Trevor Lawrence leads Jags past Cowboys; Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo shine for 49ers; Patriots edge Giants; Ravens win NFL-record 20th straight preseason game; Tom Brady features in Bucs win; Bills shutout Packers and Joe Burrow makes Bengals return as preseason draws to a close.
Monday 30 August 2021 09:08, UK
Trevor Lawrence impressed yet again to lead the Jacksonville Jaguars past the Dallas Cowboys, the Baltimore Ravens won their NFL-record 20th straight preseason game and Tom Brady saw time on the field as teams played their final games in preparation for the start of the regular season.
The only two teams not to feature in the final week of preseason were the New Orleans Saints and Arizona Cardinals as their scheduled contest was cancelled due to Hurricane Ida.
Rookie Lawrence tossed two touchdown passes to lift the Jacksonville Jaguars to a 34-14 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday in the final preseason game for both teams.
Lawrence, the top overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, completed 11 of 12 passes for 139 yards, throwing an 18-yard touchdown pass to Pharoh Cooper in the first quarter and a four-yard score to Laviska Shenault Jr in the second before exiting the game.
Devine Ozigbo capped a 68-yard rushing performance with a four-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter for the Jaguars (1-2), who played most of their starters. Jacksonville opens the season on September 12 at the Houston Texans.
Aaron Parker and Johnnie Dixon each reeled in a touchdown pass for the Cowboys (0-4), who kick off the season on September 9 at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Reid Sinnett threw two touchdown passes in the final six minutes to rally Miami (2-1) past host Cincinnati. Sinnett, who passed for 343 yards, tossed a 44-yard scoring pass to Kirk Merritt with 5:57 left and a winning 34-yarder to Chris Myarick with 1:21 remaining.
Joe Burrow threw one incomplete pass in three plays for the Bengals in his first outing since tearing the ACL and MCL in his left knee last November. Kyle Shurmur passed for 206 yards and one score for Cincinnati (1-2).
Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance each rushed for touchdowns as San Francisco routed Las Vegas. Garoppolo, the starting quarterback, completed four of seven passes for 64 yards while No. 3 overall pick Lance was six of 13 for 46 yards. JaMycal Hasty added two rushing scores for the 49ers (2-1).
Nathan Peterman passed for 175 yards, one touchdown and one interception for the Raiders (2-1), who rested starter Derek Carr and were also without backup Marcus Mariota (quadriceps).
Both starting quarterbacks had moments but also each threw interceptions as visiting New England defeated New York 22-20. Cam Newton (two-for-five, 10 yards) led the Patriots (3-0) to a field goal on their opening drive, but was picked on a deep ball to end his second and final possession.
Rookie Mac Jones was efficient (10-for-14, 156 yards, one touchdown pass) but also took four sacks and, after the game, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick refused to disclose his Week 1 starting QB.
Daniel Jones went 17-for-22 for 135 yards with a touchdown, but was picked off on third-and-goal at the one to foil a second-quarter drive for the Giants (0-3).
Baker Mayfield led Cleveland on a six-play, 75-yard drive in the first quarter to set the tone in a 19-10 win over Atlanta.
Mayfield completed six of 10 passes for 113 yards and a 22-yard touchdown to KhaDarel Hodge to stake the Browns (3-0) to an early 7-0 lead. Atlanta (0-3) trailed throughout but eventually closed the gap to 13-10 on a fourth-quarter Josh Rosen touchdown pass (seven yards to Juwan Green), but Cleveland backup Kyle Lauletta threw a touchdown pass of his own, a 10-yarder to Davion Davis, to end the threat.
Browns passers combined to complete 29 of 51 for 372 yards and two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Buffalo starting quarterback Josh Allen passed for 194 and two touchdowns in his preseason debut to lead the Bills to a 19-0 victory over the visiting Green Bay Packers. The Bills finished the preseason 3-0.
Allen finished 20-for-26 passing in three series before giving way to Jake Fromm and Davis Webb in the second half.
Gabriel Davis, off the reserve/COVID-19 list, caught five passes for 75 yards and a touchdown. Cole Beasley, also just off the COVID list, caught four passes for 52 yards.
Packers quarterback Jordan Love returned from a shoulder injury to finish 12 of 18 for 149 yards and an interception. The Packers finished the preseason 0-3, resting most of their starters.
