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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 BillsRex Ryan did not tip his hand this week on how much his starters will play in Fridays preseason game at Washington, but the best bet is that QB Tyrod Taylor and the majority of Buffalos starters will play deep into the second quarter, if not into the third. The Bills playing time at quarterback could also be altered by?Cardale Jones absence?from practice this week because of shoulder soreness. If Taylor plays the first half, its possible EJ Manuel plays most or all of the second half and Jones remains sidelined. -- Mike RodakMiami DolphinsDolphins starters on both sides of the ball are expected to play into the third quarter Thursday against the Falcons. Keep a particularly close eye on running backs?Arian Foster and Jay Ajayi, who are in a tight race for the starting job. A leader could emerge based on their performances in this third preseason game. -- James WalkerNew England PatriotsTight end Rob Gronkowski, who returned to practice Wednesday for the first time since pulling up in an Aug. 15 practice, said the undisclosed ailment that was keeping him sidelined isnt serious. Gronkowski hasnt played in the preseason since 2012, and his return to practice isnt likely to change that, but it further solidified that Gronkowski should be available for the regular-season opener Sept. 11 against the Cardinals. -- Mike ReissNew York JetsThe No. 2 cornerback competition is pretty much over. The job belongs to Buster Skrine, whom coach Todd Bowles identified as one of the most improved players on the team. Skrine entered training camp as the favorite to start opposite Darrelle Revis, and he backed it up with a strong camp, beating outing Marcus Williams. -- Rich CiminiAFC NORTHBaltimore RavensRB Justin Forsett remains atop the Ravens depth chart, but the next two weeks should give more clarity on whether they will adopt a committee approach to their backfield. Were rolling them in right now, trying to get everybody work, offensive coordinator Marc Trestman said. This is starting to look like the Ravens situation in 2008, when the trio of LeRon McClain, Ray Rice and Willis McGahee all took turns getting the ball in what became a successful combination for the Ravens but a frustrating one for fantasy football owners. -- Jamison HensleyCincinnati BengalsIt looks like theres a good chance that wide receiver Brandon LaFell could see time in Sundays preseason game after missing the first two with a hand injury. LaFell returned to practice this week as the Bengals have started to look ahead to Week 1 at the Jets. -- Katherine TerrellCleveland BrownsDoes health mean offensive excitement? Thats the Browns hope: For the first time this preseason the team will have all four of its top receivers on the field at the same time. Andrew Hawkins, first-round pick Corey Coleman, Josh Gordon and Terrelle Pryor are all expected to play against the Bucs on Friday. Their performance will help provide the first true glimpse at the teams offensive ceiling for 2016. -- Pat McManamonPittsburgh SteelersOn Friday against the Saints, LeVeon Bell is expected to play his first snaps since undergoing knee surgery almost 10 months ago. The Steelers will play their offensive trio of Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and Bell, a unit that combined for 58 snaps together last season. Getting tackled is Bells final mental hurdle in his knee recovery, though he doesnt plan to be tackled. He wants to hit home runs every play, he said. After Friday, he wont play until late September because of a three-game suspension for missed drug tests. -- Jeremy FowlerAFC SOUTHHouston TexansC.J. Fiedorowicz has probably won the starting tight end job for the Texans, but Stephen Anderson, an undrafted rookie from Cal, has looked good in training camp so far. Quarterback Brock Osweiler praised Anderson, saying, Hes somebody that I have a lot of trust and a lot of faith in. Anderson caught a touchdown in the Texans preseason opener. Expect him to continue to be involved in the offense in Sundays game against the Cardinals. -- Sarah BarshopIndianapolis ColtsColts offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski opened his weekly media session Wednesday by talking about how good it was to finally have QB Andrew Luck back after a flawless performance (8-of-8) against Baltimore last weekend. Chudzinski had Luck healthy for only one game last season before losing him to a lacerated kidney. All the things that you can say that are the superlatives about Andrew you say, Chudzinski said. Hes got a presence. Hes a leader. He can take things from the classroom to the field. -- Mike WellsJacksonville JaguarsJaguars defensive coordinator Todd Wash was impressed with rookie CB Jalen Ramseys performance against the Bucs, especially his willingness to come up and tackle. Wash said Ramsey showed hes going to be a factor in run defense. Hes not scared to put his face on people, and that is something thats important to us, Wash said. -- Mike DiRoccoTennessee TitansMike Mularkey said he doesnt have a specific split for carries in mind between DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry?when the regular season gets started. He said Henry deserves and will have a role, but Murray