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NFL Nation reporters assess the top storylines to watch for every team on Thursday.NFC East | NFC North | NFC South | NFC West AFC East | AFC North| AFC South | AFC WestAFC EASTBuffalo BillsSafety Aaron Williams (concussion), cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman (ankle), as well as offensive linemen Cordy Glenn (ankle) and Richie Incognito (ribs) remained out of practice Wednesday, meaning they arent likely to suit up for Saturdays preseason game against the?Giants. The Bills could also elect to hold wide receiver Sammy Watkins (foot) out of preseason action after he sat out team drills in Wednesdays practice. -- Mike RodakMiami DolphinsDolphins coach Adam Gase said he hasnt determined his starting guards for Fridays game against the Cowboys but probably will make that determination Thursday. Rookie first-round pick?Laremy Tunsil received a majority of first-team reps this week and might make the first start of his NFL career. -- James WalkerNew England PatriotsQuarterback?Tom Brady didnt play in the preseason opener after being excused to attend memorial services for a family member. That left all the work for Jimmy Garoppolo (39 snaps, playing entire first half) and Jacoby Brissett (28 snaps, entire second half). Bill Belichick didnt tip his hand on how he plans to split the reps in Thursday nights second preseason game, only repeating what he previously said about Garoppolo: that getting him ready for the start of the season was the priority. -- Mike ReissNew York JetsThe Jets are off Thursday, but its still a big day for the team. Running back Matt Forte (hamstring) on Wednesday participated in team drills for the first time all camp, and afterward coach Todd Bowles said it will be important to see how Fortes body responds a day later. If Forte, 30, feels good, Bowles said hell warm up for Friday nights preseason game against the Redskins, and theres even a slim chance Forte could?play. -- Kieran DarcyAFC NORTHBaltimore RavensWide receiver Steve Smith Sr. passed his physical and will be activated off the physically unable to perform list. This puts the NFLs oldest receiver on track to be ready for the Sept. 11 season opener and adds clarity to Baltimores wide receiver group. The Ravens top three receivers will be Smith, Mike Wallace and Kamar Aiken. In two seasons with the Ravens, Smith has averaged 5.5 catches and 75.4 yards receiving per game. Baltimore is still holding out hope that Breshad Perriman will return before the start of the regular season, but thats starting to look more unlikely. -- Jamison HensleyCincinnati BengalsThe lights go back on for the Bengals youngest players Thursday night, when Cincinnati visits Detroit for its second game of the preseason. Although the Bengals lost their opener to the Vikings, they still got a good early look at several rookies, including receivers Tyler Boyd, Alex Erickson and Cody Core. The Bengals hope that same trio shows out again against the Lions. They also are hopeful their reserve defenders have cleaned up some of the mistakes that caused a few chunk plays to hurt the unit last week. Overcommitting backside defenders on one particular run and poor downfield coverage on a couple of other plays led to Vikings scores. -- Coley HarveyCleveland BrownsRobert Griffin III started the preseason opener with a 49-yard completion. He then went 3-for-7 for 18 yards with an interception the rest of his time in the game. The Browns and coach Hue Jackson need to see better from Griffin on Thursday?in the second preseason game?against the Falcons. -- Pat McManamonPittsburgh SteelersThe Steelers are not changing their game-planning approach at running back despite LeVeon Bells long-standing suspension appeal, which should be resolved some time this week. Bell and running back DeAngelo Williams will sit Thursdays game against the Eagles, leaving Fitz Toussaint to take first-team reps. One star who?is expected to play Thursday is center Maurkice Pouncey, who will see?his first action since injuring his foot/ankle against the Packers last preseason. Several surgeries later, Pouncey plans on a triumphant return. -- Jeremy FowlerAFC SOUTHHouston TexansThe Texans will host the Saints for two days of joint practices on Thursday and Friday. One matchup to watch is at the line of scrimmage. The Texans offensive line is missing tackles Derek Newton and Duane Brown, and the line had some difficulties protecting quarterback Brock Osweiler in its?first preseason game against the 49ers. Going against the Saints defensive line should be a good test for