NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Marcus Mariota finally showed he could start a game in style, and now the warmup act is over for the rookie quarterback. ADVERTISING NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Marcus Mariota finally showed he could start a game in style,
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Marcus Mariota finally showed he could start a game in style, and now the warmup act is over for the rookie quarterback.
Mariota threw a 59-yard touchdown pass to Harry Douglas to cap his only series, and the Tennessee Titans wrapped up the preseason by beating the Minnesota Vikings 24-17 on Thursday night.
The No. 2 overall pick out of Oregon played only four snaps for the Titans (2-2). He proved very efficient as he was 2 of 3 for 74 yards, and he concluded the preseason 21 of 30 for 326 yards with one interception and a 102.9 passer rating.
“It’s really exciting to be part of this offense,” Mariota said. “Guys are continuing to get better, and I feel that we built a solid foundation throughout the preseason. Now it’s time to go.”
Mariota’s next game will be the Titans’ season opener: Sept. 13 at Tampa Bay and the quarterback selected first overall, Jameis Winston.
Giants 12, Patriots 9
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Chris Boswell kicked four field goals and the New York Giants finished off the preseason with a 12-9 victory Thursday over the New England Patriots, who had already won a much larger victory earlier in the day.
A federal judge vacated the NFL’s four-game suspension of Tom Brady, clearing the Patriots star quarterback for the season opener and beyond.
Brady’s whereabouts were unknown Thursday. He didn’t play and was not among the players in uniform, but was well represented in the stands. During one early stoppage, The Who’s “I’m Free” blared from the PA system as fans wearing Free Brady T-shirts cheered.
The Patriots left the offense in the hands of third-stringer Ryan Lindley, who completed 22 of 45 for 253 yards with one interception and a late fumble.
Giants backup quarterback Ryan Nassib played all but the final few minutes for New York and was 16 for 32 for 193 yards and no interceptions.
JETS 24, EAGLES 18
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Tim Tebow threw two touchdown passes and an interception in his final opportunity to make Philadelphia’s roster.
Tebow, competing with Matt Barkley for the No. 3 quarterback job, flashed some of the playmaking and inconsistency that have made him so polarizing. He finished 11 of 17 for 189 yards, and added 32 yards on four rushes.
Barkley was 4 of 9 for 45 yards and an interception for the Eagles.
Matt Flynn started for the Jets and was 10 of 14 for 136 yards with two TDs and an interception.
Both teams rested most of their regular starters, although linebacker Kiko Alonso made his debut for the Eagles and played one series.
PACKERS 38, SAINTS 10
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Rookie quarterback Brett Hundley threw for four scores and Myles White made a case for a spot on the Packers’ injury-stricken receiving corps with two touchdowns.
Hundley connected with Larry Pinkard on a 77-yard touchdown pass off a catch-and-run in the third quarter for the Packers. Pinkard had a highlight-reel play that the roster longshot needed to make an impression with cuts looming, though he later left with an apparent left arm injury in the third quarter.
A Saints secondary decimated by injuries had an uneven night.
Pinkard’s long touchdown came after safety Pierre Warren slipped and cornerback Stanley Jean-Baptiste lost a race to the end zone. Cornerback Kyle Wilson had an interception but was called for two penalties.
COLTS 9, BENGALS 6
INDIANAPOLIS — Tom Obarski made a 28-yard field goal with 2:49 left and the Bengals kept Indianapolis out of the end zone.
Cincinnati won for the third time in four weeks, while the Colts, at 1-3, finished with their 12th consecutive non-winning preseason.
The game was marred by a fan who was injured at halftime. Colts chief operating officer Pete Ward said a woman was hit by falling debris when the retractable roof opened. Ward said she walked to a nearby first-aid station.
With both teams’ biggest stars sitting out, the game was devoid of excitement.
The Bengals took a 6-0 halftime lead on two Mike Nugent field goals.
Indy got inside the Cincinnati 10-yard line three times in the second half, but got only two field goals from Adam Vinatieri — before Obarski won it.
FALCONS 20, RAVENS 19
ATLANTA — Sean Renfree threw a touchdown pass and led another scoring drive to overshadow the preseason debut of Rex Grossman. Renfree made the most of his final bid to open the season as Matt Ryan’s backup. He completed 10 of 15 passes for 75 yards, including a 25-yard touchdown pass to Carlton Mitchell.
The 35-year-old Grossman, who signed with Atlanta last week, was 4 of 9 for 41 yards.
Daniel Brown blocked Matt Bosher’s punt with 50 seconds remaining to give the Ravens the ball at the Atlanta 10. Bryn Renner’s 10-yard scoring pass to Brown cut Atlanta’s lead to one point. Renner’s 2-point pass intended for fullback Kiero Small was incomplete.
BUCCANEERS 22, DOLPHINS 17
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Dolphins receiver DeVante Parker, their top pick in this year’s draft, made his preseason debut. Almost all of the Dolphins’ starters sat out, and they didn’t play either of their top two quarterbacks, Ryan Tannehill or Matt Moore. Parker played briefly, was targeted three times and caught one pass for 11 yards for Miami.
Some Bucs starters played a bit, but No. 1 overall draft pick Winston took the night off after warming up.
The Bucs lost three linemen to injuries. . Starting guard Garrett Gilkey (left knee) was carted off in the second quarter, and backup defensive end Larry English (left knee) was carted away in the third quarter with a left knee injury. Backup DE T.J. Fatinikun (shoulder) left in the first quarter.
