Photo: The Canadian Press
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Quarterback Bryce Young displayed having a good grasp of the Panthers’ new offensive playbook by capping a short and successful preseason debut with an opening-drive touchdown in Carolina’s 31-26 win over the Buffalo Bills on Saturday.
After he and the starters were held out of Carolina’s first two preseason outings, Young oversaw a 12-play, 85-yard drive that ended with an 8-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jordan Matthews. The 2023 top overall pick played just one series and finished 6 of 8 for 70 yards, which was 9 more than third- and fourth-stringers Jack Plummer and Jake Luton combined for in a 15-12 loss to the New York Jets last weekend.
The 85-yard drive also accounted for more than half of the Panthers’ total yards in each of their first two outings — they managed 156 last weekend and 151 in a preseason-opening 17-3 loss to the New England Patriots.
It was a promising performance for Carolina’s starter being introduced to a new offensive system under new coach Dave Canales. And it follows a season in which the Panthers finished with a league-worst 2-15 record with a Young-led offense ranking among the NFL’s worst in several categories.
The Bills rested all of their starters to avoid risking further injury to an already limping team. Starting linebacker Matt Milano (torn left biceps) will miss at least two months, while receivers Curtis Samuel (turf toe) and Marquez Valdes-Scantling (neck) and backup quarterback Mitch Trubisky (knee) are listed week to week.
PACKERS 30, RAVENS 7
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Arron Mosby got a strip-sack that resulted in a touchdown and intercepted a pass on consecutive series to help Green Bay beat Baltimore as both teams closed the preseason by resting nearly all of their starters.
Ravens center Nick Samac and running back Owen Wright were both carted off the field in the first half. Samac, a rookie seventh-round pick from Michigan State, had been getting some first-team reps in camp while 2023 Pro Bowler Tyler Linderbaum deals with a neck issue.
With the top players from both teams staying on the sidelines, this final exhibition game was a showcase for players attempting to win jobs. NFL teams are required to cut their rosters to 53 players by Tuesday.
Greg Joseph helped his chances of unseating Anders Carlson as Green Bay’s kicker by going 2 of 2 on field-goal attempts with a 36-yarder and a 55-yarder. Carlson was successful from 54 yards in the first quarter, but pushed a 32-yarder wide right in the fourth quarter.
After Carlson struggled as a rookie last season, the Packers brought in Joseph to compete with him. Joseph has played for the Cleveland Browns (2018), Tennessee Titans (2019) and Minnesota Vikings (2021-23).
TEXANS 17, RAMS 15
HOUSTON (AP) — Tim Boyle threw for 142 yards and two touchdowns to lead Houston to a win over Los Angeles.
The Texans led 10-9 when Boyle threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Johnny Johnson III on the second play of the fourth quarter to make it 17-9.
Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud and Rams QB Matthew Stafford weren’t even in uniform for this one as most starters from both teams sat out.
Houston third-string quarterback Case Keenum started with Stroud and backup Davis Mills not playing Saturday. He led the offense on Houston’s first two possessions before Boyle took over.
Cam Akers, a former Ram fighting for a roster spot with the Texans, ran for 53 yards and had 19 yards receiving. He had a career-best 786 yards rushing with seven touchdowns for the Rams in 2022.
Dresser Winn played the entire game for Los Angeles and was 9 of 16 for 72 yards. Zach Evans ran for 45 yards and two touchdowns for the Rams. His 3-yard run with about three minutes left cut the lead to 17-15. But he was stopped short of the goal line on the 2-point conversion attempt.
LIONS 24, STEELERS 17
DETROIT (AP) — Russell Wilson and Justin Fields led touchdown drives for Pittsburgh, who lost to Detroit.
Jermar Jefferson rushed for two touchdowns for the Lions, including a go-ahead, 7-yard run in the fourth quarter.
Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin hasn’t named Wilson the starting quarterback, but has said repeatedly that the veteran is in the “pole position” for the job.
The 35-year-old Wilson didn’t do anything in Detroit that would suggest he won’t take the first snap when the season kicks off in two weeks.
He completed both of his pass attempts, including a 32-yard toss to George Pickens. Two plays later, Cordarrelle Patterson scored on a 31-yard, high-stepping run to cap the game-opening possession.
