What did we learn from the first week of the NFL preseason? Mainly, that the regular season needs to get here faster. Alas, the preseason only reaches its halfway point at the close of this weekend, with 16 games packed into a stretch of about 51 hours starting Thursday night.
To get you ready for the latest round of exhibitions, here’s one player per team to keep track of as this weekend unfolds:
Philadelphia Eagles at Pittsburgh Steelers (Aug. 18, 7 p.m. ET, NFL Network)
Eagles: Ryan Mathews, RB.
The first-team offense is expected to play at least a full quarter Thursday, so we’ll see if Mathews can build on the momentum he built early last week—15 yards and a TD on just two carries.