Give Robert Griffin III credit: On a night in which his Cleveland Browns played awfully, Griffin did what he could.

But RG3 was the second-best quarterback on the field Friday night. Top honors belong to Jameis Winston, who backed up offseason hype that was heaped on him.

Griffin had his moments. First he hit Josh Gordon — remember him? — on a 44-yard double move early against Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Brent Grimes. Then later, after the Bucs had built a 27-3 lead, Griffin fired a nice deep ball to Gordon again, delivering the pass before the safety could help and putting it where only his gifted receiver could make a play. The result was a 43-yard score.

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Those glimpses should give Browns fans hope that they have two potentially great reclamation projects on their hands this season; three if you count Terrelle Pryor, who was quiet Friday (two catches, 15 yards) but has had a strong August. But there is a lot to work on around those players — and Gordon won’t be available until Week 5, which is also the return date for Tom Brady.

The Browns’ offensive line looked abysmal. Griffin was pummeled in the game, and though some of it might have been on him, there were times when he effectively scrambled from pressure and showed more awareness for his self-preservation than he did for most of his Washington Redskins career.

Winston got the help from his team that Griffin did not. The Buccaneers were challenged by head coach Dirk Koetter to start faster — in all three phases — after some so-so performances, both in the two preseason games and joint practices with the Jacksonville Jaguars. They did just that. Although the Bucs’ defense gave up some chunk plays, Griffin’s other six completions (besides the two Gordon bombs) netted a mere 32 yards. The Bucs did a solid job against the run and harassed Grffin thoroughly.

Meanwhile Winston looked terrific in his own right. He completed 16 of 25 passes for 259 yards and two TD passes, and helped convert 5 of 9 third downs, all from 5 yards or longer. Mike Evans might see 200 targets this season. He caught five passes for 115 yards and a pretty touchdown pass in which Winston put it up high where Evans could get it. A year after Evans battled the ball a lot, it appears he has his catching confidence back.

Winston also used his feet well, stepping up and sliding amid pressure and finding Charles Sims on a pretty 3-yard TD pass that was off script. It’s a terrific sign that Winston had that kind of control on Friday, and he did a good job of spreading the ball around well to Evans, Sims, Vincent Jackson and Adam Humphries, who appears to be nailing down the No. 3 WR role. Surely, Humphries running back a punt for a 73-yard touchdown won’t hurt his chances to have a significant role this season.

The Browns’ Hue Jackson and Koetter were named head coaches this offseason because of their ability to cultivate quarterbacks. The work Koetter did with Winston last season was noteworthy, and turning the ball over to him fully this season — with more of a hurry-up approach — could make Winston a sleeper MVP candidate. Jackson squeezing the most out of RG3 — and keeping defenses off balance with pace and formation variation — to the point where he’s a Comeback Player of the Year favorite.

There’s a lot of work ahead, and Winston was the stronger of the two on this night — and he appeared to have a far better supporting cast, too. But there is hope that we still could be talking about two of the better young (yes, RG3 is only 26) quarterbacks in the game this season.

The San Francisco 49ers don’t have a choice. Blaine Gabbert will be their Week 1 quarterback. As much for what Gabbert has done to this point as what Colin Kaepernick has not.

Friday’s game against the Green Bay Packers illuminated this point. Gabbert started and was fine: 2-of-3 passing for 14 yards, leading a scoring drive and scrambling for a nice 9-yard gain that showed off his athleticism. But hardly anything shocking — good or bad. Gabbert has been mostly steady, with a handful of really good days and a few poor ones, since the start of training camp, according to reports.

Kaepernick was running a clear second in that battle prior to missing time with shoulder soreness, and his Friday preseason debut didn’t do anything to change the pecking order. He completed two of his first three attempts (though looking a bit shaky and inaccurate on both) before misfiring on his next four passes. Kaepernick’s athleticism is still excellent, but his poise, pocket comfort and fluidity in running Chip Kelly’s offense all looked to be off-kilter.

The 49ers might have a solid run game and screen game, but they don’t have elite playmakers at tight end or wide receiver. So the likelihood is that the more accurate and poised of the two quarterbacks is going to be the one who is out there for the second game of the Monday night doubleheader in Week 1 vs. the Los Angeles Rams. Right now it’s hard to picture Kaepernick being that man.

There’s a sense that perhaps the 49ers are not in terrible shape defensively. But offensively is another question. The line is still in flux, the pass catchers are underwhelming and — most concerning — the quarterbacks have not been great. Gabbert has been fine, and that could work for Week 1. But how long will Kelly ride him? There’s no indication that either man is the apple of Kelly’s eye, or that anyone else on the roster (Jeff Driskel? Christian Ponder?) is either.

The way things are going in the preseason, Kirk Cousins might lead the NFL in pass attempts this season. The Washington Redskins’ run game looked bad entering Friday’s game against the Buffalo Bills, and another dose of bad news arrived when seventh-round running back Keith Marshall was knocked out of the game with an elbow injury (MRI scheduled for Saturday).

