San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
NFL roundup: Bears’ Justin Fields dazzles
Rookie quarterback Justin Fields settled in at Soldier Field and the Chicago Bears saw the playmaking ability they dreamed of on draft day.
Fields rallied Chicago back from a 13-0 deficit in his preseason debut Saturday by throwing for a touchdown and running for one in a 20-13 victory over the Miami Dolphins.
In two quarters of playing time, Fields was 14 of 20 for 142 yards and was at his best rolling outside and throwing.
“I definitely feel good outside of the pocket,” Fields said. “It puts a lot of pressure on the defense and allows me to play backyard football with the receivers.”
Fields’ passing also helped the Bears get on the scoreboard for the first time with a 53-yard Cairo Santos field goal on the final play of the first half. Until that possession, the Bears hadn’t picked up a first down as Miami dominated.
With Soldier Field fans chanting “Let’s go, Fields,” the former Ohio State passer replaced starter Andy Dalton with 12:11 left until halftime but needed a few drives to get warmed up. Fields fumbled during a scramble following a spin move in the second quarter before the rally began, but the ball went out of bounds.
“It is preseason and we understand that there’s variables involved and all that, but at the same time if you said, ‘Is he doing what you want him to do?’ Absolutely,” Bears coach Matt Nagy said.
The passing of Jacoby Brissette and Tua Tagovailoa staked the Dolphins to their early lead. Brissette threw a 23-yard TD pass to Salvon
Ahmed and Jason Sanders had field goals of 21 and 35 yards in the first half.
Browns 23, Jaguars 13: Trevor Lawrence’s professional debut opened with a sack and a fumble, hardly ideal but not too concerning for host Jacksonville. The No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft rebounded, delivering a couple of impressive throws and somewhat salvaging his first preseason game. Lawrence started over Gardner Minshew and completed 6 of 9 passes for 71 yards in two series, but he failed to lead Jacksonville to points. Cleveland dominated both lines of scrimmage and moved up and down the field. Third-string quarterback Kyle Lauletta completed 19 of 27 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns in relief of second-team QB Case Keenum.
Raiders 20, Seahawks 7: Thirdstring quarterback Nathan Peterman completed 29 of 38 pass attempts for 246 yards for host Las Vegas. With starter Derek Carr predictably skipping the opener and backup Marcus Mariota nursing a leg injury, Peterman looked solid while playing nearly the entire game. Las Vegas scored on its opening drive when coach Jon Gruden chose to go on 4th-and-goal at the 1-yard line, with Trey Ragas punching it in midway through the first quarter. The Raiders settled for field goals in their next two trips, before B.J. Emmons dived over the pile on 1st-and-goal at the 2-yard-line midway through the fourth quarter. Geno Smith started for the Seahawks, and finished 4 of 10 for 46 yards before leaving with a concussion in the first half.
Ravens 17, Saints 14: Tyler Huntley ran for a 7-yard touchdown with 6:35 remaining, and host Baltimore extended its preseason winning streak to 18 games. The Ravens haven’t lost in the preseason since 2015. They struggled to move the ball Saturday with quarterback Lamar Jackson held out, but New Orleans couldn’t overcome its six turnovers. Huntley, who took over for Trace McSorley at quarterback in the second half, capped a 12-play, 79-yard drive with the Ravens’ only touchdown of the game. Jameis Winston threw for 96 yards and a touchdown for New Orleans, but he and Taysom Hill each threw an interception in some immediate growing pains for the Saints in the post-Drew Brees era. New Orleans also lost three fumbles.
Jets 12, Giants 7: Three points, two drives and one solid debut for Zach Wilson. The No. 2 overall draft pick was efficient in his first NFL preseason game, going 6 of 9 for 63 yards and leading the Jets to a field goal against the Giants’ backups on defense. Robert Saleh, making his head coaching debut for the Jets, pulled Wilson and the projected offensive starters — as expected — after the second series stalled early in the second quarter. Fans were back in MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., for a Giants home game for the first time since Dec. 29, 2019, because of the coronavirus pandemic — but with QB Daniel Jones and most of their team’s starters sitting out, the main attraction was Wilson on the other side.
Bengals 19, Buccaneers 14: Tom Brady and the stellar offensive cast of Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay sat after six snaps. Chris Evans finished a long drive with a 1-yard touchdown run and kickers Evan McPherson and Austin Seibert combined for four second-half field goals for visiting Cincinnati, which played without quarterback Joe Burrow.
Texans 26, Packers 7: Tyrod Taylor went 4 of 4 for 40 yards in his lone series and rookie quarterback Davis Mills led a couple of scoring drives for visiting Houston. Although the circumstances surrounding Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers and Houston’s Deshaun Watson have been two of the NFL’s biggest offseason stories, neither played Saturday. Taylor, the Texans’ likely starter if Watson isn’t available, led a 53-yard drive that resulted in one of Ka’imi Fairbairn’s four field goals. Green Bay’s Jordan Love went 12 of 17 for 122 yards with a touchdown pass and a fumble in his first game appearance since the Packers traded up four spots to take him out of Utah State with the 26th overall pick in the 2020 draft.
Broncos 33, Vikings 6: Drew Lock passed for 151 yards and two touchdowns in three possessions in a crisp first audition for visiting Denver’s open quarterback competition. Teddy Bridgewater was sharp, too. Broncos first-round draft pick Pat Surtain II scored on a 30-yard interception return after a misdirected throw by Vikings backup Jake Browning, who was pulled for rookie Kellen Mond. K.J. Hamler had 105 receiving yards, including an 80-yard catch, sprint and score from Lock on the first play after a safety against the Vikings.