided to overturn his roster with major trades involving his starting quarterback and running back. Scorned players even questioned the coach's sincerity after the fact. 

Well, the Eagles are now 3-0 this preseason and just might have found a franchise quarterback for the first time since the organization decided to trade away Donovan McNabb. 

On the flip side, the Washington Redskins are trying to right a sinking ship. On-the-field performance remains secondary to the drama surrounding the franchise. 

A bigger difference couldn't be seen from these division rivals, and they'll highlight this week's winners and losers.

Winner: QB Sam Bradford, Philadelphia Eagles

Matt Ludtke/Associated Press

A franchise quarterback was reborn in Green Bay Saturday. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford reminded everyone why he is a former No. 1 overall pick. 

When Eagles head coach Chip Kelly traded for Bradford, questions were raised about his scheme fit and whether the quarterback could even stay healthy. 

After two consecutive ACL tears in the same knee, the signal-caller's health will always be in question, but his ability to play in Kelly's system were put to rest (at least temporarily) with his performance against the Packers. 

Bradford achieved perfection with a 10-for-10 passing performance and three touchdowns. The quarterback played with a sense of purpose. His decision-making was flawless, and he operated the Eagles offense with tremendous precision. 

While Bradford will never be mistaken for Marcus Mariota in Kelly's scheme, the Oklahoma product is still a perfect fit for the wide-open scheme, and his performance this past weekend made it even more evident. 

Loser: The Washington Redskins Organization

Gail Burton/Associated Press

Technically, the Washington Redskins came away with an impressive 31-13 victory over the Baltimore Ravens this weekend, but Redskins head coach Jay Gruden already placed himself in an unwinnable situation. 

The coach's handling of the quarterback situation prompted wild speculation of how the team will approach its starting role throughout the regular season. 

First, doctors cleared Robert Griffin III during follow-up concussion protocols (which were necessitated by, what many felt, keeping RGIII in the previous preseason contest far too long). Then, he wasn't cleared. Supposedly, the front office wanted to trade the mercurial quarterback, but owner Daniel Snyder doesn't. 

The Redskins organization currently epitomizes dysfunction. 

To top it all off, a FOX telecast named Kirk Cousins the team's starting quarterback without the knowledge of Gruden. FOX may have jumped the gun a bit, but Cousins helped make Gruden's decision much easier with a strong performance against the Ravens. 

The fourth-year quarterback finished the contest 20-of-27 passing for 190 yards, a touchdown and an interception. 

As a result, the team named Cousins its starter for the season opener against the Miami Dolphins.

"Confirming multiple earlier reports, Robert Griffin has been told that Kirk Cousins will start week one for Washington," Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson reported. 

Cousins being named the starter goes beyond Griffin's concussed state.

"And to be clear, again, Jay Gruden makes the call here, and that call is opened up for reasons outside of Robert Griffin III's health," NFL Network's Albert Breer tweeted. 

These are the days of your lives, Washington fans. Let the drama ensue. 

Winner: Buffalo Bills Quarterbacks

Bill Wippert/Associated Press

Staying on the topic of quarterback play, the Buffalo Bills quarterbacks as a group only threw three incomplete passes Saturday against the Pittsburgh Steelers woeful defense. 

The team's four quarterbacks—Matt Cassel, EJ Manuel, Tyrod Taylor and Matt Simms—finished the contest 30-of-33 passing for 395 yards and three touchdowns. 

What was once viewed as arguably the worst quarterback situation in the league entering the preseason is now viewed with optimism. 

Of course, one performance against a bad defense doesn't entirely change the position's outlook. It did, however, provide hope on one particular front. 

The Bills continue to get strong efforts from the group, particularly Taylor. As such, the former member of the Baltimore Ravens was named the team's starter Monday. 

"Bills are going [with] Tyrod Taylor as their starting [quarterback]," FOX Sports' Jay Glazer reported. 

Glazer added, "Bills have liked Taylor since start of camp, even [though] it was open competition." 

With the talented dual-threat option behind center, it's entirely conceivable the Bills will be good enough at the game's most important position to legitimately contend in the AFC East this fall. 

If Taylor falters, the other quarterbacks on the roster have shown throughout preseason they can potentially step up and competently fill the role.  

Loser: QB Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Scott Audette/Associated Press

After a promising start to the preseason, this year's No. 1 overall pick, quarterback Jameis Winston, hit the wall with a mighty thud when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hosted the Cleveland Browns. 

