The 2026 NFL preseason has officially begun. The games always present important takeaways even though the final results don’t matter. Here are my biggest takeaways.
The Las Vegas Raiders have to be pleased with how their first-round pick performed. Fernando Mendoza showed NFL-level poise in his first outing. He finished with 97 yards on 10/16 passing with a touchdown and a 100.3 passer rating.
The first-round pick displayed poise in the pocket and good ability to throw on the run. Mendoza was sacked just once the entire game. Another important aspect to consider in a young quarterback is how he overcomes adversity.
In Mendoza’s first series, the team had a holding penalty that derailed the drive. On a later drive, he faced a false start and was sacked. That drive, however, was capped off with a six-yard touchdown pass to Jack Bech.
Mendoza has a poise and calmness about him that usually can’t be taught to young QBs. Intangibles like that can go a long way in what is such a difficult league.
It was a hopeful showing for the Raiders fan base to kick off the 2026 NFL preseason.
Under head coach Sean Payton, the Denver Broncos have won eight preseason games out of 10. They have pummeled their opponents, with the average score being 26.2 to 11.8. The latest showing was their 27-7 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.
Since 2024, Denver has been undefeated. Does this stat really matter? For this franchise, it certainly does. It’s no coincidence that the Broncos have had two impressive showings in the 2024 and 2025 preseason and have made the playoffs both years.
The 2024 postseason appearance ended an eight-year playoff drought. Payton clearly has a certain level of emphasis on the preseason, one that exceeds his predecessors.
The other major takeaway for Denver was how smooth the offense looked under offensive coordinator Davis Webb. The playcalling shifted from Payton to Webb early in the offseason, and Broncos fans are curious to see what impact it will have.
In this last game, it showed some promise. Denver combined for 359 total yards and won time of possession by 13 minutes. Most importantly, the offense had 162 rushing yards, an area of the offense that struggled last year. It’s just the preseason, so it’s important not to overreact.
While one shouldn’t make too much out of the preseason, it’s easy for offenses to struggle in preseason Week 1 because of rust. The Broncos’ offense showed none of that, which is a credit to the coaching staff. It was a nice start for the blue and orange in the 2026 NFL preseason.
Last but not least, the talk of the preseason was Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Drew Allar. He was the 76th overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft and looked like a top-10 pick on Thursday. The young man stuffed the stat sheet in his first action in the NFL.
Allar threw for 153 yards on 10-for-13 passing for two touchdowns and added one more score with his legs. He finished the game with a 154.8 passer rating, which was the highest of the weekend. A performance like that gives hope to a fanbase that’s staring down the barrel of having to move on from Aaron Rodgers and find a new quarterback.
It’s well known that Rodgers, the four-time MVP, is retiring after this season. It’s inevitable that the Steelers are going into quarterback purgatory for a few years, or is it?
A performance like Allar’s to begin the 2026 NFL preseason could make for some good conversation for the future. Can he string a few more impressive performances?
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The 2026 NFL preseason has been a nice weekend to remind people that football is back. It’s always fun to see young players make their first impression in front of millions of people.
It’s not a fair position to be in, but those who can handle it will thrive in the league for a long time. Over the next few weeks, fans will get a chance to see who can handle this game.
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