has done nothing to show he should be taken off the field. Generally the coach wont worry about distributing touches. If a guy gets open, hes going to get open, hes going to get the ball, Mularkey said. If the coverage dictates throw it over here, then the guys that are over there are going to get the ball. If were running the ball successfully, theyre going to get the ball. If were not, were going to try somebody else to try to win. -- Paul KuharskyAFC WESTDenver BroncosQuarterback Trevor Siemian, who did not practice Tuesday because of a bruised right shoulder, was back playing with the starters Wednesday. He took about 80 percent of the snaps, and he remains on track to start Saturdays preseason game against the?Rams. And that means he also still has the inside track to be the teams starter for the regular-season opener Sept. 8 against the Panthers. Siemians body of work has earned him the edge, and with one more quality game of football, he will have made the case to be the Week 1 starter for the defending Super Bowl champs. -- Jeff LegwoldKansas City ChiefsSome of the Chiefs most reliable special teams players from last season, including Jamell Fleming and D.J. Alexander, might not survive the two rounds of cut between now and the start of the regular season. But special teams coordinator Dave Toub said the Chiefs are deep enough to withstand some losses, if it comes to that. However it shakes out, I think were going to be in good shape, he said. The Chiefs have been one of the NFLs best teams in the kicking game since Toub arrived in 2013. -- Adam TeicherOakland RaidersDiminutive undrafted rookie RB Jalen Richard has returned to practice this week after missing two weeks with a knee issue. And yes, Richard -- all 5-feet-8 inches, 207 pounds of him -- has already made an impression. It was too bad that he had a little knee injury the last couple of weeks, Raiders offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave said. For a while he was doing something spectacular each and every day in practice. Its good to have him back out there. Yesterday it really reminded us of what weve missed the last two weeks of practice with him not being there. -- Paul GutierrezSan Diego ChargersAs the Chargers contract impasse with Joey Bosa rolls on, its becoming more and more apparent that the team will probably be without its No. 3 overall pick in the season opener against the Chiefs. Well go with what we have, GM Tom Telesco said. Theres not really much you can do about it. In the short term, that means guys such as?Darius Philon, Tenny Palepoi and Ryan Carrethers will be relied on more, unless Telesco sees better talent on the waiver wire. -- Eric D. WilliamsNFC EASTDallas CowboysEzekiel Elliott is set to play Thursday against the Seahawks in what might be the most anticipated preseason debut by a Cowboys rookie since No. 1 pick Troy Aikman in 1989. Jason Garrett has left open how much Elliott will play after Elliott missed the first two preseason games with a sore hamstring. In 2011, DeMarco Murray didnt play in the first two preseason games but got the call on seven of the first eight snaps of the third quarter of the third preseason game against the Vikings. The Cowboys were testing Murrays toughness and wanted to see if he would tap out. He didnt. Could the Cowboys give Elliott that type of work early vs. the Seahawks to test him? -- Todd ArcherNew York GiantsNothing that has come to light over the past week has changed the Giants thinking about Josh Brown. Hes likely to be their kicker after serving his Week 1 suspension. Owner John Mara said Wednesday that the organization?knew all of the information about?Browns domestic-violence arrest and his ex-wifes allegations. Any determination on his future will be related purely to football. Brown and Randy Bullock will continue competing for the job Thursday and split kicks in Saturdays preseason game against the Jets. -- Jordan RaananPhiladelphia EaglesThe Eagles have had a difficult time establishing stability along the offensive line this offseason, largely because of news of a possible Lane Johnson suspension, which has forced head coach Doug Pederson to shift Allen Barbre to right tackle and play rookie Isaac Seumalo at left guard. Now Seumalo is dealing with a strained pec muscle that will force him to miss Saturdays game against the Colts. Stefen Wisniewski is expected to replace him. This make-shift starting lineup is?running out of time to work together before the games start to count. -- Tim McManusWashington RedskinsThe Redskins will get a good look at their backup running backs against Buffalo on Friday, with starter Matt Jones out because of a shoulder injury and third-down back Chris Thompson likely to get the night off. That means rookies Keith Marshall and Rob Kelley will get the bulk of the work, and theyre locked in a battle for what could be the third and final running back opening. One big key Friday: handling Buffalos blitz. The Redskins need to know their backup RBs can not only run the ball, but handle all the other duties of a full-timer. Otherwise, theyll look elsewhere for a veteran in two weeks. -- John KeimNFC NORTHChicago BearsQuarterback Jay Cutler tried to soften the seriousness of Kyle Longs shoulder injury, but Longs health remains a major storyline with the