The Commanders were safe with Jayden Daniels, handing off with him a lot. They are thin on the offensive line due to injuries at tackle and didn't want to put him in harm's way, but also wanted to get him some live reps. He played for one 11-play drive and threw it just three times. But he did have a gorgeous deep pass to Dyami Brown and ran for a touchdown, which you'll see a lot of this season.

The Commanders haven't named Daniels their QB1 for Week 1, which is silly, but it's going to happen soon.

New England Patriots
It was disappointing to see Drake Maye get just one series and three attempts. But Patriots coach Jerod Mayo said it was the plan for Maye and starter Jacoby Brissett to each get just one series. Mayo said when Maye plays more — Mayo said he anticipates that for Week 2 of the preseason — he wanted it to be with the starting offensive line.

"If he's in there, you want him in there with the starting offensive line," Mayo said, via NESN. "We've got to protect the guy. Not saying we don't have to protect the other guys, but that absolutely did go into it."

Atlanta Falcons
Michael Penix Jr. got the start, and he'll be a big story in the Falcons' preseason as Kirk Cousins sits.

Penix looked composed. He completed 9-of-16 passes for 104 yards. He had a few hurried throws and a couple of inaccurate ones, but overall it was a good debut.

“It was fun to see him go out there and execute some of the pass plays and we were able to get some of the stuff done," Falcons coach Raheem Morris said via NFL.com. "Pretty much, a really good night for him and I was really pleased with what he was able to do."

Minnesota Vikings
The fifth and sixth quarterbacks drafted in April put on the real shows. They got to play longer than others, and against backups. But J.J. McCarthy and Bo Nix took advantage of their opportunities.

McCarthy came in after one drive from Sam Darnold, who was solid. McCarthy completed 11-of-17 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns. He started poorly with a bad interception, but was excellent for most of the rest of the day.

''Clearly, everybody can see the arm talent," Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell said, via the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "I just love seeing him come right back after the interception, still be aggressive and still stay true to footwork, timing, rhythm, where his eyes should be.''

The Vikings seem committed to starting Darnold in Week 1, but McCarthy's exciting skill set is going to loom over the Vikings' season until he gets the job.