Edelman injured in Patriots’ victory
ALLEN PARK, Mich. - Julian Edelman limped off the field with an injured right knee, putting a damper on strong performance from Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
Edelman was hurt on the opening possession that ended with Brady throwing his first of two touchdown passes to Chris Hogan in a 30-28 victory over the Detroit Lions on Friday night.
The preseason victory may have been costly.
Edelman had three receptions for 52 yards in a four-play stretch and was injured on the last one as he was tackled by safety Tavon Wilson, a former teammate. He was evaluated on the sideline briefly before being taken to the locker room on a cart and being ruled out for the game.
Brady was 12 of 15 for 174 yards with two TDs and an interception. He helped the defending Super Bowl champions take a 24-0 lead late in the first quarter. Detroit slowed him down in the second quarter and mercifully didn’t have to face him after halftime.
Matthew Stafford threw a 23-yard TD pass to Marvin Jones late in the first half and an 18-yard pass to Dwayne Washington for another score early in the third against New England’s backups. He finished 15 of 22 for 190 yards, two TDs and an interception.
Jake Rudock, Detroit’s backup quarterback, connected with Jared Abbrederis for an 11-yard score late in the third and led another drive that ended with Washington’s 1-yard run to put the Lions up 28-24 midway through the fourth.
At Seahawks 26, Chiefs 13: Kansas City may be looking for a starting running back after Spencer Ware injured his right knee in the Chiefs’ preseason loss to Seattle.
Russell Wilson was again brilliant for Seattle, throwing for 200 yards and a touchdown, but his performance was secondary to the injury suffered by Ware and the impact it could have for the Chiefs.
Ware remained on the turf after making a 6-yard reception on a pass from Alex Smith in the first quarter. Ware appeared to take an awkward step with his right leg during the play and team trainers were looking at his knee while he was down on the field. Players from both teams took a knee while Ware was examined, and he was taken off on a cart.
It was the second straight week a starter in Seattle was taken off the field with a knee injury. The Seahawks lost starting left tackle George Fant for the season last week due because of a torn ACL in his right knee.
The Chiefs have depth at running back with veteran Charcandrick West and impressive rookie Kareem Hunt, who averaged 4.3 yards per carry filling in after Ware as hurt. But Ware’s strength was his versatility as a runner and pass catcher out of the backfield. Ware rushed for 921 yards and had another 447 yards receiving last season for the Chiefs, finding a home in Kansas City after starting his career with the Seahawks.
Ware’s injury was part of a lackluster effort form Kansas City’s offense. Smith was 7 of 17 for just 44 yards although there were a handful of drops. The Chiefs had just 102 total yards in the first half against Seattle’s starters and Kansas City’s only touchdown came on a 95yard kickoff return from De’Anthony Thomas .
Wilson’s stellar preseason continued , playing the entire first half and one drive of the second half. He threw a 2-yard touchdown to Tre Madden and led Seattle on four scoring drives, including three field goals by Blair Walsh.
Jaguars owner says he would be open to signing Kaepernick: Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan says he would be open to signing free-agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
Speaking to the team’s flagship radio station, Khan responded “absolutely” when asked Thursday whether he would support signing Kaepernick if the team’s front office wanted to do it.
Khan’s comments were not recorded, just relayed via Twitter.
Titans unsure whether Murray will play Sunday against Bears: The Tennessee Titans don’t know whether running back DeMarco Murray will make his preseason debut Sunday against the Chicago Bears at Nissan Stadium.
Titans coach Mike Mularkey said Friday that “I’ll make that decision after I watch the tape today. Mularkey added that “I felt that way at this time last week too and by game time I made a decision.”
Murray has been dealing with a hamstring issue.
Former NFL GM Bobby Beathard a Hall of Fame finalist: Longtime general manager and personnel administrator Bobby Beathard is a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the contributors category.
Beathard helped build strong teams in football stops in Kansas City (1966-67), Miami (1972-77), Washington (1978-1988) and San Diego (1990-99). He also worked for the Atlanta Falcons (1968-1971).
— Wire services