In his first two preseason contests, Winston made multiple impressive throws and performed well overall, particularly during the team's second game against the Cincinnati Bengals. 

But the Browns threw something different at the rookie: an aggressive 3-4 defensive front with multiple disguised blitzes. 

Winston never got comfortable in the pocket and only completed six of his 15 attempted passes. The Browns also sacked the neophyte quarterback numerous times. Blitz recognition and the ability to adjust to oncoming pass-rushers are clearly areas in which Winston needs to dramatically improve during the early portions of his rookie campaign. 

Bucccaneers offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter knows it's an issue the staff must address, per the Tampa Bay Times' Rick Stroud: 

"

Jameis is such a competitor, he has a hard time cutting his losses. He doesn't ever want to cut his losses. That's good and bad. That's well documented. He's going to make some plays, and we're going to love him, and there's going to be some other times we're going to say, 'Get down! Get down!' That's how it's going to be, so get used to it. We're working on it, but get used to it.

"

It's all part of the maturation process for a young quarterback. Winston will continue to work on these areas of concern. 

"That's something I've got to learn quickly," Winston said, per Stroud. "It's going to take some time for me to adjust. But I know I've got to protect my body, and I've got to protect this team by staying injury-free."

Winner: RB Zach Zenner, Detroit Lions

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

Two weeks ago, buzz continued to build around a rookie running back playing for the Detroit Lions. At the time, everyone fawned over the team's recent second-round pick, Ameer Abdullah. Maybe, everyone got excited over the wrong rookie running back. 

Zach Zenner has since taken center stage. 

Any time a running back runs for 1,998 or more yards for three consecutive seasons, it shouldn't matter what level of college football he played. That individual can obviously play the game. Well, this wasn't the case for Zenner, who tore up the FCS level as the focal point of the South Dakota State Jackrabbits offense. The small-school product went undrafted before signing with the Lions. 

Scouts questioned his speed and ability to make defenders miss. Some even graded him as a fullback. But when he was presented with an opportunity to perform as a tailback in Detroit, Zenner turned heads, even quarterback Matthew Stafford's, per the Detroit Free Press' Dave Birkett: 

"

It seemed like every time we handed him the ball in the spring, it was a perfectly blocked play for him, and it was a nice big hole for him to go through, and he was running it well. But he's a smart guy, he understands where he needs to be in protection and that kind of thing, which is big. And then when he's gotten his chance with the football in his hands, he's done a good job.

"

Zenner is now well on his way to earning a roster spot after another stellar performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The rookie amassed 85 yards and a touchdown on only eight carries.

In doing so, the running back showed he can run away from a few defenders. 

Loser: DE Frank Clark, Seattle Seahawks

Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images

Let's forget for a second anything that deals with Frank Clark's background before the Seattle Seahawks used a second-round pick to select the troubled defensive end. Even without that being taken into account, any player who punches a quarterback is committing a very stupid act. Just ask IK Enemkpali. 

The San Diego Chargers accused Clark of attacking Philip Rivers even though no penalty was called during Saturday's contest. Clark admitted to getting overly emotional after the sack. 

"I'm a real emotional player, but there are ways you react and ways you don't react," Clark said, per ESPN.com. "You've got to be smart in this game. That was something [Richard Sherman] was telling me afterward, that whole thing—even though I didn't get called for anything—just to avoid situations like that."

Clark hasn't earned much public support due a previous domestic violence court case. The Seahawks still saw enough in him as a player and person to spend a high draft pick on the talented pass-rusher.

"I’ve got a lot of confidence in myself, but at the same time for the Seahawks … to take an opportunity and give me an opportunity to showcase my talent there, I owe them a lot," Clark said in June, per the Detroit News' Josh Katzenstein.  

Acts like the one Clark is accused of perpetrating against the Chargers actually betrays the Seahawks' confidence in him. If the defensive end legitimately feels he owes the organization a lot, he needs to simply let his play do the talking for him. 

Winner: WR Travis Benjamin, Cleveland Browns

Scott Audette/Associated Press

The Cleveland Browns continue to search for any playmaker willing to step up and create instant offense. Wide receiver Travis Benjamin could serve in the role on two fronts. 

First, the man known as "Rabbit" is the fastest guy on the team. His 4.36-second 40-yard-dash speed makes him difficult to cover, as the Miami product continues to develop as a wide receiver in the team's system.

