NFL preseason Week 4: What to watch for

Let’s be honest and up front: the fourth week of the NFL preseason is tough to watch. It’s largely a bunch of backups trying to make a team and while that is incredibly important to those individual, the casual fan tends not to care.

Additionally, we already know who all 32 starting quarterbacks are going to be. There are no position battles left to be played out with only a week left before the regular season gets rolling. So what should you be watching for? Here are a few notables…

• The Tennessee Titans are actually going to play some of their starters for an unknown amount of time on Thursday night against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs will not play any of theirs, which means we should see Tennessee dominate early. If we don’t, that is a legitimate red flag, considering the Titans could score a point against the Chicago Bears until the fourth quarter last weekend.

• Staying in that game, we get another look at Patrick Mahomes. The 10th-overall selection in April’s draft, Mahomes is the backup this season in Kansas City but he is the future face of the franchise. So far, Mahomes has done nothing but impress in the first three outings, throwing a trio of touchdowns without an interception. He’ll play the entire first half at Arrowhead Stadium.

• Speaking of rookie quarterbacks, what will we see out of Mitchell Trubisky in Chicago. The Bears welcome in the Cleveland Browns, and Trubisky gets his last shot at showing his talents before sitting behind starter Mike Glennon. Trubisky has been terrific throughout the preseason, quieting some of the doubters after Chicago shocked many by drafting him second-overall.

• When the New York Giants and New England Patriots collide, will we see anybody step up for New England in the front seven? The Patriots are the best team in football, but if there is one weakness on the roster, it’s in the pass rush. With the retirement of Rob Ninkovich, the release of Kony Ealy, the injury to Derek Rivers and the free-agent departures of both Chris Long and Jabaal Sheard, who can fill the void?

• Finally, who across the league has a huge game and forced their way onto the roster? Who can come up with 150 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns, or two sacks and a recovered fumble? Is there a quarterback fighting for a third-string job that plays out of his mind, convincing the coaching staff that he deserves a year’s worth of reps instead of being cut?