Brady airs it out as Patriots triumph
Tosses scoring pass against Panthers as he awaits suspension
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 Carolina Panthers on Friday night in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Brady relieved Jimmy Garoppolo late in the first quarter and completed a 37yard 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’s other two drives failed to produce points.
While Brady was on the mark, league MVP Cam Newton struggled mightily. Newton was intercepted twice and the Panthers failed to get any points on his eight first-half possessions. Garoppolo, expected to start the first four games for the Patriots while Brady serves a suspension for his role in “Deflategate,” returned in the second quarter but couldn’t get anything going.
All-Pro safety Eric Berry plans to report to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, giving him two weeks and one preseason game to prepare for the start of the regular season. Once he signs the one-year contract, he will make just over $10.8 million.
The New York Jets saluted the U.S. military by helping throw a green-andwhite flag football game in Afghanistan. Service members from the 10th Mountain Division, 518th Resolute Support Sustainment Brigade and the 25th Signal Battalion of the U.S. Army took the field at Bagram Air Base with custom-made jerseys.
Golf
Patrick Reed’s place in the Ryder Cup is looking better with each round at The Barclays in New York, and so are his prospects of winning. Even with a careless finish at Bethpage Black, Reed fired a 3-under 68 for a two-shot lead over Emiliano Grillo and Rickie Fowler in the opening FedEx Cup playoff event.
The Barclays is the final tournament for Americans to earn one of the eight automatic spots on the Ryder Cup team. Reed came into the week at No. 8.
U.S. Senior Open champion Gene Sauers eagled the par-5 18th hole for a 7-under 65 and a share of the Boeing Classic lead with Kirk Triplett in Snoqualmie, Washington.
Ariya Jutanugarn had five birdies in a six-hole stretch and shot an 8-under 64 to take a three-stroke lead in the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open.
Motor sports
Joey Logano won the pole at Michigan International Speedway. It’s Logano’s third pole in 16 Cup races at MIS, and the previous two times he won the pole, he also went on to win the race.
Tennis
Top-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska breezed through her Connecticut Open semifinal, routing two-time defending champion Petra Kvitova 6-1, 6-1. She will face the Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina in the final.
Soccer
Yura Movsisyan scored two goals as Real Salt Lake beat the Colorado Rapids 2-1 . ... Seattle Sounders and U.S. national team forward Clint Dempsey will miss Sunday’s MLS match against Portland as he undergoes evaluations for an irregular heartbeat.
Miscellany
Dan Raudabaugh threw six touchdown passes and the Philadelphia Soul won their second ArenaBowl title, beating the Arizona Rattlers 5642. Philadelphia improved to 2-2 in championship games. The Soul beatthe SaberCats in 2008 and lost to Arizona in 2012 and 2013.
Former UFC welterweight title contender Rory MacDonald has signed with Bellator. MacDonald (18-4) is among the world’s top 170-pound fighters despite losing his last two bouts.