It's the moment we've all been waiting for -- Week 3 of the NFL preseason. We'll see more established stars and potential starters than any other week of the preseason. Here's what to watch for Sunday's preseason games.
SUNDAY (all times ET)
San Diego Chargers at Minnesota Vikings (1 p.m., FOX)
» While this isn't necessarily an in-game issue, the war of words between the Chargers and Joey Bosa reached a fevered pitch on Wednesday when the team released a deeply detailed statement about Bosa's refusal to sign his rookie deal. With a nationally televised game on tap, it will be interesting to see if the team uses the forum to further their public stance on the matter.
» Teddy Bridgewater will return to the field after not playing last weekend because head coach Mike Zimmer said so. This has been an unintentionally odd offseason for Bridgewater, who, at times this summer, flashed some of the playmaking ability that we've come to expect on a weekly basis. According to the Star-Tribune, the coaching staff did not see any injury limitations to Bridgewater's workouts this week, though it bears watching.
» Will Adrian Peterson play, or at least make a push to? Peterson never takes the field during the preseason, but oddly left the door open this summer after wishing he played in a warmup game last year. The Vikings would probably prefer he plays it safe, but who can question a veteran who knows his body better than anyone else?
Arizona Cardinals at Houston Texans (4 p.m., FOX)
» Jadeveon Clowney was beastly against the Saints a week ago, at times forcing New Orleans offensive linemen to grab him by the shoulder pads and tackle him in lieu of another quarterback take down. This was the monstrous defensive end we were expecting all those years. Will the Cardinals let him anywhere near Carson Palmer this weekend?
» A bit esoteric given that it's the third preseason game, but Texans backup quarterback Tom Savage has been chucking the football with a sense of urgency this offseason. Savage is among the 10 most productive passers in football this preseason and has a chance to spike the football on Houston's backup gig with a nice performance against the Cardinals' second-string. There were whispers about Savage being a second round-type quarterback the year he came out, and we may finally be seeing why.
» Cardinals first-rounder Robert Nkemdiche is set to make his preseason debut this weekend, giving us a realistic preview of how scary this defensive line might be. We too often associate the Cardinals with just Arians and his offense, but with Chandler Jones and Nkemdiche in the fold -- look out.
Cincinnati Bengals at Jacksonville Jaguars (8 p.m., NBC)
» Primetime for the Jacksonville Jaguars, and it is well-deserved. This team has been building their foundation over the past three seasons and is finally good enough to turn some heads. This will be America's first good look at quarterback Blake Bortles in 2016 -- will they agree that he's one of the most fun to watch in football right now?
» Chris Ivory and T.J. Yeldon have been quite harmonious this offseason. With the most realistic dress rehearsal coming, we'll see if Jacksonville is fixing to break up this running back utopia or if they are committed to a 50-50 split as Jacksonville.com predicted.