New starting quarterback Josh McCown also seems to have built a rapport with Benjamin. When the team needed a critical play Saturday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, McCown looked Benjamin's way. The speedster led the team with four catches for 39 yards. 

More importantly, Benjamin once again looked like one of the NFL's most dangerous punt returners. The wide receiver really struggled in his role during the 2014 campaign after suffering a torn ACL the previous season. 

Benjamin immediately put the Browns on the right side of the ledger Saturday with a 53-yard punt return for a touchdown. 

"I feel like the old Travis now," Benjamin said after the game, per Ohio.com's Nate Ulrich. "Tonight it paid off with a touchdown.

"I’m 100 percent confident. I’m 100 percent ready to go out there and play ball now."

After last season's poor performance, the former fourth-round pick wasn't guaranteed a roster spot entering training camp. He's since proved he can once again be a dynamic weapon within the offense and on special teams. 

Loser: WR Martavis Bryant, Pittsburgh Steelers

Bill Wippert/Associated Press

Let's file this particular choice under the "pour salt into an open wound" category. 

Martavis Bryant played an outstanding game Saturday against the Buffalo Bills. The second-year wide receiver proved impossible to cover with three catches for a whopping 138 yards and a touchdown. 

In fact, the Clemson product currently leads the NFL with 205 receiving yards through three weeks of preseason play. 

Bryant's potential appears limitless as he continues to develop into the game's top deep threat. 

Yet, none of it matters because he won't be on the field when the Pittsburgh Steelers start the regular season. Two days before Bryant's explosive performance against the Bills, news of a four-game suspension revealed itself. 

"The suspension is for marijuana use, and Bryant is hoping for word on his appeal in the next seven to 10 days," a source close to the situation told ESPN.com's Jeremy Fowler.

Appeals usually aren't overturned in these cases, which means Bryant won't be on the field when the Steelers face the New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers, St. Louis Rams and Baltimore Ravens.

It's a big blow to a Steelers offense that will need to score a lot of points as the team's defense continues to sort itself out under new defensive coordinator Keith Butler. 

Bryant's preseason performance simply becomes bittersweet because his presence will be sorely missed during those first four games.

Winner: LB NaVorro Bowman, San Francisco 49ers

Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Every snap linebacker NaVorro Bowman takes is a step in the right direction for the San Francisco 49ers. 

Due to a torn ACL and MCL he suffered during the 2014 NFC Championship Game against the Seattle Seahawks, the San Francisco 49ers organization decided to bring along Bowman slowly. The All-Pro linebacker didn't play a single down the following season. He didn't even play during Week 1 of the preseason. But he finally got on the field during the second week with three snaps. 

49ers head coach Jim Tomsula finally unleashed the beast Saturday against the Denver Broncos. 

Bowman played 42 of 78 possible snaps in Denver and finished with nine tackles and two sacks in only one half of play.

"He was just having a blast and it was right," Tomsula said, per 49ers.com's Joe Fann. "We let it go to the half, and I told him it wouldn’t go past the half. He would have played all day if we let him."

The 49ers desperately need a healthy Bowman in the middle of their defense after Patrick Willis and Chris Borland retired during the offseason. 

Despite an outstanding effort, the linebacker doesn't feel he's reached his optimal performance level.

"I just know me and there are some plays that I could have made," Bowman said, per Fann. "That’s what I mean by that, just selling out all the way and not thinking about it. I’ll do that when the time comes."

If his play Saturday is any indication, he's close, and the 49ers and the NFL will be much better with him back in the lineup.

Loser: OT Menelik Watson, Oakland Raiders

Tom Gannam/Associated Press

Injuries are a part of football. Suffering an injury doesn't constitute a player being labeled a "loser," but Oakland Raiders right tackle tackle Menelik Watson lost something very valuable when he revealed, via Twitter, that he suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon during Sunday's contest against the Arizona Cardinals. He lost an opportunity to finally become a full-time starter. 

During his first two seasons with the organization, the Florida State product started 12 games, but he didn't open either campaign as the team's answer at one of the starting offensive line positions. 

Watson was primed to finally be the team's answer at right tackle before his leg gave out during a pass set. The native of Manchester, England, will now miss the entire season as veteran Austin Howard replaces him in the lineup. 

"I will be back stronger than ever that's a promise," Watson included in his tweet. "Main thing is supporting the team right now."

The Raiders should be a rising team this season with plenty of potential, but Watson's loss certainly hurts the team's offensive line depth.