Baker Mayfield threw for 138 yards in a dominant first half for Cleveland
Cheap Andrew Billings Jersey , and the Browns wrapped up the preseason with a 35-17 victory over the Detroit Lions on Thursday night.Mayfield completed
a 41-yard pass to Devon Cajuste on the first play from scrimmage, and the top
overall pick in this year’s draft looked sharp throughout his two quarters
directing Cleveland’s offense.With Tyrod Taylor atop the depth chart at
quarterback, the Browns are likely to bring Mayfield along slowly. But if the
rookie doesn’t play again for a while, this was a nice note to finish on before
the start of the regular season.Nick Chubb and Matthew Dayes ran for touchdowns
for Cleveland in what was generally a battle of backups.The Lions closed out an
uninspiring preseason under new coach Matt Patricia. They were booed off the
field at halftime by the sparse crowd at Ford Field with the score 25-0.COLTS
27, BENGALS 26CINCINNATI (AP) ??Matt Barkley‘s left knee was injured by a low
hit after he threw a pass, giving Jeff Driskel the inside track for the Bengals‘
backup quarterback role.For the second year in a row, the Bengals (3-1) lost a
quarterback to injury in the final preseason game. Last year, Driskel broke the
thumb on his passing hand in Indianapolis, ending his season. Cincinnati also
has seventh-round pick Logan Woodside.It was the most high-profile job up for
grabs in a game that featured few starters. The Colts‘ Andrew Luck and the
Bengals’ Andy Dalton watched as reserves competed for roster spots.The No. 2
quarterback job hadn’t been an issue for the Bengals since they drafted AJ
McCarron in 2014. He led them to the playoffs the following year when Dalton
broke the thumb on his passing hand. The Bengals asserted McCarron was still
under contract for 2018 because he was hurt during his rookie season, but
McCarron won a grievance and became a free agent, going to Buffalo. The Bengals
then signed Barkley.On Cincinnati’s second possession, Kemoko Turay hit Barkley
in the legs after he threw a pass, drawing a roughing-the-passer penalty.
Barkley came to the sideline to have the knee examined and walked to the locker
room. He didn’t return.DOPHINS 34, FALCONS 7ATLANTA (AP) ??Brock Osweiler made a
strong final bid for Miami’s backup quarterback job, leading three first-quarter
touchdown drives. Osweiler is competing with David Fales to be Ryan Tannehill‘s
backup. Osweiler completed each of his first six passes for 65 yards, including
a 1-yard scoring pass to Buddy Howell on Miami’s opening drive. He added a
14-yard scoring pass to Francis Owusu on the final play of the third
quarter.Osweiler completed 16 of 25 passes for 147 yards and two touchdowns for
the Dolphins (1-3). Fales completed 13 of 20 passes for 94 yards and one
interception.The Falcons (0-4) had little offense with its stars, including
quarterback Matt Ryan, running backs Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman and wide
receiver Julio Jones, watching on the sideline. Atlanta was held to nine first
downs and 185 yards.EAGLES 10, JETS 9PHILADELPHIA (AP) ??Christian Hackenberg
had a rough audition for an NFL roster spot
Andy Dalton Jersey Limited , tossing two interceptions, but the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles rallied.Joe Callahan threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Matt
Jones with 18 seconds left to lift Philadelphia (1-3).Jason Myers kicked field
goals of 58 and 43 yards for the Jets (1-3). New York‘s defense didn’t allow a
touchdown in August until the final drive.Eagles quarterbacks Carson Wentz, Nick
Foles and Nate Sudfeld watched from the sideline, while Jets rookie Sam Darnold
also was a spectator. Darnold is expected to be New York’s starting quarterback
in Week 1 at Detroit. Wentz is still recovering from knee surgery last December
and is waiting for medical clearance to play. Foles, the Super Bowl MVP, would
start the opener next Thursday night if Wentz can’t go.Hackenberg didn’t take a
snap in two seasons with the Jets after he was selected in the second round of
the 2016 draft. He signed with the Eagles earlier in the month as the fifth
quarterback and has no chance to make the roster so he was playing for his next
job.JAGUARS 25, BUCCANEERES 10TAMPA, Fla. (AP) ??Fourth-stringer Tim Cook ran
for a pair of second-half touchdowns, and Carroll Phillips returned a fumble for
another TD to help Jacksonville.Cook scored on runs of 1 and 3 yards, while
Phillips picked up a fumble by rookie quarterback Austin Allen and ran it back
28 yards during a 19-point third quarter that turned a 10-3 halftime deficit
into a 12-point lead.Regulars for both teams sat out the finale in mostly empty
Raymond James Stadium. A total of 34 players did not dress for the Jaguars,
including every starter on offense and defense.Tampa Bay’s starters had the
night off, too, as did suspended quarterback Jameis Winston, who must sit out
the first three games of the regular season for violating the league’s personal
conduct policy.PATRIOTS 17, GIANTS 12EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) ??Third-stringer
