NFL Preseason 2010: Top AFC Storylines

Week One of the NFL preseason has closed, and several teams looked like they were in midseason form. Others, however, definitely needed the gametime reps.

As Week Two approaches, here are some tidbits and observations from the first game action of the NFL season.

AFC East Recap

Buffalo Bills

With Fred Jackson and Marshawn Lynch likely missing the preseason, rookie C.J. Spiller will need to get enough reps with the first team in case he needs to carry the load at the start of the regular season.

The injuries to Jackson and Lynch are huge hits, as the BIlls' offense is already anemic.

Their next game is Thursday night against the Indianapolis Colts.

Miami Dolphins

Brandon Marshall's first gametime action featured a sloppy field and two boneheaded drops. Marshall's frustration continued in practice this week, as he dropped an easy touchdown pass during team drills. He proceeded to switch positions for a moment, turning into a punter as he booted the football over the fence at the Davie facility.

Brandon needs game reps, which is why the preseason is so important (though many seem to think it is not).

Miami plays at Jacksonville on Saturday night.

New England Patriots

Filling in for Wes Welker, Julian Edelman showed exactly the Patriots can afford to let Welker get healthy and not rush him onto the field.

Edelman showed many of the traits that Welker does, running precise routes, catching the ball on the run, and quickly turning the play upfield while amassing yards after the catch.

With Torry Holt's season-ending injury, Edelman will likely be used much more.

The Patriots play at Atlanta Thursday night.

New York Jets

Against the New York Giants, the Jets defense still proved to be stifling, but the true story was the explosiveness of LaDainian Tomlinson. He showed effectiveness catching passes out of the backfield, and would have scored on a run, but it was called back for holding.

Both of the Jets lines played with power and control, dominating their end of the line of scrimmage.

The Jets will see the field Saturday, playing at Carolina.

AFC North Recap

Baltimore Ravens

Like expected, the Ravens' offense looked explosive. Joe Flacco moved around the pocket with brilliance and found the open target. Most notably, he heaved a pass to Mark Clayton, who made the catch 30 yards downfield in the end zone.

The Ravens' defense also played with speed and power, even though they are riddled with injuries so far.

Baltimore plays in Washington Saturday night.

Cincinnati Bengals

Carson Palmer showed flashes of his old self against Denver. He needs to fully utilize his weapons this year, because a 26th ranked passing offense doesn't seem to cut it in today's NFL.

Terrell Owens made several receptions against the Broncos, but he has yet to show if he can be a deep threat like he has in the past.

The Bengals play Philadelphia at home Friday evening at 8 p.m.

Cleveland Browns

Seneca Wallace and Jake Delhomme both showed promise in their first game. Delhomme completed all but one pass on seven attempts, and Wallace threw for a pair of touchdowns.

Rookie Colt McCoy still needs to polish his NFL skills, as he threw two interceptions.

The Browns defense allowed Aaron Rodgers to have a field day, which is a cause for concern.

Cleveland plays at home against St. Louis this Saturday.

Pittsburgh Steelers

There was uncertainty of whether Ben Roethlisberger would see playing time in the Steelers' first game against the Lions. Pittsburgh chose instead to play Byron Leftwich and Dennis Dixon, who will play in Roethlisberger's absence during his suspension.

Dixon looked sharpest of the two, completing six of seven, for over 100 yards and a touchdown.

Many think Leftwich will get the start in Week One of the regular season. Dixon's numbers beg to differ.

Pittsburgh plays at New York Saturday night.

AFC South Recap

Houston Texans

The Texans' first unit impressed, as Matt Schaub did the usual in hitting Andre Johnson for a touchdown. The AFC South needs to get used to that above saying, because it is going to be said a lot this season.

Houston also showed a lack in second and third string depth, as they failed to keep the Cardinals in check.

Mario Williams also looked sharp, contributing two sacks in the 19-16 loss.

Houston plays the Saints this Saturday in New Orleans.

Indianapolis Colts

Peyton Manning was at it again, showing why he is the premier quarterback in the NFL. His backups, however, showed a dismal performance, further showing why it's imperative for Manning to stay healthy.

The Colts' defensive depth is also a concern, as they let up 37 points against the 49ers.

The Colts play this Thursday at Buffalo.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Luke McCown had a great game for Jacksonville, even without injured Mike Sims-Walker, who hurt his shoulder early in the game against the Eagles.

The Jaguars' first team didn't show much, but this early on it shouldn't be a cause for concern.

Jacksonville can be seen this Saturday hosting the Miami Dolphins.

Tennessee Titans

Chris Johnson didn't tear up the stat sheet, and Vince Young threw an interception, but preseason is all about getting the rust off those shoulder pads.

Chris Johnson needs to get the rust out if he wants to break the NFL rushing title this year. He will need to average over 150 yards a game to accomplish that goal.

Tennessee plays Arizona at home Monday night.

AFC West Recap

Denver Broncos

Tim Tebow saw his first action, and looked seasoned in his passing. He also put his body on the line when he ran for a touchdown.

Tebow's release still looked a little too low, though, but he can fix that over time.

Denver will host the Detroit Lions Saturday night.

Kansas City

The Chiefs didn't do anything very spectacular in their first game, but they didn't do anything unspectacular either. Jamaal Charles was effective running the ball, and Matt Cassel completed six-of-eight passing. Dexter McCluster also showed explosiveness running and catching the ball.

This is a fairly good offensive group that will likely struggle with a poor defense.

Kansas City plays at Tampa Saturday night.

Oakland Raiders

The impressive thing about the Raiders' play against the Cowboys was their ability to shut down a high-caliber offense. The Raiders didn't even allow one touchdown against Dallas.

The Raiders starters played well, and the backups played even better. Kyle Boller was effective passing the ball, and Michael Bennett was getting it done on the ground.

Can this Oakland team contend this year?

The Raiders play at Chicago Saturday night.

San Diego Chargers

The offensive juggernaut that is the San Diego Chargers gave us a little taste of what will be seen this year. Running a balanced offensive attack, Ryan Mathews was effective running the ball and Philip Rivers efficiently passed the ball.

Even without Vincent Jackson, Rivers found his receiver with ease in the end zone. This team will be fun to watch this season.

San Diego plays Dallas Saturday night.