Brady not rusty in preseason debut
Tom Brady looked sharp in his preseason debut, throwing a 33-yard touchdown pass to Chris Hogan in helping the New England Patriots to a 19-17 preseason win over the Panthers on Friday night in Charlotte.
Brady relieved Jimmy Garoppolo late in the first quarter and completed a 37-yard pass to Aaron Dobson on his first play from scrimmage, leading to a field goal. On his second drive Brady heaved a perfectly placed over-the-shoulder pass to Hogan down the right sideline for a 9-0 lead.
Brady will miss the first four games of the regular season for his role in Def lategate. Garoppolo will start the season against the Arizona Cardinals.
Meanwhile, league MVP Cam Newton struggled mightily, throwing two interceptions and failing to get any points on his eight possessions for Carolina.
Preseason roundup
Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins threw three touchdowns in a 21-16 win over Buffalo at Landover, Md. With the Bills resting almost their entire starting defense, Cousins overcame a rough start to finish 12 for 23 for 188 yards and an interception . ... In Tampa, Cleveland Browns receiver Josh Gordon — who missed the 2015 season due to a drug suspension — caught two passes for 87 yards and a touchdown in a 30-13 loss to the Buccaneers . ... Ben Roethlisberger torched New Orleans’ defense for 148 yards and two touchdown passes in his only two series — including a 57-yard score to Antonio Brown — as the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Saints, 27-14, in New Orleans. ... In his first action of the preseason, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was efficient, going 6 for 9 and a touchdown in a 21-10 Green Bay win against the 49ers in San Francisco. Colin Kaepernick was not as successful in his 49ers’ debut, going 2 for 6 for 14 yards.
Etc.
Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry is expected to return to the team on Sunday, multiple sources report. Berry has skipped the last month of camp in an effort to show his displeasure that the Chiefs were unable to reach a long-term contract agreement with him . ... Atlanta Falcons rookie strong safety Keanu Neal, the team’s first-round pick, will miss the beginning of the season with a knee injury.