the line, including rookie center Nick Martin. -- Sarah BarshopIndianapolis ColtsOffensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski isnt too worried about quarterback Andrew Luck having any rust when he plays in his first game in more than nine months against Baltimore on Saturday. Andrew has played enough football that you feel pretty confident that hell be able to pick right up where he left off and get right back on the bike, Chudzinski said. Luck, too, is looking at Saturdays game as just another preseason game. They are all somewhat the same in a sense, he said recently. -- Mike WellsJacksonville JaguarsFor all the talk before the joint practices with the Bucs, the teams did not fight Wednesday. Linebacker Telvin Smith joked that he was disappointed about that. The two teams practice again Thursday, and this might be the day that tempers flare. As one player told me: Everybody was nice to each other. If its as hot as it was today, theres gonna be some scraps. -- Mike DiRoccoTennessee TitansThe Titans wont gameplan for the Panthers, but they will spend some time in the next two days working off cards that illustrate the stuff the Panthers do on offense and defense. Carolina visits Nissan Stadium for a Saturday afternoon game. At this point the forecast says it might well be rainy for Take Two of the Titans run game. The team rushed for 288 yards on 33 carries in the win over the Chargers. -- Paul KuharskyAFC WESTDenver BroncosIn the first of two joint practices with the 49ers -- the second one will be Thursday morning -- the Broncos defense carried the day. In one five-play span, it forced an incompletion to go with four interceptions on 49ers quarterbacks. Defensive end Derek Wolfe, however, left the workout after he rolled an ankle. An MRI later in the day showed no significant damage, but Wolfe will miss a little time as he recovers and is not expected to play Saturday night. Given that?Vance Walker suffered a season-ending torn ACL on Monday, Jared Crick and rookie Adam Gotsis will get?more work in the days ahead. -- Jeff LegwoldKansas City ChiefsThe Chiefs have begun shifting from player evaluation to getting players who will make the roster ready for the regular season. All 84 available players got into last weeks game against the Seahawks, but not all of those who are healthy will play Saturday against the Rams in Los Angeles. Thursdays practice is the last one for the Chiefs this year at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph. Camp continues next week in Kansas City. Youre thinking that way now, coach Andy Reid said about getting ready for the season. Every week you start honing it down just a little bit. -- Adam TeicherOakland RaidersThe Raiders have broken camp in Napa and, after playing an exhibition game at the Packers on Thursday, will resume preseason activities at their Alameda complex. Just dont tell quarterback?Derek Carr that preseason games dont count. As a competitor, anytime you go into a game you want to win. Thats hands down, Carr said. Anytime I put a jersey on, my whole mindset is, What do I need to do to win? And then, when you go out there and play [only] 10 plays, youre like, Man, theres nothing more I could do. But you always want to win. Thats No. 1. So there is something to it. ... If you lose, it stings because youre a competitor. -- Paul GutierrezSan Diego ChargersAfter two days of scrimmages against the Cardinals, the Chargers will play them in the teams second preseason game Friday. Veteran tight end Antonio Gates said the weeks work against Arizona is making San Diego a better team. Its just seeing guys making plays and excited to compete, Gates said. Thats what its ultimately about in this league -- getting up every single day and being able to compete at a high level. -- Eric D. WilliamsNFC EASTDallas CowboysThe Cowboys return to Texas on Thursday?after 16 days of practice in Oxnard, California. They would have liked to have seen more of rookie running back?Ezekiel Elliott, who missed eight practices because of a sore hamstring, and they would have liked to have found more answers on their defensive line. They will have three more weeks to work Elliott up to speed and find those defensive line answers before they play the Giants on Sept. 11. But coach Jason Garrett has been impressed with the work his team has put in from the offseason through Oxnard. If youre looking for a feeling, I have a very positive feeling about this group, how theyve worked, how were giving our chance to be a good football team, Garrett said. Its a privilege to wake up in the morning and coach these