Danny Etling tossed a 1-yard touchdown pass to Ralph Webb early in the second
half and iced the game with an 86-yard run late.Giants quarterback Eli Manning
chatted with receiver Odell Beckham Jr. in the first half, while Tom Brady sat
next to the New England water coolers and relaxed.There wasn’t much action on
the field, with the biggest play coming late after an Alex Tanney-led drive from
the New York 1 stalled at the Patriots 14 with New England ahead 10-6. Etling
faked a handoff and ran an option around right end and scored untouched to give
the Patriots a 3-1 preseason record. The Giants finished their first preseason
under new coach Pat Shurmur at 2-2.VIKINGS 13, TITANS 3NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)
??Rookie Daniel Carlson kicked field goals of 39 and 22 yards
Boomer Esiason Jersey , and Kyle Sloter added a 24-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. Carlson rebounded from missing a pair of 42-yarders wide
left a week ago after beating out Kai Forbath for the job. Carlson connected
from 39 yards late in the first half, tying it 3-3. He added a 22-yarder midway
through the third quarter, giving the Vikings (3-1) a 6-3 lead.The Titans
finished first-year coach Mike Vrabel’s first preseason winless, though he made
clear protecting starters for the regular season mattered more than notching an
exhibition victory.The starters who did play were the kickers, and the Titans
kept Pro Bowl punter Brett Kern very busy. He punted five times before his
backup took over.RAVENS 30, REDSKINS 20BALTIMORE (AP) ??Ravens rookie
quarterback Lamar Jackson ran for a touchdown while backup Robert Griffin III
spent the entire game on the sideline as Baltimore completed its third
consecutive unbeaten preseason.Jackson played the first half and led Baltimore
(5-0) on three scoring drives. The 2016 Heisman Trophy winner and first-round
draft pick is sure to make the team, but coach John Harbaugh has not yet
revealed whether he will keep Griffin, who’s currently No. 2 on the depth chart
behind starter Joe Flacco. Griffin, a five-year veteran, went 27 for 41 during
the preseason and showed no rust after sitting out last year.Kevin Hogan played
the entire game at quarterback for the Redskins (1-3), going 22 for 38 for 272
yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions in his bid to unseat Colt
McCoy as the backup to Alex Smith.His first interception was returned 23 yards
for a touchdown by Kai Nacua to make it 27-7.STEELERS 39, PANTHERS 24PITTSBURGH
(AP) ??Josh Dobbs put together a compelling case to be on someone’s NFL roster
next week, throwing for a touchdown and running for another.Dobbs, fighting for
one of the backup quarterback jobs behind Ben Roethlisberger, vaulted into the
end zone for a 3-yard scoring run to cap Pittsburgh’s first drive. He added a
27-yard strike to Tevin Jones later in the opening quarter and finished 8 of 12
for 151 yards to cap an impressive training camp.It just might not be enough for
the 2017 fourth-round pick to stick around. Dobbs, veteran Landry Jones and
rookie Mason Rudolph are all vying for a spot behind Roethlisberger. Jones, who
has played well while filling in for Roethlisberger over the last three seasons,
is likely safe. So too is Rudolph, a third-round pick this spring.Carolina’s
Taylor Heincke played well in his bid to be the top backup behind Cam Newton.
Heincke started and was 7 of 12 for 68 yards and a 6-yard touchdown to Mose
Frazier. Garrett Gilbert came on in the second quarter and was 4 of 7 for 23
yards.___ Zac Taylor didn’t invent the idea of keeping score in practice.The
Bengals rookie coach is happy to admit bringing the idea with him from his days
with the Rams, though he’s putting some of his own spins on it. Yesterday as
they wrapped up minicamp
Renell Wren Cincinnati Bengals Jersey , it was the first- and second-teamers watching as the reserves competed against each other.“That was a good one,”
Taylor said, via John Fay of the. “So you just take that idea, and you do some
other stuff on the field and try to create your own scoring systems. Again, when
it’s scripted the guys are out there and, yeah, they’re giving their all. But
it’s a little bit different when there’s something on the line. And it’s
competitive, and there’s a scoring system in place. So we just want to provide
as much competition as possible.”Players have been receptive to the new emphasis
— after a generation of the Marvin Lewis era, they seem ready for any change at
all.“That’s pretty much what coach Taylor has been preaching, make sure you have
effort and attitude every day,” running back Joe Mixon said. “Be ready to learn
in the classroom, then when we get on the field, be ready to put it all on the
field. We come out there being very competitive, doing the things we gotta do.
We’re going to be like that all season. We gotta keep up.”Taylor has extended it
off the field as well, with a football version of “The Price is Right” before
practice Thursday, as he tries to change the mindset around a team that had
fallen into a bit of a rut.
