Oakland bewilders Murray for second straight exhibition win
Jackson stars for Ravens in win over Packers as Rodgers sits with back stiffness
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Kyler Murray’s second outing as an NFL quarterback didn’t go nearly as well as his first, and the Oakland Raiders moved the ball with ease on the Arizona Cardinals’ top defensive units in Oakland’s 33-26 preseason road win Thursday night.
Murray, the first overall pick in this year’s NFL draft who looked sharp in his debut last Thursday against the Los Angeles Chargers, finished 3 of 8 for 12 yards. He also ran once for 4 yards, and the Cardinals went threeand-out on two of his four series.
Raiders backup Mike Glennon completed 11 of 14 passes for 175 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and the Oakland defense tackled Murray in the end zone for a safety to lead the Raiders to their second preseason win.
Derek Carr, the Raiders’ No. 1 quarterback, played one series and led a touchdown drive, going 2 for 2 for 40 yards in his preseason debut.
Raiders wide receiver Antonio Brown came out for pregame warmups in full uniform and pads — and a helmet — but did not play.
In Baltimore, Lamar Jackson directed two scoring drives during a limited appearance, had an impressive TD run that was erased by a penalty and sparked Baltimore to a win over Green Bay, which played without QB Aaron Rodgers.
Rodgers developed back stiffness and was a late scratch, a move the team labeled as a “precaution.” After being held out of Green Bay’s first preseason game against Houston, the seven-time Pro Bowl star was slated to start for the first time under rookie head coach Matt LaFleur.
Instead, DeShone Kizer, Tim Boyle and Manny Wilkins struggled against a defense that last year was ranked No. 1 in the NFL.
JETS 22, FALCONS 10: In Atlanta, QBs Matt Ryan and Sam Darnold appear ready for the regular season.
Ryan looked sharp in his preseason debut for Atlanta, completing nine straight passes, and Darnold led New York on another scoring drive.
After sitting out the first two exhibition games, Ryan played most of the first half. He completed 10 of 14 passes for 118 yards, a performance that was even more impressive considering Brian Hill and Justin Hardy dropped back-to-back passes in the back of the end zone that should have been touchdowns, sparking boos from the crowd.
Darnold followed up a marvelous drive in the preseason opener by completing 5 of 7 passes for 46 yards. He guided New York on a 66-yard touchdown drive to start the game, capped by Ty Montgomery’s 1-yard TD run.
EAGLES 24, JAGUARS 10: In Jacksonville, Fla., Philadelphia thirdstring quarterback Cody Kessler was knocked out of the team’s win on the opening drive. Defensive end Datone Jones came unblocked off the edge and walloped Kessler in the back.
Kessler was escorted to the sideline, evaluated for a head injury in the locker room and then placed in the concussion protocol. The team already was without backup Nate Sudfeld, who broke his left wrist in the team’s preseason opener against Tennessee. Starter Carson Wentz rested for the second straight game.
Rookie Clayton Thorson, the only other QB on the roster, played threeplus quarters.
The Jaguars sat 31 guys, including ex-Eagles QB Nick Foles.
BENGALS 23, REDSKINS 13: In Landover, Md., Washington firstround pick Dwayne Haskins made strong throws and his share of mistakes, and fellow rookie Ryan Finley continued to make his case to be Cincinnati’s backup quarterback.
Haskins threw a 55-yard TD pass to Robert Davis and was 7 of 14 for 114 yards with a fumble. He also took two sacks but showed poise under pressure and was more effective than vet Case Keenum, who played the first three drives and was 3 of 7 for 52 yards.
Finley, a fourth-round pick out of N.C. State, completed his first nine passes and was 20 of 26 for 150 yards with two TD passes.