NFL preseason Week 2 takeaways: Geno Smith, Bo Nix, Jordan Love shine Friday

Stidham stared down his tight end, and Perry made him paid with the diving interception. That takeaway helped Green Bay generate three more points as kicker Trey Smack concluded the half with a 43-yard field goal as time expired. 

In the first half of Week 2 in Denver, Packers sixth-round rookie kicker Trey Smack 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. His 59-yarder is the crown jewel of the trio of makes in the first half. 

Green Bay undrafted rookie wide receiver Will Sheppard secured a two-yard touchdown thanks to fancy footwork that involved him tapping toes on both feet just before falling out of bounds in the left, front corner of the end zone. Green Bay took a 17-10 lead on the touchdown toss from veteran backup Tyrod Taylor to the undrafted rookie. 

Green Bay has struggled to replace franchise scoring leader Mason Crosby since his Packers departure in 2023, but his latest successor, sixth-round rookie Trey Smack, drilled a 51-yard field goal to tie the game at 10-10. The Broncos will take the field for the third time up next. 

Lloyd, a third-round pick of Green Bay's out of USC in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, dealt with multiple lower body injuries that derailed his 2024 and 2025 season, but he's moving with some verve in Week 2 of the 2026 preseason. He sprung free on the Texas route over the middle of the field to the beat the Broncos' blitz on third down to score an 11-yard receiving touchdown. That put Green Bay up 7-0 after the game's opening drive. 

Nix hit running back RJ Harvey on a wheel route down the right sideline for the 21-yard scoring strike. That's a successful first drive back for Nix after he suffered a season-ending ankle injury in the AFC divisional round in January against the Buffalo Bills. 

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix hit new No. 1 target Jaylen Waddle up the seam, and the former Miami Dolphins speedster beat 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. 

Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur rolled the dice on fourth-and-inches at the Denver 40, leaving his offense on the field. Quarterback Jordan Love rewarded his faith on a play-action dart to 2025 first-round pick wide receiver Matthew Golden. Golden beat 2024 NFL Defensive Player of the Year cornerback Pat Surtain II on a crossing route for a gain of 20 down to the Broncos' 20. 

Carolina's 61-yard boot puts them up 14 points, 20-6, at the half in Jacksonville. 

Allar stepped up in the pocket to deliver a high-arching throw deep down the left sideline, and Steelers undrafted rookie tight end Lake McRee made a toe-tapping catch before tumbling out of bounds for a 38-yard gain. Unfortunately for Pittsburgh, Allar took a nine-yard sack on third-and-8, and the Steelers missed a 44-yard field goal to come up empty on the drive. They still trail 7-0 against the Jets late in the third quarter. 

Dillon took the handoff out of the pistol formation, and rumbled his way through the heart of the Jaguars' defense before lunging into the end zone for a seven-yard rushing touchdown. Panthers lead 17-3 with 2:07 left in the first half. 

Bradley threw a late wobbler intended for wide receiver Austin Trammell, but Smith-Wade undercut the throw for the takeaway. The interception set up the Panthers on the Jacksonville 26 with 3:30 left in the first half. 

Carolina faked a handoff to the left before flipping it back to the right to wide receiver Jimmy Horn Jr., and he accelerated all the way down to the Jacksonville 39 for a gain of 39. 

Edge rusher David Bailey, the 2026 NFL Draft's second overall pick out of Texas Tech, logged his first NFL with a takedown of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Will Howard in the first quarter. On a third-and-8, he bull rushed his way past right tackle Marquis Hayes and dragged Howard to the turf to force a punt. 

Howard once again looked wide receiver Roman Wilson's way over the middle, and he got picked off once again. Jets cornerback Samuel Womack III, a 27-year-old journeyman, generated New York's second takeaway of the night. New York leads 7-0 with 39 seconds left in the first half.  

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 finds 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 is back in the 2026 preseason, and Brooks was able to shimmy his way into the end zone from a yard out at the Jacksonville Jaguars. Carolina leads Jacksonville 7-0 with just under four minutes left in the first quarter. 

The 2025 New York Jets became the first team in NFL history to finish a season with zero interception. That dry spell is over now 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. New York's 18-game drought without an interception, including the first week of the preseason, under head coach Aaron Glenn is finally over. 

Klubnik, a dual-threat quarterback at Clemson, showed off his wheels as he scrambled his way out of a third-and-2 at his own 12 all the way out to the 28 on a 16-yard gain down the right sideline. That mobility gives New York a different flair at quarterback than the 13-year veteran in Geno Smith. 

Geno Smith led a perfect drive with the Jets' starting lineup  on the opening possession 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 this 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). He finished the night with 65 yards passing. 

New York's 2026 fourth-round pick quarterback Cade Klubnik out of Clemson is now in at quarterback for the Jets. 

Pittsburgh began their night with consecutive runs by Jaylen Warren that netted a total of a yard before Howard sailed a third-and-9 throw just out of the reach of wide receiver Roman Wilson. The Steelers punt after just three plays, so the Jets get the ball back n their own 16 up 7-0 with 7:34 left in the first quarter. Run, run, pass isn't exactly the most creative sequence the Steelers could have gone with to begin the night. 

Smith completed all six of this throws on New York's opening drive, including the 13-yard scoring strike to tight end Jelani Woods. After a rough year with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2025, Smith is off to a hot start in his second stint with the Jets, and New York leads 7-0 with 9:04 left to play in the first quarter.