Tebow’s Jets debut uneventful

Associated Press

CINCINNATI — Tim Tebow didn’t do much in his Jets debut to get the fans back in New York excited. Same goes for the rest of the new-look offense.

No matter who took the snaps, they spent a lot of time running around and getting nowhere.

Tebow threw an interception during his two-quarter debut on Friday night, and the rest of the Jets’ offense struggled as well in a 17-6 preseason loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

“The big plays will come to us,” said Mark Sanchez, who went 4 of 6 for 21 yards in the first quarter before yielding to Tebow.

“The running game will get going and things will open up in the passing game. We’re not game-planning for this, so a couple of things caught us off-guard.”

The Jets (No. 17 in the AP Pro32) have reconfigured the offense under new coordinator Tony Sparano. They didn’t show any of the wildcat-style packages they’ve installed during training camp.

The Bengals (No. 14) got steady pressure on Tebow and the rest of the Jets quarterbacks, giving them little time to do much of anything except scramble.

“I did some things pretty good,” said Tebow, who was 4 of 8 for 27 yards with an interception on his final throw. “Obviously I want that last throw back. I tried to put it low and outside. Just a stupid play by me.”

Tebow also ran three times for 34 yards, avoiding sacks each time.

“I liked the poise he showed,” coach Rex Ryan said. “Obviously, (he) made some big runs and that’s what we say he can do. If you want to come after him, you better get to him. In time, he’ll kill you running and that’s what he did.”

The crowd of 44,161 at Paul Brown Stadium booed loudly, and photo flashes went off around the stadium when Tebow jogged onto the field. He got the same reception in 2010, when he made his pro debut in a preseason game with Denver in Cincinnati.

Tebow completed his first pass, a 12-yarder to second-round draft pick Stephen Hill, who’s aiming for a starting spot across from Santonio Holmes. Tebow scrambled twice for a total of 24 yards on a drive to Josh Brown’s 42-yard field goal.

In the third quarter, Tebow forced a throw that linebacker Vontaze Burfict intercepted.

“I feel like I’m getting better,” Tebow said. “Today was one more stride in getting better. I feel like my timing and rhythm were pretty good for the most part.”

Perhaps his worst moment came when the Jets came up short on third down with Tebow forgot about his new role as protector of the punter on special teams.

“I thought, ‘Oh, shoot, I’m out there,’ so I just sprinted out there and got out there a few seconds late because for the first time in my life, I was out there on special teams,” he said. “So I’ve got to remember that.”

The Bengals got a pair of touchdowns from reserve running back Cedric Peerman, who recovered a blocked punt in the end zone and scored on a 1-yard run. They came away with concerns about three starters lost to injuries.

Left guard Travelle Wharton appeared to be the most seriously hurt. He went down while pass blocking on Cincinnati’s third play and was taken off the field on a cart with an injured right knee and went for medical testing. Clint Boling replaced him. Wharton signed with the Bengals as a free agent last March.

On the next series, middle linebacker Rey Maualuga and defensive end Carlos Dunlap limped off with assistance after hurting their right knees. Maualuga didn’t return, but walked around the sideline freely.

“He and Carlos are similar — one’s a little more severe than the other,” coach Marvin Lewis said. “Both had knee sprains. Travelle, I didn’t hear where they were with his scans, but we’ll know later.”

Maualuga said his injury isn’t severe.

“It was a little scary, but thank God that I got some positive news from the doctors,” he said. “I’ll be back in a couple of days.”

The Bengals are looking for an outside receiver to complement Pro Bowler A.J. Green. Armon Binns had a diving 16-yard catch in the second quarter. Brandon Tate stretched for a 14-yard reception later in the same drive. Both receivers finished with two catches for 24 yards.

“You can see they’re talented and they’ve got a chip on their shoulders,” Green said.

Pro Bowl quarterback Andy Dalton played the first quarter and completed 4 of 9 for 54 yards with a passer rating of 64.1.

49ERS 17, VIKINGS 6

SAN FRANCISCO — Alex Smith and the San Francisco 49ers picked up right where they left off last season in their preseason opener.