regular-season opener less than three weeks away. Long did not practice for a fourth straight day since he injured the shoulder in last weeks preseason loss at New England. Coach John Fox provided no update on Long, who is the best offensive lineman on Chicagos roster. With Long essentially out for the next two exhibition games, at the bare minimum, the question becomes whether he can practice the week of the season opener Sept. 11. Losing Long would be devastating for Chicago. -- Jeff DickersonDetroit LionsThe Eric Ebron watch is back on now after he did not practice Wednesday following his return to the field on Tuesday. Ebron, a tight end entering his third season, attended the Lions workout but did not have a helmet. When he was at practice Tuesday, he was spotted with a helmet in individual workouts but didnt appear to be doing much. Why does this matter? With their lack of depth at TE, the Lions need Ebron healthy for the start of the season. If Detroit wants to effectively run an uptempo offense in 2016 (and it does), Ebrons health will be a major part of it. -- Michael RothsteinGreen Bay PackersJust because Clay Matthews and Julius Peppers met with NFL investigators on Wednesday in Green Bay doesnt necessarily mean theres going to be a quick and immediate resolution. When asked whether he viewed the meetings as one of the final steps toward resolving the PED investigation, Packers GM Ted Thompson said: Its a valid question. Its just Im not going to be one of the people adding my voice to this. Dont expect to hear anything from the Packers until theres a resolution. -- Rob DemovskyMinnesota VikingsThe Vikings seem to be preparing Teddy Bridgewater to play Sunday against the Chargers, after Bridgewater missed the teams preseason game vs. the Seahawks last week with a sore shoulder. Bridgewater has gradually taken on more work after two days of not throwing following the teams return from Seattle, and it stands to reason hell have a larger workload on Thursday, before the Vikings head to U.S. Bank Stadium for what will amount to a walk-through before Sundays game. -- Ben GoesslingNFC SOUTHAtlanta FalconsJulio Jones and the Falcons want to get off to another fast start Thursday night against the Dolphins, just like they did in last weeks game against the Browns with a nine-play, 71-yard touchdown drive. Coach Dan Quinn wouldnt say how long Jones and the starters would play, but expect them to get three good series in. Its like a [regular-season] game for us, so were getting ready, Jones said of the third preseason game. -- Vaughn McClureCarolina PanthersPanthers coach Ron Rivera left the door open for Pro Bowl tight end Greg Olsen (back) to play in Friday nights preseason game against New England. Olsen returned to practice Tuesday, but hasnt done any hitting in almost two weeks. Backup tight end Ed Dickson (groin) could play as well after returning to practice Wednesday, but he seems less likely. Rivera said the starters will play into the third quarter. -- David NewtonNew Orleans SaintsThe Saints will hold a walkthrough Thursday thats closed to the fans and media as a final warmup to Fridays preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Starters for both teams are expected to play their most snaps of any preseason game so far. And that will provide a great test for New Orleans, especially the Saints young defense. Pittsburgh has one of the NFLs most dynamic and diverse offenses. And as Saints LB James Laurinaitis said, preseason games dont count, but they matter. -- Mike TriplettTampa Bay BuccaneersThe Bucs offense strugged again Wednesday against the Browns in a joint practice. We didnt do well in the two-minute, head coach Dirk Koetter said. Browns CB Joe Haden intercepted Bucs QB Jameis Winston during the two-minute drill. Haden intercepted Winston on Tuesday as well. Winston called Wednesdays interception a miscommunication on fourth down. He said the most challenging part about working against the Browns has been their defensive fronts. Cleveland employ a base 3-4 defensive scheme, but itll mix odd and even fronts, creating a real challenge for Friday nights third preseason game. -- Jenna LaineNFC WESTArizona CardinalsTyrann Mathieus return is a slow process, but hes been stacking good days on top of each other. The Honey Badger had two interceptions Wednesday and said it felt great to make plays but that hes not really where I want to be. Coach Bruce Arians said hes undecided whether Mathieu will play in Sundays preseason game against the Texans. Mathieu said, I wouldnt say Im ready to actually play a full game at this point of his comeback. -- Josh WeinfussLos Angeles RamsRams coach Jeff Fisher still hasnt decided how he will divide the snaps at quarterback in Denver on Saturday. But Case Keenum remains the starting quarterback, and Jared Goff needs an encouraging run with the first-team offense to even give himself a chance at being the Rams guy for the Monday Night Football opener against the 49ers. Goff has made some sharp throws in practice this week, but its just practice. Keenum and Goff both figure to get extended time in the third preseason game, which might once again leave third-string quarterback Sean Mannion without any snaps. -- Alden GonzalezSan Francisco 49ers49ers coach Chip Kelly wants to wait and see how