Draft picks help Bucs edge Brady, Pats
TAMPA, Fla. — First-round draft picks Mark Barron and Doug Martin scored touchdowns, helping the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat Tom Brady and the New England Patriots 30-28 on Friday night.
Barron intercepted a pass tipped by Ronde Barber and returned it 22 yards for a first-quarter TD. Martin scored on a 1-yard run that finished a game-opening drive led by Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman.
Brady played three quarters in his most extensive action of the preseason, but didn’t really get the Patriots offense on track until after Tampa Bay built a 23-7 lead. He finished on a high note, though, throwing a 16-yard touchdown pass to Rob Gronkowski on his final play.
Bears 20, Giants 17
Jason Campbell threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Joe Anderson with 8:22 to play and Chicago rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit against New York’s second-team defense.
Starting quarterback Jay Cutler threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Marshall, and Robbie Gould kicked two field goals for the Bears (2-1, No. 11 in the AP Pro32). Isaiah Frey intercepted a pass in the end zone with 1:06 to play to preserve the win.
Eli Manning (17 of 21 for 148 yards) threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Ramses Barden, Andre Brown scored on a 1-yard run and Lawrence Tynes kicked a 32-yard field goal for New York (1-2, No. 3).
Seahawks 44, Chiefs 14
Russell Wilson threw for 185 yards and two touchdowns in a just under three quarters, leading Seattle to a rout of Kansas City.
The third-round draft pick has been competing for the No. 1 job with Matt Flynn, the former Green Bay backup who signed in the offseason. Wilson had impressed in the second half of preseason wins over Tennessee and Denver, but was downright dazzling in his first NFL start for the unbeaten Seahawks (No. 22 in the AP Pro 32).
Matt Cassel was 19 of 34 fEagles 27, Browns 10
Rookie quarterback Nick Foles, filling in for injured starter Michael Vick, threw two touchdown passes in the first quarter to lead Philadelphia over mistake-prone Cleveland.
With Vick sidelined with bruised ribs, Foles stepped in and played impressively for the Eagles (3-0, No. 8 in the AP Pro32), who open the regular season in Cleveland on Sept. 9. Foles finished 12 of 19 for 146 yards with one interception.
The Browns (2-1, No. 30) had two costly turnovers in the first quarter, when they also had a punt blocked. It was not a good showing for their new owner, Jimmy Haslam III, who sat in the stands in the first quarter watching his $1 billion purchase.
Browns rookie QB Brandon Weeden went 9 of 20 for 117 yards.
Falcons 23, Dolphins 6
Ryan Tannehill went 11 for 27 for 112 yards and one interception in his first game as Miami’s starting quarterback, and the Dolphins lost to Atlanta.
Four of Tannehill’s passes were dropped, including a potential 4-yard touchdown throw that Anthony Fasano bobbled in the end zone. Shaky pass protection was also a problem for Tannehill, who was sacked once, forced to run twice and hit several other times.
Miami (No. 27 in the AP Pro32) fell to 0-3, and Atlanta (No. 13) improved to 1-2.
Chargers 12, Vikings 10
Nick Novak’s 45-yard field goal as time expired gave San Diego Chargers a victory over Minnesota, after Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder struggled along with the rest of the starting offense.
Nate Kaeding made field goals of 50 and 54 yards.