Wilson spent the rest of the game on the sideline while Fields was given three drives to show what he could do. His performance was uneven.
VIKINGS 26, EAGLES 3
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Minnesota’s Jaren Hall threw for 162 yards and two touchdowns in the first half against Philadelphia’s reserves, and the Vikings beat the Eagles.
Hall completed 15 of 21 passes, highlighted by touchdowns of 8 yards to Trishton Jackson and 4 yards to Justin Hall. A fifth-round pick in 2023, Hall is slated to be the Vikings’ No. 3 quarterback, behind Sam Darnold and Nick Mullens.
Minnesota finished 3-0 in the preseason but suffered a big loss when rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy tore the meniscus in his right knee against the Raiders on Aug. 10. He is out for the season.
Neither team played its starting quarterback. Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts didn’t get a single snap in the preseason for the second straight year. The Vikings kept Darnold out of action. Darnold was expected to be pushed for playing time by first-round pick McCarthy until the former Michigan quarterback got hurt.
Hurts’ absence from the exhibition games has been a topic of debate in Philadelphia, especially with new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore calling plays. The Eagles replaced both coordinators after last season’s late collapse.
CHARGERS 26, COWBOYS 19
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Derius Davis ran 70 yards for a touchdown on Los Angeles’ first play, Simi Fehoko caught a 78-yard scoring pass and the Chargers beat Dallas.
Trey Lance ran for a touchdown and threw for a score but had five interceptions, including undrafted rookie Tre’mon Morris-Brash’s 25-yard pick-6 with Dallas trailing by a point in the fourth quarter.
It could be Lance’s last extensive action for the Cowboys.
The 2021 No. 3 overall pick by San Francisco played most of the preseason — without any turnovers before facing the Chargers — as Dallas tries to decide if Lance will be part of the club’s future.
For now, the expiring year on Lance’s rookie contract will be spent as the third QB behind Dak Prescott and Cooper Rush. The Cowboys traded for Lance last year after he lost the battle to be Brock Purdy’s backup with the 49ers.
Easton Stick was on the throwing end of Fehoko’s long TD, but was just 11 of 28 for 109 yards with an interception otherwise as the Chargers try to sort out the backup plan behind Justin Herbert.
All the starters sat for both teams in a game that was a Dallas-area reunion for the players who scored both of LA’s offensive touchdowns.
JETS 10, GIANTS 6
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Israel Abanikanda had a 45-yard touchdown run in the first half and the Jets sacked Tommy DeVito eight times in a 10-6 victory over the Giants in a battle of backups in the New York teams’ preseason finale.
Aaron Rodgers and the rest of the Jets’ projected starters watched the snoozer from the sideline, as did Daniel Jones and most of the Giants’ starters.
DeVito, slated as the No. 3 quarterback behind Jones and Drew Lock, played the entire game and struggled to get anything going. He finished 14 of 27 for 103 yards.
DeVito was often on the run — gaining 48 yards on five carries — while facing constant pressure by the Jets, who got 2 1/2 sacks from Takk McKinley and two from undrafted rookie Braiden McGregor.
The Giants went with only one projected starter — center John Michael Schmitz — and he left in the first quarter with an ankle injury.
SEAHAWKS 37, BROWNS 33
SEATTLE (AP) — Geno Smith dazzled in his only series of the preseason, throwing a 21-yard touchdown pass to DK Metcalf to help Seattle beat Cleveland Browns.
Both teams played starters sparingly and some like Cleveland quarterback Deshaun Watson were spectators all night leaving backups to play the bulk of the preseason finale for both teams.
Smith had watched from the sideline for Seattle’s first two preseason games but finally got a little on-field taste of the offense under new coordinator Ryan Grubb. Smith was 4 of 5 passing for 62 yards on his only drive. After missing his first throw, Smith connected on his next four, including a 25-yard strike to Jaxon Smith-Njigba and the TD throw to Metcalf.
Kenny McIntosh, in a battle for the No. 3 running back on Seattle’s roster, popped a 56-yard touchdown run that included an open-field stiff arm of Cleveland safety Chase Williams.
