Newton, Panthers top Patriots
Carolina quarterback shakes off injury scare
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Cam Newton gave the Panthers an early injury scare before returning to help Carolina defeat the New England Patriots 25-14 in a preseason game Friday night.
On the game’s opening drive, Newton scrambled out of the pocket on thirdand-9 before recklessly diving headfirst – this is the preseason, after all – and landing on his head after getting upended by cornerback Jonathan Jones.
Newton was forced to leave the game to be evaluated for a concussion, but returned four plays later to a loud ovation and played the remainder of the first half.
He finished 11 of 17 for 142 yards passing and led three scoring drives – all resulting in field goals – as the Panthers built a 9-3 lead at halftime.
Broncos 29, Redskins 17
LANDOVER, Md. – Adrian Peterson showed the Washington Redskins what they needed to see in his debut by rushing for 56 yards on 11 carries in a loss to the Denver Broncos in each team’s third preseason game.
Peterson carried the ball seven consecutive plays on one possession, and the 2012 MVP later picked up 15 yards on fourth-and-1. The Redskins signed Peterson on Monday after injuries to three running backs and were eager to see what the 33-year-old had in the tank.
They got their answer: enough to likely earn the starting job Week 1 at the Arizona Cardinals. After only three practices, Peterson looked to have passed Rob Kelley, Kapri Bibbs and injured backs Samaje Perine and Byron Marshall on the depth chart.
Giants 22, Jets 16
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Sam Darnold led the New York Jets on two touchdown drives, moving closer to securing the starting quarterback job in a loss to the New York Giants.
The No. 3 overall draft pick made his second consecutive start, finishing 8 of 16 for 86 yards – including a 12-yard touchdown pass to Terrelle Pryor.
Darnold is competing with Teddy Bridgewater and Josh McCown for the Jets’ starting job, but the rookie is being given every chance to be under center when New York opens the regular season at Detroit on Sept. 10.
Vikings 21, Seahawks 20
MINNEAPOLIS – Kirk Cousins helped Minnesota’s offense make some progress by passing for 182 yards in the first half, and third-stringer Kyle Sloter threw for two fourth-quarter touchdowns as the Vikings rallied for a victory over the Seattle Seahawks.
Sebastian Janikowski kicked field goals from 35 and 55 yards in the first half for the Seahawks, who kept their starters in past halftime. Russell Wilson led one scoring drive against the vaunted Vikings defense, finishing 11 for 21 for 118 yards.
Out of sync in their previous game, Cousins and the Vikings assembled three possessions of 12 or more plays despite disruptions by the Seahawks.