Smith tossed a 4-yard touchdown pass to Brett Swain on the opening possession, backup Colin Kaepernick ran 78 yards for a score on the next and the 49ers breezed past Minnesota.

Brandon Jacobs, Kendall Hunter and Rock Cartwright combined for 69 yards rushing on the first drive to lead a reloaded running back group for San Francisco (No. 4 in the AP Pro32 rankings) on a night three-time Pro Bowler Frank Gore rested.

Christian Ponder completed 4 of 9 passes for 80 yards, and Toby Gerhart ran for 31 yards for Minnesota (No. 29) in place of rehabbing starter Adrian Peterson. The Vikings offense showed promise everywhere but in the end zone, settling for field goals of 39 and 26 yards by new kicker Blair Walsh in Candlestick Park’s whipping winds.

Randy Moss made his 49ers debut after sitting out last season, though it was hard to notice. The 35-year-old wide receiver, who signed a one-year deal with San Francisco, was never targeted.

JAGUARS 32, GIANTS 31

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. —Eli Manning only played two series and produced three points before taking the rest of the night off in New York’s loss in both teams’ preseason opener.

New York (No. 3 in the AP Pro32) built a 17-point first half lead, but Jacksonville (No. 31 in the AP Pro32) responded with an 18-point second half to earn the victory.

Manning was 4 of 8 for 60 yards and a passer rating of 75.0. The Giants were forced to punt in their first series, but Manning directed a drive into the red zone on the next series before settling for a field goal.

Jacksonville quarterback Blaine Gabbert was sharp in directing an 89-yard touchdown drive in 13 plays on the Jaguars’ first series. But that was the extent of his success as the next two drives were halted by lost fumbles, the second one by Gabbert.

BROWNS 19, LIONS 17

DETROIT — Jeff Wolfert kicked a 45-yard field goal with 28 seconds left to lift Cleveland to victory.

Detroit (No. 11 in the AP Pro 32) stopped Adonis Thomas on a 2-point conversion run with 6:05 left to keep the lead, but couldn’t run enough time off the clock to keep the ball away from the Browns.

The Lions’ last shot ended when rookie Kellen Moore was intercepted by David Sims at the Cleveland 36 with 34 seconds left.

The banged-up Browns (No. 30) took another hit when rookie Brandon Weeden threw to Mohamed Massaquoi and the wide receiver left the game with a head injury. Weeden was 3 of 9 for 62 yards with an interception and a fumble.

Detroit backup quarterback Shaun Hill led two touchdown drives in the first half to put the Lions (No. 11 in the AP Pro 32) ahead 14-3 in the first half.

CHIEFS 27, CARDINALS 17

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jamaal Charles took a solid hit to the left knee on his very first carry, then bounced right up and helped Kansas City score touchdowns on its first two possessions.

Charles, the NFL’s second-leading rusher in 2010, had 12 yards on three carries and caught one pass for 11 yards in his first action since ACL surgery on the left knee last September. Two other key starters who also sat out last season with ACL surgery — safety Eric Berry and tight end Tony Moeaki — also played with no apparent problem, a huge relief for fans and coaches.

For the second straight game, the defense for Arizona (tied No. 23 in the AP Pro 32) yielded a touchdown on the opening drive, with Matt Cassel hitting Peyton Hillis on a 12-yard scoring strike to open the game.

In their second possession, the Chiefs (No. 18) romped 72 yards in just four plays, capped by Shaun Draughn’s 4-yard run.

BUCCANEERS 20, DOLPHINS 7

MIAMI — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers got off to a good start under new coach Greg Schiano, scoring touchdowns on their first two possessions.

Starting quarterback Josh Freeman left the game after playing only one series for Tampa Bay (No. 26 in the AP Pro32), completing 4 of 5 passes for 41 yards. LeGarrette Blount finished off the drive with a 1-yard touchdown plunge on fourth-and-goal.

Ryan Tannehill had a promising debut for Miami (No. 27 in the AP Pro32), completing 14 of 21 passes for 167 yards, including an 11-yard touchdown to tight end Charles Clay in the third quarter.

David Garrard was scheduled to start for Miami after being listed first on the depth chart, but his agent confirmed Friday he’s slated to have knee surgery.