guys, because of the approach they take. That started way back when. It started before were allowed to even coach players way back in the end of February and March when the guys are in our building working out on their own. It carried through OTAs and carried through minicamp. They came back in shape, and they have worked hard in training camp. I have a very positive feeling about the approach that were taking, the mindset our team has, the mentality they have. As a coach, thats all you can ask for. Thats going to give you the best chance to have success. -- Todd ArcherNew York GiantsAfter a few rough practices this week, the Giants first-team offense got back to work Wednesday. They began preparations for Saturdays game against the Bills, where quarterback Eli Manning and wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. will make their preseason debuts. Coach Ben McAdoo said he intends to play his stars in Buffalo after they sat out Friday against the Dolphins. Theyll continue their preparations Thursday without Victor Cruz, who remains sidelined with a groin injury. -- Jordan RaananPhiladelphia EaglesWith training camp officially behind them, the Eagles set their sights on Thursday nights?second preseason game at Pittsburgh. Rookie quarterback?Carson Wentz (ribs) will sit out this one. Same with wide receiver?Dorial Green-Beckham, who hasnt had a chance to practice with the team since being acquired from the Titans. That doesnt mean he wont have an impact. Lets see how Nelson Agholor and the rest of the receiver group responds now that more competition has been added at the position. -- Tim McManusWashington RedskinsRookie receiver Josh Doctson did a little more work in practice Tuesday, including calisthenics and jogging, but the team still doesnt know when hell return from his Achilles injury. Multiple sources said earlier this week it would be another week or two at least before the first-round pick returned. On Wednesday, Gruden said, Its just going to take rest, but once its gone itll be gone. And thats our hope, that it doesnt come back, so we want to make sure we get it cured now. -- John KeimNFC NORTHChicago BearsThe Bears expect, and quite frankly need, a better all-around performance when they play their second preseason game Thursday night. Chicagos 22-0 exhibition defeat to the Broncos was disappointing on numerous levels, especially in pass-protection. The Bears surrendered seven sacks, something quarterback Jay Cutler thinks the team has cleaned up after a three-day joint practice session in New England. I thought [the joint sessions] were a huge test for them, Cutler said. We saw a lot of different fronts out there, a lot of situations where we had to make a lot of identifications and have a lot of conversations. We handled it well. Meanwhile, tight end Zach Miller (concussion) returned to practice Wednesday but is questionable to face the Patriots. -- Jeff DickersonDetroit LionsFigure to see some of Detroits starters a little bit more Thursday night in the second preseason game against Cincinnati, but not for an extended period of time. Like the Lions?did in the first preseason game, they figure to be smart about what key players to use and where. The game will be more important for the backups, though. Guys such as rookie running back Dwayne Washington and wide receiver Quinshad Davis can use the game to build on strong preseason openers in attempts to win roster spots. -- Michael RothsteinGreen Bay PackersYou probably wont see much, if any, of Aaron Rodgers, Clay Matthews, Julius Peppers and perhaps a few other key Packers starters in Thursdays preseason game against the Raiders. But general manager Ted Thompson insisted its not a response to losing star receiver Jordy Nelson for the season last year in a meaningless summer exhibition game. No, the Jordy thing wouldnt have had any input in it because it wasnt normal, Thompson said. It would have been like you walking across the street and your ACL falls out. Nobody hit anybody, nobody touched anybody, and nobody made any dramatic moves. It just happened. So you cant guard for everything. The Packers did get some good news about Nelson on Wednesday. The receiver passed his physical?and was activated off the physically unable to perform list, but hes still unlikely to get much action in preseason games. The goal is to get him ready for the regular season. -- Rob DemovskyMinnesota VikingsThe Vikings will look for a better performance from their defense in their second preseason game Thursday night in Seattle, after they allowed the Bengals to run 31 plays in their first two drives