quarterbacks Colin Kaepernick and Blaine Gabbert get through the week before naming a starter and divvying up playing time for Fridays game against Green Bay. But all signs point to Kaepernick being able to make his preseason debut after missing the first two exhibition contests because of a sore shoulder. Kaepernick and Gabbert have split first-team reps in practice all week, so if Kaepernick can play, its fair to think hell get to do the same in the game. --?Nick WagonerSeattle SeahawksFor the first time this preseason, the Seahawks will have all of their rookie running backs available. Third-round pick C.J. Prosise has been hampered by a hamstring injury, but hes expected to play. Fifth-rounder Alex Collins has struggled to break out and will look to show more than he has so far. Seventh-round selection Zac Brooks should get plenty of work in the second half. And undrafted free agent Troymaine Pope will try to build on his 10-carry, 86-yard performance from a week ago. In all likelihood, only two of the rookies will make the 53-man roster. -- Sheil KapadiaAir Max 90 Pas Cher Femme ., for the next three years with the signings on Monday of Daryl Townsend and Michael Carter. Basket Nike Solde . If ever they start actually putting pictures beside words in the dictionary, the Blue Jays left-handers mug will appear beside “Consistency. http://www.pascherbasketnike.fr/france-air-force-1-solde.html . To the surprise of many, it isnt the Wolverines but their in-state rivals the Michigan State Spartans. Basket Air Force 1 Pas Cher . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. Vapormax Pas Cher Chine . The 43-year-old closer, in his 19th and final big league season, has said hed like to play the outfield. Yankees manager Joe Girardi says hes thinking about allowing Rivera to do it this weekend, when the Yankees finish their season with a three-game series at the Houston Astros.BOSTON -- Jimmy Hayes emerged as an unlikely source of offense for the Bruins.Hayes scored the games only goal early in the first period and Tuukka Rask made 18 saves as Boston held on for a 1-0 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday.Hayes goal was his first in seven games and only his second in 28 games this season.You try to help the team whenever you can, and today I got an opportunity so its nice to cash in on one, Hayes said.It was a much-needed boost with leading scorer David Pastrnak sidelined after having right elbow surgery on Friday. Pastrnaks 19 goals rank second in the NHL behind Pittsburghs Sidney Crosby (21).Its going to be huge (for others to step up), Hayes said. A guy like that whos been scoring for us, scoring some big time goals for us on a regular basis. Youre going to need other guys to step up and thats going to have to be the mentality going forward.Bruins coach Claude Julien hopes Hayes performance serves as a spark after his sluggish start. Hayes ranked ninth on the team with 29 points (13 goals, 16 assists) last season.He resembled probably the older Hayes that we had at times last year than the one weve seen this year, Julien said.Rask recorded his fourth shutout of the season for the Bruins, who improved to .500 at home (8-8-0) after losing two straight games and five of six coming in.Its one of those games that you only need one bad bounce or one really good chance for them to tie it, and today we didnt even give them that, Rask said.Rask tied Minnesota goalie Devan Dubnyk for the league lead in shutouts, and now has 34 for his career.Peter Budaj had 29 saves for the Kings, who had won their previous two games. Los Angeles was outshot 30-18.Hey, we just played our fourth game today in 6 1/2 days and we played oour (butts) off again today, Sutter said.dddddddddddd.Sutter opted to sit the struggling Marian Gaborik, who has just one goal and three assists through nine games.We have that right in the locker room as players and coaches to have high expectations of players in terms of how they play, Sutter said.Colin Millers wrister from the top of the right circle caught a piece of Hayes stick and zipped past Budaj 4:20 into the opening period. Hayes was initially credited with an assist on Millers goal, but the call was changed. Dominic Moore also assisted on the goal.Just being in the right spot at the right time, Hayes said about his timely score.Hayes has gone 45 games without an assist dating to Feb. 22. He is three points shy of 100 for his career.Kyle Clifford went to the locker room at 3:24 of the third after taking a hit from the Bruins Adam McQuaid while chasing a puck in the corner. He returned later in the period.NOTES. Pastrnak is expected to miss at least one more game. ... Bruins D Kevan Miller returned after missing Thursdays game with the flu. ... Kings D Brayden McNabb (broken collarbone) practiced Saturday for the first time since his Oct. 29 injury. He likely will not play for the rest of the Kings road trip. ... D Colin Miller was a fifth-round draft pick of Los Angles in 2012. He was traded to Boston in a package for LW Milan Lucic on June 26, 2015. ... The Bruins assigned D Matt Grzelcyk to AHLs Providence on Saturday.UP NEXTKings: At Columbus on Tuesday night in the fifth of nine straight games away from home.Bruins: Host the New York Islanders on Tuesday night in the finale of a three-game homestand. ' ' '