NFL preseason Week 2 winners and losers: Bo Nix shines in Broncos return, Fernando Mendoza struggles

The second week of the NFL preseason is underway with five games in the books entering the weekend. 

Preseason football is like a box of chocolates as Forrest Gump would say, “You never know what you’re going to get.” That’s because some squads have their starters chained to the bench, some play minimal snaps and some could receive as much of a half of work. Observing who could emerge as a real contributor from the chaos that is preseason football is tricky given the varying degrees of skill levels on the field all at the same time, but it’s possible to identify who maximized their opportunity and who would like a do-over. 

Let’s kick off the weekend by identifying the winners and losers of Week 2 of the 2026 preseason.

Winners

De’Zaun Stribling 

San Francisco 49ers 2026 second-round pick wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling, the rookie 33rd overall pick out of Ole Miss, is THE breakout star of the preseason this year. After catching four of his five targets for 46 yards receiving on Thursday against the Los Angeles Chargers, Stribling is now up to 11 catches for 109 yards receiving on 13 targets. That makes Stribling the first player since at least 2017 to produce at least 11 catches combined within the first 20 minutes of two consecutive preseason games, per CBS Sports Research. Many preseason All-Stars don’t end up contributing much outside of special teams for their respective squads, but it’s safe to say Stribling will have a place on head coach Kyle Shanahan’s play call sheet early this regular season. That’s especially true when factoring in how snake-bitten by injury San Francisco is at the position.

The Houston Texans defense

No, Will Anderson Jr., Danielle Hunter, Derek Stingley Jr. and the rest of the starters from the NFL’s No. 1 total defense (277.2 total yards per game allowed) in 2025 weren’t on the field Thursday night, but the Houston Texans’ ferocious tenacity on defense certainly was. 

They bullied Las Vegas Raiders first overall pick rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza in the first half, generating an 80-yard pick-six by fourth-round rookie linebacker Wade Woodaz and an 11-yard sack by second-round rookie defensive tackle Kayden McDonald. 

Seeing McDonald flash pass rush chops like this should send shivers down the spines of offensive coordinators all around the league. If there was an area Houston needed to shore up on their defense, it was defensive tackle, and they were able to do so by drafting McDonald, the 2026 NFL Draft’s top defensive tackle prospect in the eyes of many, including yours truly. McDonald, who is listed at 6-foot-3-inches tall while weighing 326 pounds, was more of a run stuffer than a pass rusher in college at Ohio State, but if he can find his groove early on when tasked to get after the quarterback, Houston’s defense could be a much greater problem for the rest of the league. 

Jermod McCoy 

Tennessee All-SEC cornerback Jermod McCoy profiled as a likely first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft until the medicals surrounding his knee scared teams away. McCoy did suffer a torn ACL in January of 2025, but fears about inflammation and arthritis in his knee caused him to tumble all the way down to being the 101st overall pick and a fourth-round draft choice. 

In the Raiders’ 22-20 preseason victory over the Texans on Thursday, McCoy appeared to be moving well and in phase with opposing wide receivers when tasked with dropping back into man coverage. Perhaps he can end up becoming the best value pick of the 2026 rookie draft class if given the opportunity to receive snaps with Las Vegas’ starting defense. 

Geno Smith

Outside of Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy, perhaps no other quarterback had a more depressing 2025 season than Geno Smith. The two-time Pro Bowler led the NFL in both sacks taken (55) and interceptions thrown (17) last season while attempting to pilot then-offensive coordinator Chip Kelly’s scheme with the Las Vegas Raiders. Those statistics made Smith just the sixth quarterback since the 1970 AFL/NFL merger to lead the NFL in both sacks and interceptions in the same season. Kelly had to trudge back down to the college ranks, where he is now Northwestern’s offensive coordinator. 

Smith, a second-round pick of the New York Jets in the 2013 NFL Draft, returned to New York after the Jets acquired him and a 2026 seventh-round pick from the Raiders in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick. He kicked off his second stint with the Jets with a perfect drive while leading the Jets’ starting lineup on the opening possession against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Friday before head coach Aaron Glenn decided he’d seen enough from the 35-year-old veteran quarterback to end his night. 

Smith completed all seven of his throws on New York’s opening drive, including the 13-yard scoring strike to tight end Jelani Woods. He also connected with both of the Jets’ top wide receivers, Garrett Wilson (one catch on one target for 10 yards) and Adonai Mitchell (two catches on two targets for 29 yards), to finish the night with 65 yards passing. Perhaps Smith’s 2025 season was more a product of the overall ineptitude of Kelly’s and Pete Caroll’s offensive coaching staff. Carroll was given the boot after just one season in Las Vegas, after all. 

New York Jets defense

The 2025 New York Jets became the first team in NFL history to finish a season with zero interceptions in a regular season. That dry spell unofficially ended in Week 2 of the preseason. Safety Andre Cisco jumped Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Will Howard’s throw to wide receiver Roman Wilson for the takeaway. 

