This is an article version of the CBS Sports HQ AM Newsletter, the ultimate guide to every day in sports. By the time Week 3 of the NFL preseason rolls around, coaches and front offices know just about everything they need to know about their teams. You see some silly things in the final exhibition games of the year, like Jordan Love taking over as the Packers' play caller for a couple of drives.
But you also see big decisions. One of those came in Las Vegas, where the Raiders are expected to name Kirk Cousins their starting quarterback over Fernando Mendoza. The final week of the preseason might not be important for everyone, but it sure is for rookies and players on the roster bubble.
Look at Ravens quarterback Joe Fagnano, who went undrafted this spring but made Baltimore's roster after a tremendous training camp. Our Tyler Sullivan handed out an "A" grade to the UConn product for his final preseason appearance. Not every rookie quarterback graded out so well, though.
Here are a few assessments: The moral of the story is to only put so much stock into what you saw in these last few games. Some performances absolutely mattered, but others should be taken with a boulder of salt. For instance, don't try to convince yourself that Mendoza is a bust just because he ran into some classic rookie struggles.
Some Tigers fans booed Tarik Skubal in his return to Comerica Park. Don't blame the pitcher for leaving for the Dodgers; blame the team that is 5.5 games back of the wild card race in a pitiful American League. Angels pitchers are at the center of jeers, too, after they tied the MLB record for blown ninth-inning leads with their 11th late-game collapse.
Both teams are trending downward in our MLB Power Rankings: Optimism is much easier to find in Boston, though. Well, maybe not quite as much after an embarrassing 16-1 drubbing by the Yankees to close out their rivalry series. Roman Anthony and Trevor Story were both back in the lineup, so even though the series finale was a complete egg-laying, getting two key figures healthy bodes well for the Red Sox.
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