last Friday. Several Vikings players said the initial performance wasnt us, likely repeating a message theyd heard from coach Mike Zimmer this week, and theyll look to be more disciplined against the run as they face the leagues third-ranked rushing attack from a year ago. -- Ben GoesslingNFC SOUTHAtlanta FalconsThe thing to watch as the Falcons face the Browns in preseason game No. 2 Thursday night is how the rookies on defense perform. Strong safety Keanu Neal, the teams first-round pick, will make his Falcons debut after sitting out last weeks game with a trunk injury. Coach Dan Quinn said hes anxious to see Neals physicality in live action. Meanwhile, theres a chance second-round pick Deion Jones and fourth-round pick DeVondre Campbell could start at the inside linebacker spots. Even if they dont start, they are expected to alternate series with Paul Worrilow and Sean Weatherspoon. It will be interesting to see how Neal, Jones and Campbell work together. -- Vaughn McClureCarolina PanthersReports that the Panthers worked out former New York Giants offensive tackle Will Beatty on Wednesday shouldnt come as a surprise. General manager Dave Gettleman worked with Beatty when both were with the Giants. Gettleman also needs to improve depth at tackle behind starters Michael Oher and Mike Remmers. Coach Ron Rivera has admitted that Daryl Williams hasnt pushed Remmers as much as hed hoped. And the experiment with Canadian David Foucault appears to be coming to an end, with Donald Hawkins getting most of the second-team snaps behind Oher. -- David NewtonNew Orleans SaintsThe Saints training camp tour has landed them in Houston, where they will have two days of joint practices with the Texans before playing in Saturday nights preseason game. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your perspective) they wont get to face Houstons all-world defensive end J.J. Watt. But the Texans still feature one of the NFLs top defenses, led by linebacker Brian Cushing and cornerback Johnathan Joseph. It should be a great test for the Saints passing game, which has looked terrific all summer. Watching Joseph match up against wide receiver?Brandin Cooks will be particularly intriguing. -- Mike TriplettTampa Bay BuccaneersThe Bucs first joint practice against the Jaguars was sluggish on offense, according to coach Dirk Koetter. The Jaguars pass rush and secondary, at times, appeared to dominate. A few times, quarterback Jameis Winston didnt get the ball out quickly enough and those plays would have been sacks, or there was tight coverage downfield and receivers couldnt hang onto the ball. -- Jenna LaineNFC WESTArizona CardinalsCardinals coach Bruce Arians was released from the hospital Wednesday morning after an overnight stay and gave a brief three-minute news conference. He then attended the Cardinals-Chargers joint practice for about 30 minutes before leaving. Arizona has Thursday off before Fridays game against the Chargers, giving Arians a chance to recover from a bout with diverticulitis. -- Josh WeinfussLos Angeles RamsIt came primarily against players destined for the scout team, but third-string quarterback Sean Mannion nonetheless had the best passing performance for the Rams on Saturday, completing 18 of 25 passes for 147 yards and three touchdowns. He will continue to get significant reps, albeit behind Case Keenum and Jared Goff. We knew Sean could do some good things, and it showed the other night, Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. Its an exciting room for those guys. As far as Sean moving up and all that, weve got a plan. It has to fall into place. -- Alden GonzalezSan Francisco 49ersAfter a joint practice with the Broncos that left 49ers safety Antoine Bethea saying, I think we can improve a lot, the Niners will get another shot at the defending world champions on Thursday. The on-going saga at quarterback doesnt look like it will be ending anytime soon as Blaine Gabbert continues to struggle to take advantage of Colin Kaepernicks absence. Kaepernick, who is battling a fatigued right shoulder, did some very light throwing on the side Wednesday but still hasnt thrown an actual practice repetition pass in a week. -- Nick WagonerSeattle SeahawksQuarterback?Russell Wilson was asked Wednesday how running back?Christine Michael is different in his second stint with the team. The first thing I noticed was his maturation, Wilson said. His understanding that NFL means not for long. He gets so many opportunities, and he has a great opportunity right now to be really, really successful. 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