NFL preseason 2018: Highlights and results from Week 3 - SB Nation

Dress rehearsal week kicks off with just one game for Fox’s Thursday Night Football debut. The Eagles and Browns faced off in a battle of extremes, but the defending Super Bowl champs failed to score a point against Team ‘Hard Knocks’.

Cleveland Browns 5, Philadelphia Eagles 0

Eagles grounded: Philadelphia had a hell of a struggle in the first half against the Browns defense. The Eagles’ first six posessions have featured a turnover on downs, a safety, two fumbles, two interceptions, and no points. Myles Garrett and his two sacks have been a huge factor for Cleveland.

Zero points for Philadelphia had the head coach perturbed.

Taylor injures left hand: Cleveland on their second drive had two big running plays, including a 33-yard burst by Carlos Hyde, but after 1st-and-goal from the one ran four straight running plays and didn’t score. After the fourth down scramble and pass, quarterback Tyrod Taylor landed awkwardly on his left hand. After briefly staying down on the ground, Taylor walked off the field under his own power, though with his left arm dangling, and left the sidelines.

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Taylor was listed as questionable to return but returned to the field in the second quarter after missing two drives. Taylor was immediately greeted with a sack by Haloti Ngata, because quarterbacking the Cleveland Browns has its consequences.

Ward out, too: Cornerback Denzel Ward, fourth-overall pick in the 2018 draft, left in the first quarter with a back injury and is questionable to return.

The safety dance: The silver lining of getting stuffed at the 1-yard line is great field position for the Browns’ defense, and when Eagles quarterback Nick Foles stumbled in the backfield, it was an easy two points for Cleveland for the game’s first score.

Recap for Eagles fans: Bleeding Green Nation

Recap for Browns fans: Dawgs By Nature

Pregame

The third week of the NFL preseason, for many teams, is the last chance to get their starters game-time reps before the regular season starts. With Week 4 serving as one final chance for fringe roster candidates to prove their worth, Week 3 is typically the one where teams leave their starters in the longest in an effort to figure out what needs to be fine-tuned before the real games start.

So if you’re looking for honest-to-goodness, actual NFL football, this is the closest you’re going to get before September.

There’s plenty to watch in Week 3. Jordy Nelson will welcome his old teammates to his new home when the Green Bay Packers head west to face the Oakland Raiders. Tom Brady’s Patriots will face Cam Newton’s Panthers in a game that will pit two of the last three NFL MVPs against each other — at least for a few drives. Two second-year quarterbacks with big expectations on their shoulders will meet when Patrick Mahomes II and the Chiefs square off with Mitchell Trubisky and the Bears.

Looking for a full rundown of all the reasons to watch this week? We’ve got you covered. Otherwise, check out the full schedule below and draw your own conclusions as we draw closer and closer to the return of real, honest-to-goodness NFL football.