It wasn't the best week for young QBs in the North. Not to say it was horrendous or anything but the best yards per attempt were hardly above four. Caleb WIlliams didn't even play. We'll discuss all the games anyway. 

Lions

• The big story in the Lions' game was that both teams agreed to run out the final 12 minutes or so after Lions DB Morice Norris injured his neck and was taken off the field in an ambulance. No news on whether NOrris will play this season, but he is out of the hospital and was back at the Lions facility already so it looks like close to the best case scenario after a scary play where he was kneed in the head. 
• Jared Goff didn't play in this one and Hendon Hooker, the geriatric young QB who was once thought to be his replacement went 7/10 for 38 yards. Yikes. Kyle Allen did better, with 120 yards on eight attempts thanks to a 68-yard reception from someone named Jackson Meeks. 
• The Lions couldn't get much movement on the ground and gave up three pressures to Arnold Ebiketie plus two other sacks. Obviously, this is a preseason game, but offensive line deterioration is a potential problem for Detroit. Let's hope it actually happens.

Bears

• Austin Booker was the big story for the Bears, the second-year player had three sacks in the game and earned a shout-out from head coach Ben Johnson. Booker is an interesting player. He was a fifth-round pick last offseason because of his weight (240 lbs). If he makes an impact this season, it'll almost certainly have to be as a designated pass rusher. 
• On the offensive side, Caser Keenum did well but the young hotness, Tyson Bagent in this instance, had just 5.4 yards per attempt and a pick on 19 attempts. Push the damn ball down the field. It's the preseason!
• The Bears also couldn't get the run game going, with just 90 yards as a team on 24 carries.  
• 16 different Bears had at least one target in the pass game (including Samori Toure and first-round tight end Colston Loveland) but Rome Odunze did not. Interesting choice from Ben Johnson t hold out some fo these young players who still have a lot to prove.

Vikings

• JJ McCarthy did play but only for one drive and he averaged just 4.3 yards per attempt on the drive. To be fair, he did have a random -3 yard pass to the fullback. Either way, it was a short stint for McCarthy and one where he didn't do anything that dynamic. Fellow second-year player (and former first-round pick) Dallas Turner also played just one series and had a tackle. 
• The biggest stories, for our purposes were two potential back-up QBs. Sam Howell, who was once a great college QB at North Carolina under offensive coordinator Phil Longo, went 11/13 for 105 yards. Good for a QB rating of 100.3. Graham Mertz, formerly a bad college QB told to transfer out of Wisconsin by offensive coordinator Phil Longo, was 7/14 for 27 yards with three interceptions in relief for the Texans. Maybe the worst ever performance in a preseason game? Could Howell be the next Sam rehabilitated by Kevin O'Connell? Is Mertz'a career over before it began? 
• Kahlef Hailassie had two of Mertz's three interceptions. Can't say I had heard of him prior to the game, but you have to think that performance could secure a roster spot for him. Hailassie joined the Chiefs as a UDFA in 2023, spent some time with the Browns and then was picked up this offseason by the Vikings. Prior to this game, he had played cornerback his entire NFL and college career. Vikings coaches switched him to safety this week and he took advantage. Remember, the Vikings will be starting a safety who was born in the 1980s this season.