Winston’s backup, Mike Glennon, played the first half and went 11 for 20 for 141 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions. Dolphins reserve cornerback Will Davis, who had been in danger of not making the team, twice intercepted Glennon.
JAGUARS 17, REDSKINS 16
LANDOVER, Md. — Jason Myers kicked a 47-yard field goal with 3:32 left in his debut as Jacksonville’s starter. Myers replaced Josh Scobee, who was traded to Pittsburgh on Monday. Myers — a former Arena League player who has never kicked in an NFL game — also missed a 56-yarder.
Redskins backup quarterback Colt McCoy threw for 208 yards and a touchdown, but the Redskins fell short in their bid to finish the preseason unbeaten for the second time in three years.
Kirk Cousins has been named the starter for Washington in the Sept. 13 opener against Miami. He got the job over injured Robert Griffin III, who has not yet been cleared to play.
McCoy went the distance in this one, playing alongside and against a variety of players trying to move up the depth chart or earn a spot on the roster. The sixth-year quarterback completed 22 of 33 passes.
PANTHERS 23, STEELERS 6
PITTSBURGH — Jordan Todman ran for a long touchdown and Carolina’s defense shut down the Pittsburgh backups.
Todman had a 49-yard sprint in the second quarter and Joe Webb found tight end Marcus Lucas for a 23-yard score just before the half as the Panthers rolled. Carolina finished a 3-1 preseason by outgaining the Steelers 454-191.
Pittsburgh ended an extended exhibition season just 1-4 and has a week to prepare for defending Super Bowl champion New England and quarterback Tom Brady, whose four-game suspension for his role in “Deflategate” was overturned by a judge on Thursday.
LIONS 17, BILLS 10
DETROIT — Rookie Zach Zenner, fighting for a roster spot, ran for a go-ahead 3-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
The Lions went ahead for a second time after Buffalo stopped them on a fourth down only to have the play negated by Ikemefuna Enemkpali’s penalty. Buffalo signed the linebacker last month a day after he was cut by the New York Jets because he punched quarterback Geno Smith and broke his jaw.
Buffalo’s fourth-string quarterback, Matt Simms, played the entire game and had the ball at his team’s 36 with just under two minutes left, but turned the ball over on downs.
BEARS 24, BROWNS 0
CHICAGO — David Fales made his case to be Chicago’s third-string quarterback, throwing two touchdown passes. The Bears head into their first season under coach John Fox with some big holes and a long list of injuries, particularly at receiver.
Fales completed 14 of 18 passes for 131 yards with Jay Cutler getting the night off and backup Jimmy Clausen recovering from a concussion.
The defense had seven sacks and three takeaways, helping Chicago prevail on a night when both teams held out almost all their top players.
COWBOYS 21, TEXANS 14
ARLINGTON, Texas — Ben Malena ran 5 yards for the go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter and the Cowboys avoided their second straight winless exhibition season.
Texans third-string quarterback Tom Savage hurt his shoulder on the previous series, so backup Ryan Mallett was forced into the game. He handed off twice to third-string back Kenny Hilliard. But then the Texans tried to throw twice with Mallett, a pair of incompletions, and Dallas ran out the clock.
Savage threw a pair of touchdown passes, but gave up Corey White’s 3-yard interception return for a touchdown and had a fumble that led to another quick score for Dallas.
49ERS 14, CHARGERS 12
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Bruce Ellington showed he appears back to full strength, while former Australian rugby league star Jarryd Hayne made his case for a spot on the 53-man roster for San Francisco.
The 49ers go into the regular season with significant questions about their offense after Colin Kaepernick and the first team failed to score a touchdown on eight preseason possessions, and they didn’t play in this one. Their next test will be in the season opener Sept. 14 against Minnesota.
Ellington caught a 70-yard touchdown pass on the third snap of the game when he ran about 65 yards following a quick slant. The Niners then converted a 2-point conversion to Quinton Patton.
Tyrell Williams caught a 63-yard touchdown pass from Brad Sorensen in the fourth quarter, but the Chargers missed the 2-pointer.
CARDINALS 22, BRONCOS 20
DENVER — Playing in a final preseason game for the first time since 2009, running back Chris Johnson ran 11 times for 45 yards. In his first action of the summer after recovering from a hamstring injury, Johnson started slowly, but reeled off a 16-yard run on third-and-11. That sparked a 15-play, 80-yard drive that ended with Paul Lasike’s 4-yard TD catch from rookie Phillip Sims.
Brandon McManus missed a 51-yard field goal in the final minute as the Broncos (3-1) failed to complete a perfect preseason.
Chandler Catanzaro missed two PATs, the second coming after Logan Thomas’ 59-yard TD toss to J.J. Nelson that put Arizona (2-2) ahead 22-20 early in the fourth quarter.
Those misses loomed large until McManus pushed his field goal try wide with 49 seconds remaining.
SEAHAWKS 31, RAIDERS 21
SEATTLE — Tyler Lockett scored his third touchdown of the preseason on a 63-yard reception from Russell Wilson, Frank Clark had a sack and forced fumble that Jordan Hill recovered for a TD.
After having a 103-yard kickoff return and 67-yard punt return for touchdowns earlier in the preseason, Lockett gave Oakland cornerback Keith McGill a brief hesitation, then sprinted free, catching the only pass thrown by Wilson. Kasen Williams added a 15-yard touchdown reception from wide receiver/quarterback B.J. Daniels in the third quarter. Steven Hauschka had a 55-yard field goal after his game-winning 60-yarder last Saturday against San Diego.
Oakland quarterback Matt McGloin played most of the final three quarters and threw touchdowns to Seth Roberts and Rod Streater.