Jets cornerback Samuel Womack III, a 27-year-old journeyman, generated New York’s second takeaway of the night on another interception of Howard. Safe to say New York is an exponentially better ball-hawking group than their 2025 squad. 

Bo Nix

The last time Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix was on a football field, he was fresh off breaking his ankle in an overtime victory over the Buffalo Bills in the AFC divisional round. He returned to action in Week 2 of the preseason and thrived in his two drives, helping generate 10 points for Denver. Nix connected with new No. 1 target Jaylen Waddle up the seam, and the former Miami Dolphins speedster blew by Green Bay Packers All-Pro safety Xavier McKinney for a gain of 35 yards. That’s the big play threat Denver sorely lacked in 2025. 

He then capped the drive by lofting a pinpoint pass to running back RJ Harvey on a wheel route down the right sideline for the 21-yard touchdown toss. Denver head coach Sean Payton ended Nix’s night after the Broncos drilled a 53-yard field goal at the conclusion of his second drive, so he finished with 76 yards passing and a touchdown on 6 of 9 passing. Not a bad way to shake the rust off after suffering a broken ankle. 

Packers special teams

Special teams have been a bugaboo for Green Bay for the last several seasons since the Packers’ all-time scoring leader, Mason Crosby, took over as the team’s kicker following the conclusion of the 2022 season. The dark days at Green Bay’s kicker position might be over thanks to sixth-round rookie Trey Smack. He drilled two 58-yard field goals in the first week of the preseason, one of which didn’t count because of a defensive penalty. In Week 2 in Denver, he smacked, pun intended, a 51-yard kick, a 59-yard kick and a 43-yard kick through the uprights, the latter of which occurred as time expired in the first half. Green Bay All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons, who is still recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in Denver last season, is fired up about Smack’s performance from the couch.

It wasn’t just Smack showing out for the Packers’ special teams unit. Veteran wide receiver Skyy Moore took the game’s opening kickoff for 30 yards out to the Green Bay 37, and veteran running back Pierre Strong Jr. ripped off a 68-yard kickoff return down to Denver’s 32. Looks like Packers new special teams coordinator Cam Achord has found an early groove in Green Bay. 

Jonathan Brooks

Brooks, who was the first running back drafted in the 2024 NFL Draft with the 46th overall pick in the second round by the Carolina Panthers, finally found the end zone in the NFL for the first time. Brooks tore his ACL in his final season at the University of Texas, and he missed the entire 2025 NFL season with another ACL tear he suffered in 2024. He is back in action this preseason, and Brooks was able to shimmy his way into the end zone from a yard out at the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

Losers

Fernando Mendoza

First overall pick, rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza had a couple of “Welcome to the NFL” moments on Thursday night against the smashmouth Houston Texans defense, tossing an 80-yard pick-six and taking an 11-yard sack. He finished his night with just 86 yards, and the interception return touchdown thrown while completing 8 of his 15 passes. 

“It was a play action play, went through my progression, probably should’ve checked it down to the flat. I saw the flat player get over late to him,” Mendoza told reporters when asked about his interception return touchdown thrown. “At that point, I started backing up and threw the check down to Mike Washington. It was not a good throw, we weren’t on the same page and it was an interception.”  

Mendoza did have some nice moments, like a 22-yard dart to Raiders wide receiver Jalen Nailor in the middle of the field and just in between the Texans’ zone defense. He wasn’t asked to make a ton of those high-difficulty throws over the middle in college, but they are a staple of head coach Klint Kubiak’s Shanahan-tree offense. 

Overall, Mendoza had a tough night at the office despite the occasional flash here and there. 

Punter JK Scott

Surrendering a punt return touchdown as a punter is never fun, but Los Angeles Chargers punter JK Scott earns a spot on this list for how he allowed San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jacob Cowing to take his punt back 83 yards for the score. Scott had a chance to make a tackle on Cowing near the 49ers’ 45-yard line, but instead of feigning any interest in bringing down San Francisco’s return man, he sidesteps out of the way, almost appearing to hold the door open for him. 

When factoring in Scott will turn 31 years old on Oct. 30 during his ninth NFL season, it’s understandable that he made a business decision in the preseason. However, he could have made it just a smidge less obvious, and in doing so, helped prevent a touchdown on special teams. 

Will Howard

The 2025 New York Jets became the first squad in NFL history to finish a season with zero interceptions in a regular season. Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Will Howard, the starter for the home team on Friday, acted as New York’s slump buster, tossing not one but two picks the Jets’ away on throws intended for wide receiver Roman Wilson over the middle of the field. Not a great way to stay ahead of third-round rookie Drew Allar on the depth chart. 

Liam Coen

Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales gave the NFL world a glimpse of his starters, giving quarterback Bryce Young and his starters two drives on Friday night. Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen didn’t meet the moment, keeping quarterback Trevor Lawrence and the rest of his starters in street clothes on the sidelines. Boring.