While preseason football is generally not worth paying much attention to, there are several noteworthy position battles that preseason games might help decide. Let’s take a look at a few of them before the first full weekend of games.

The two true quarterback battles

Most teams have already settled on who their Week 1 signal-caller will be, but not the Buccaneers and Colts. Both teams declined to specify a QB1 when they released their initial depth charts this week.

For Indianapolis, the decision is between former Jaguars and Eagles passer Gardner Minshew and rookie Anthony Richardson. Minshew, who’s entering his fifth season, is a seasoned pro. He’s proved himself to be better than the average backup quarterback, but there isn’t a lot to get excited about with him. Richardson, on the other hand, is the exact opposite. His raw talent is off the charts—so much so that he was taken with the fourth pick in this year’s draft despite an underwhelming college career. But he’s quite inexperienced, with only one season as a college starter, so the Colts would be smart to bring him along slowly.

The Bucs are choosing between Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask. That’s a serious drop-off from Tom Brady. Despite how close the race apparently is, Conor Orr still called it “the least interesting preseason quarterback battle in recent memory.” Coach Todd Bowles said this week that both players will get a chance to start in the preseason. Mayfield will start tonight, and Trask will start next week.

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A lesser QB battle

Two other quarterback situations worth paying attention to are the 49ers and the Titans. Brock Purdy is the starter in San Francisco, but it’s hard not to feel like his grip on the job could be tenuous. Despite an excellent rookie season, it’s still tough to shake the label as the last pick in the draft. And with 2021 No. 3 pick Trey Lance on the bench, Purdy could be on a short leash. Lance and Sam Darnold are both listed as second string on the depth chart behind Purdy. Whichever one of them emerges from the preseason as the No. 2 guy will be the next to step up if Purdy is injured or demoted. That’s an important role on a Super Bowl contender.

Crowded wide receiver rooms

Aside from Travis Kelce, who’s going to catch passes from Patrick Mahomes this year? JuJu Smith-Schuster led all Chiefs wideouts with 78 catches for 933 yards last season, but he signed with the Patriots in free agency. That leaves Marquez Valdes-Scantling (42 catches for 687 yards) as Kansas City’s leading returning receiver. But he caught only 51.9% of passes thrown to him last season, the fifth-worst catch percentage among receivers with at least 50 targets, so Mahomes is going to need some options beyond him and Kelce. That’s where the competition gets interesting. Second-year player Skyy Moore and the injured Kadarius Toney (who had knee surgery July 25) are listed as the other starters at receiver. Other options include new acquisition Richie James (57 catches for 569 yards last year with the Giants); rookie second-round pick Rashee Rice; veteran Justin Watson; and Justyn Ross, an undrafted player who missed all of last season with a foot injury.

The Giants also have plenty of options at receiver. Sterling Shepard would usually be the clear No. 1, but he’s coming off an ACL tear and is listed at second string on the depth chart. The three starters on the depth chart are Darius Slayton, Parris Campbell and Isaiah Hodgins. Injuries have been a concern for Campbell, who finally played a full season with the Colts last year after playing just 15 games in his first three seasons combined. Hodgins came out of nowhere last season after being let go by the Bills and established himself as Daniel Jones’s favorite target in an injury-depleted receiving corps late in the season. The wild cards are Wan’Dale Robinson, who reeled in nine passes for 100 yards in a game last season but tore his ACL, explosive rookie Jalin Hyatt and veteran slot receiver Cole Beasley.

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The top five...

… things I saw yesterday:

5. Alan Trejo’s equally lucky and impressive double play while covering second on a steal attempt.

4. The butter sculpture of Caitlin Clark at the Iowa state fair.

3. Rory McIlroy’s snarky answer to a question about Phil Mickelson’s gambling.

2. Pirates shortstop Alika Williams’s play deep in the hole.

1. The diving catch by Utah’s second baseman in the Little League World Series.

SIQ

On this day in 2010, Brewers pitcher Dave Bush joined Chase Wright and Paul Foytack as only the third pitcher in MLB history (until that point) to hold what dubious distinction?

Give up four straight home runs
Walk five consecutive batters
Give up 10 runs without recording an out
Give up three grand slams in a game

Yesterday’s SIQ: On Aug. 10, 2004, which Mets pitcher lost his two front teeth while riding in a taxi from LaGuardia Airport to Shea Stadium?

John Franco
Al Leiter
Tom Glavine
Duaner Sánchez

Answer: Tom Glavine. The Hall of Famer had not traveled back to New York with the rest of the team after a weekend series in St. Louis, opting instead to spend the Mets’ off day with his family in Atlanta. He arrived back in New York hours before a home game against the Astros and hopped in a cab to head to the stadium (only about a mile from the airport).

But as the taxi exited the airport, it collided with an SUV.

“I got my phone out to call my wife, tell her I landed and I was on my way to the ballpark, was kind of mentally starting to go through the process of putting on my seat belt,” Glavine said.

“I heard the cab driver say something. I don’t know what he said, but I knew by the tone of his voice it wasn’t good. And when I looked up, I saw the truck cutting in front of us, and I felt him hitting the brakes, and I kind of felt myself starting to go. I tried to put up my hands as quick as I could, but didn’t get them up quick enough.”

The crash sent Glavine face-first into the partition dividing the front and back seats, knocking his two front teeth out. One of the teeth actually fell into Glavine’s hand as blood streamed from his mouth. He was taken to a hospital and received 40–45 stitches around his mouth. The former hockey player said it was “heartbreaking” to lose the teeth like that.

Aside from the facial injuries, Glavine also complained of rib and shoulder soreness. He was supposed to pitch the day after the crash but had to skip his start.

Cab rides were bad news for the Mets in the middle part of that decade. Two years later, on July 30, 2006, reliever Duaner Sánchez separated his shoulder while riding in a cab in Miami in search of a late-night snack.

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