Tyler Huntley threw for four touchdowns to lead Baltimore to an NFL-record 20th straight preseason victory. However, the Ravens lost starting running back J.K. Dobbins to a knee injury in the first quarter.
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson made his preseason debut but did not play much, finishing with 29 yards passing on three-for-four passing. Huntley played the rest of the way, completing 24 of 33 passes for 285 yards. Kyle Allen completed 10-of-22 passes for 100 yards for host Washington, which finished its preseason 1-2.
Jesper Horsted caught three touchdown passes and Nick Foles threw for 142 yards and two touchdowns to lead Chicago past host Tennessee in Nashville.
Foles connected with Horsted on a 54-yard TD throw at 6:51 of the fourth quarter for the game-winning score. Horsted finished with 104 yards receiving.
Logan Woodside completed 12-of-17 passes for 100 yards and a touchdown for the Titans. Woodside and Matt Barkley threw an interception apiece. The Titans rushed for 181 yards and two touchdowns as a team.
Tom Brady engineered a pair of 90-plus yard touchdown drives in his final preseason action in helping visiting Tampa Bay past Houston. Brady was an efficient 11 of 14 passing in his three possessions for 154 yards and a 24-yard scoring strike to Chris Godwin.
With Texans starting quarterback Deshaun Watson still on the sidelines, Tyrod Taylor (six-for-nine, 31 yards) and rookie Davis Mills (10-for-27, 106 yards, two TDs and three interceptions) were underwhelming as the Buccaneers built a 16-2 halftime lead. Houston outrushed Tampa Bay 209-52.
Teddy Bridgewater started but it was Drew Lock who threw the game-winning pass in Denver's win over Los Angeles. Bridgewater, named the starter for Week 1, completed six-of-11 passes for 62 yards and a touchdown in his final tune-up.
Lock threw for 67 yards, including a seven-yard scoring strike to Austin Fort with 4:43 remaining. Bryce Perkins went the whole way for the Rams, completing 23 of 42 passes for 201 yards. Matt Gay kicked four field goals for the Rams, including a 54-yarder.
Seattle got a touchdown from its defense and efficient play from the backup quarterbacks in a win over Los Angeles. Marquise Blair returned a fumble 17 yards for the first score of the game early in the first quarter.
Quarterbacks Geno Smith and Sean Mannion combined to go 24-for-30 with Mannion throwing a TD for the final score. Running back Alex Collins added 37 yards rushing and a score. Rookie RB Larry Rountree III rushed six times for 27 yards for the Chargers. The Seahawks' defense racked up five sacks.
Patrick Mahomes threw for 117 yards and two touchdowns on his two series as the Kansas City Chiefs beat the visiting Minnesota Vikings 28-25 on Friday in the preseason finale for both teams.
Mahomes completed all but one of his nine pass attempts and achieved a perfect 158.3 passer rating. Backup quarterback Shane Buechele went 20 of 33 for 231 yards with two TDs and one interception for the Chiefs (3-0).
Kirk Cousins threw for 57 yards on five-of-seven passing for the Vikings (0-3). A.J. Rose Jr, a rookie out of Kentucky, ran for two touchdowns and gained 41 yards on six carries.
Sam Darnold threw two first-half touchdown passes as Carolina routed Pittsburgh in Charlotte.
Darnold finished 19 of 25 for 162 yards, and Spencer Brown and Will Grier added rushing touchdowns for the Panthers (1-2).
Dwayne Haskins completed nine of 16 passes for 108 yards with one touchdown and one interception for the Steelers (3-1).
Deon Jackson caught a game-tying, three-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter and later added a 42-yard TD run as Indianapolis won at Detroit.
Jackson ran for 81 yards on 10 carries, and Jacob Eason completed 10 of 14 passes for 74 yards to lead the Colts (3-0).
David Blough went 13 of 21 for 117 yards and an interception for the Lions (0-3).
Kenny Yeboah hauled in a 49-yard touchdown catch from James Morgan in the final seconds, and Josh Adams' two-point conversion carry lifted New York to a tie with Philadelphia.
Yeboah, who scored on a 21-yard catch from Morgan earlier in the fourth quarter, finished with 100 yards receiving on four catches. Morgan had 158 yards passing with the two touchdowns and one interception, while Adams ran for 62 yards on 12 carries for the Jets (2-0-1).
Joe Flacco connected on 13 of 16 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns for the Eagles (0-2-1).
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