But it made a problem worse, as expected starter Matt Jones already was sitting out this game with a shoulder injury. That might be good news for camp surprise Rob Kelley, who has impressed enough to perhaps earn a roster spot, or Mack Brown, who had a few moments in this game. But it’s likely bad news overall for a Redskins team that likely has held their only other experienced back, Chris Thompson, back out of fear of injury.

Cousins put up mostly good numbers against the Bills: 12-of-23 passing for 188 yards, with three touchdowns and one interception. But most of that good work came in the final 10 minutes of the first half; prior to that Cousins didn’t look so good.

On the first TD pass, receiver Ryan Grant did much of the work. On the second scoring drive, Cousins benefitted from four Bills penalties — one negating an interception — before hitting Jordan Reed for a 20-yard score. The third drive right before the half was Cousins’ prettiest effort, driving 60 yards in 41 seconds, but he also left enough time on the clock to allow the EJ Manuel-led Bills to tack on a field goal before halftime.

Some of this is nitpicking. But Cousins is best when his attempts are kept down. Last season was as clear an indication of that as there could be.

In the first half of last season, he attempted 38.5 passes per game. Cousins averaged a mere 6.3 yards per attempt in that span and had 10 TDs to nine interceptions, and the Redskins were 3-5 in those games.

But once head coach Jay Gruden cut down his pitch count last season, Cousins was markedly better. In the final eight games — a night-and-day difference — Cousins attempted more than nine passes fewer per game (29.4) and yet had more passing yards. He averaged a whopping 9.4 yards per throw and had 19 TDs to only two INTs.

Call it how you like, but in Cousins’ franchise-tag season, he needs to throw less. Sadly, with the state of the run game right now, it’s hard to imagine the Redskins doing much on the ground if this carries over into the regular season.

Patriots 19, Panthers 17: It’s rare when Cam Newton is the third-most talked about quarterback in a game. But that was the case in Charlotte as Jimmy Garoppolo started for the Patriots, watched Tom Brady pitch a few innings of relief and then took the ball back. Brady was better than Garoppolo for sure. Newton also struggled, as both of these defenses had good moments. Former Panthers running back Tyler Gaffney, making a case to make the Patriots, had a solid night against the team that waived him with the hopes he’d slide through to injured reserve. The Patriots had other ideas two years ago when they claimed him — and they showcased him a bit Friday night.

Steelers 27, Saints 14: Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown looked to be in midseason form, as the two connected on all four passes between them. Brown totaled 87 yards and a 57-yard touchdown. No big deal. The mild surprise was how much Le’Veon Bell played, carrying the ball three times for 21 yards and catching five passes for 37 yards and looking good. But he was in the game after the Steelers’ starters left. The big news might be the injury to defensive lineman Cameron Heyward, who hurt his ankle and was seen in a walking boot. Losing him for any significant length of time would be massive.

• Good for Roberto Aguayo. The beleaguered Bucs kicker took a beating in public for the past week as he wasn’t right through the team’s first two preseason games. He turned things around beautifully on Friday, making 3-of-3 extra-point attempts and both field-goal tries, including a 48-yarder right down Broadway.

• Rex Ryan gave a number of Bills starters the night off against the Redskins. But not Tyrod Taylor, who took a beating in the game and likely will not suit up for the fourth preseason game. He was hit early, such as on his first two passes of the game, and often for such a short performance. It was a scary sight and a frightening reminder that the Bills can’t afford for Taylor to go down.

• The Redskins will hold their breath with the Ryan Kerrigan groin injury. He left after only one series against the Bills. They can’t lose their best all-around defender right as this group is starting to come into form. Luckily, Preston Smith made several big-boy plays in the game and appears ready for prime time. He has had an excellent summer.

• The Panthers also have to be a bit concerned. They saw their two starting offensive guards, Trai Turner and Andrew Norwell, plus punter Mike Scifres, go down against the Patriots. It’s not known how serious Turner (shoulder) and Norwell (ankle) are. Scifres has not looked good. The veteran’s knee has been an issue, and he left the game after his first kick of the night. The Panthers might be combing for his replacement as cutdown day approaches.

• The Patriots appear to have drafted an excellent punt returner. Cyrus Jones, who was exceptional at the job at Alabama, showed off that prowess with a 60-yard return (which he almost broke for a score) that set up a New England touchdown. The team typically has given Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola those duties, but both are working their way back into full health. Having Jones back there can allow the Patriots to feel comfortable about the duties, even with a rookie handling them.

• The Steelers still need help in the secondary. Rookie Sean Davis failed to find the ball in the air as Saints wide receiver Willie Snead hauled in a juggling touchdown on Davis’ watch. First-rounder Artie Burns has been out of action with injury. There might not be solutions on the roster to help at corner. The next few weeks will be interesting as they start looking ahead to get ready for the Redskins and good group of pass catchers in Week 1.

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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!

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