Steelers take advantage of New York miscues for win
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Rookie quarterback Josh Dobbs threw a 28-yard touchdown pass and Chris Boswell kicked a 37-yard field goal in the third quarter to give Pittsburgh the lead for good in a 20-12 preseason win over the New York Giants on Friday night.
The Steelers capitalized on two major Giants’ turnovers in the preseason opener for both teams.
Terrell Watson added a 15-yard touchdown run in a game that had little offense with Ben Roethlisberger of the Steelers and Eli Manning of the Giants being given the night off.
Pittsburgh also was without injured backup Landry Jones, but that didn’t matter because the Giants didn’t get much from either Josh Johnson or Geno Smith, and New York was generous with the football.
Dobbs, a fourth-round draft pick out of Tennessee, hit Cobi Hamilton on his touchdown pass on the first play after Donte Deayon fumbled a punt inside his own 30 and Mike Hilton recovered.
At Bengals 23, Buccaneers 12: Ryan Fitzpatrick made a good initial impression with Tampa Bay, completing his first series with a 6-yard touchdown run, before Cincinnati pulled away to a victory over the Buccaneers.
The 34-year-old quarterback signed a one-year deal for a chance to back up Jameis Winston. Fitzpatrick had mixed results after his TD, going 6 of 13 overall with an interception. He also scrambled twice for 15 yards. Fitzpatrick lost the ball while trying to throw, but recovered his fumble.
Ryan Griffin — Tampa Bay’s thirdstring quarterback the past two seasons — left in the fourth quarter with a shoulder injury and didn’t return, forcing Fitzpatrick back into the game.
49ers 27, at Chiefs 17: Alex Smith led the Chiefs to a quick touchdown and first-round pick Patrick Mahomes II had an impressive debut, before the San Francisco backups led the 49ers to a victory over Kansas City.
Smith hit speedster Tyreek Hill for a 32-yard gain on the first play of the game, and Spencer Ware capped a 75yard march with a short TD run to give the Chiefs a 7-0 lead.
It was the only series for Smith, who finished 4 of 6 for 48 yards.
Bills trade Watkins to Rams; get Matthews from Eagles: The Buffalo Bills have shaken up their roster with two separate trades, dealing starting receiver Sammy Watkins to the Los Angeles Rams and acquiring Jordan Matthews from Philadelphia.
Both are blockbuster trades in which Buffalo also shuffled its cornerbacks. The Bills dealt Ronald Darby to the Eagles and acquired E.J. Gaines in the trade with the Rams.
Buffalo also continued stockpiling 2018 draft picks by acquiring a secondround selection from Los Angeles and a third-rounder from the Eagles. The Bills dealt a sixth-round pick to the Rams as part of the Watkins trade.
The moves were announced a day after Buffalo opened its preseason with a 17-10 loss to Minnesota. The shakeup continues an offseason overhaul under new coach Sean McDermott and GM Brandon Beane.
Source: Tannehill to have knee surgery and miss season: A person familiar with the decision says Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill will have surgery to repair the torn ACL in his left knee and will miss the entire season.
The person confirmed the decision to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Dolphins hadn’t disclosed it publicly. Tannehill will be placed on injured reserve, the person said.
Tannehill, who missed the final four games of last season with two sprained ligaments in his knee, reinjured it a week into training camp on Aug. 3. The Dolphins consulted with specialists before deciding surgery was the best option.
Jay Cutler, who parted with the Chicago Bears after eight seasons, agreed to delay his fledgling network TV career and signed a $10 million, one-year contract Monday to replace Tannehill.
Source: Broncos’ Billy Winn out for 2017 with knee injury: A person with knowledge of the diagnosis says Denver Broncos nose tackle Billy Winn will miss the entire 2017 season with a serious right knee injury.
The person, speaking on condition of anonymity because the team hadn’t announced results of Winn’s medical tests, said Winn tore ligaments in his right knee, including the anterior cruciate ligament, on Thursday night.
Winn was caught under the pile on a Bears run in the first quarter of the Broncos’ exhibition game in Chicago.
Packers ask NFL to review hits by Eagles that hurt 2 players: The Packers have submitted videos to the NFL of hits by Eagles players that knocked out Green Bay’s Malachi Dupre and Damarious Randall on separate plays.
Coach Mike McCarthy said he expected the league to evaluate the hits from Thursday’s preseason game from the perspective of player safety. When asked to clarify, McCarthy said, “If I turned them into the league, I don’t think they’re legal hits.”
Newton takes step, throws in individual drills at camp: Panthers quarterback Cam Newton is on the mend.
Newton threw passes to receivers during an individual period early in practice, according to the Charlotte Observer. However, Newton continued to be held out of team drills.
Newton had shoulder surgery in March.