CHICAGO (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for 60 yards and a touchdown on Kansas City’s first possession, then watched as the Chiefs lost to the Chicago Bears 19-14 in the preseason opener. The game Saturday was the first for Chicago’s Matt Eberflus as a head coach. It also marked the return to Soldier Field for predecessor Matt Nagy who is now the Chiefs’ quarterbacks coach. Mahomes completed 6 of 7 passes on a 72-yard drive after Chicago went three-and-out on the game’s first possession. Chiefs safety Justin Reid nailed an extra point after after Kansas City scored in the closing seconds of the first half.
Bills rally to beat Colts 27-24 in Matt Ryan’s Indy debut
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Matt Ryan’s pass attempts were much like his Indianapolis Colts’ preseason debut. They were relatively short and efficient in a 27-24 loss to the Buffalo Bills. Tyler Bass hit a 46-yard field goal as time expired as Buffalo scored on three consecutive possessions in the final 8:10 to rally from a 14-point deficit. Raheem Blackshear scored touchdowns rushing from 1 and 3 yards over a span of 4:19 to tie the game. Otherwise most eyes were on Ryan. Acquired in a trade with Atlanta in March, Ryan finished 6 of 10 for 58 yards with two incompletions occurring on fourth-down attempts.
Darnold has TD, Mayfield solid in Panthers preseason opener
LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — Sam Darnold threw a touchdown pass during the Carolina Panthers’ 23-21 preseason-opening victory at the Washington Commanders to give him a highlight in the quarterback competition against Baker Mayfield. Darnold completed two of three passes for 16 yards. Mayfield was solid aside from a fumbled snap. He finished 4 of 7 for 45 yards. Darnold and Mayfield have been competing for the starting job since the start of training camp. Carson Wentz has no such competition in Washington. Wentz was 10 of 13 in his debut that coincided with the organization’s first game known as the Commanders.
Perkins-McCutcheon connection leads Rams over Chargers 29-22
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Third-string quarterback Bryce Perkins threw a pair of touchdown passes to Lance McCutcheon and the Los Angeles Rams held off the Los Angeles Chargers 29-22 in a preseason game in which most of the starters for both teams did not play. Perkins played the entire game with Matthew Stafford and John Wolford not dressed. He completed 9 of 16 passes for 126 yards and also finished as the Rams’ leading rusher with 39 yards on eight carries, including a 1-yard TD midway through the third quarter. McCutcheon, who has drawn rave reviews from Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp during training camp, finished with five receptions for 87 yards
Browns backup QB Brissett moves into Watson’s starting spot
CLEVELAND (AP) — Jacoby Brissett has jumped ahead of Deshaun Watson on Cleveland’s depth chart. Maybe for a while. Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said Brissett will take the majority of snaps with Cleveland’s first-team offense starting Sunday. It’s a move necessitated by Watson’s pending suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy for sexual misconduct allegations. Watson made his debut with the Browns by starting Friday’s exhibition win over Jacksonville. He has been the No. 1 quarterback throughout training camp. But he’s going to miss at least the first six regular-season games so the Browns need to get Brissett ready for the Sept. 11 opener at Carolina.
AP source: Jets’ Wilson out 2-4 weeks with knee injury
NEW YORK (AP) — A person with knowledge of the injury says New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson is expected to miss two to four weeks with a bone bruise and meniscus tear in his right knee. The person told The Associated Press the timeline for how long Wilson is sidelined will be determined by an arthroscopic procedure to repair the meniscus, pending a second medical opinion. Tests after the game indicated the ACL was intact and an MRI on Saturday morning revealed the exact nature of the injury. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the team hadn’t announced details. The New York Post first reported details of the diagnosis.
