Associated Press
Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA — Michael Vick took a slight lead over Nick Foles in the Philadelphia Eagles’ quarterback competition, while Tom Brady looked like himself on the opposite side.
Brady led the New England Patriots to a pair of 80-yard TD drives on his only two series, and Tim Tebow saw extended action in a 31-22 preseason win over the Eagles on Friday night.
Vick threw a 47-yard touchdown pass to DeSean Jackson, but the new-look Eagles kicked off the Chip Kelly era the same way they ended Andy Reid’s long tenure — with another loss.
Foles also led the Eagles to a TD drive, staying right there with Vick as they battle for the starting job.
Here are five things we learned during New England’s victory over the Eagles:
1. TOM BRADY DOESN’T NEED BIG-NAME WRs: Brady has a new group of receivers after the team’s top five receiving leaders from last season are gone or injured. It didn’t matter. The two-time NFL and Super Bowl MVP finished 7 of 8 for 65 yards and one TD. Kenbrell Thompkins was Brady’s top target, catching four passes for 23 yards. Rookie Aaron Dobson had two catches for 35 yards. Brady was most pleased with the team’s first drive when he handed off all six plays for 80 yards.
“It started with what we did up front,” Brady said. “(Stevan Ridley) runs 62 yards, incredible. To hand the ball off, and get the ball in the end zone, that was just great. It’s our challenge to be a tough football team, and to run the ball like that? Great start.”
2. CHIP KELLY ISN’T NAMING A STARTING QB SOON: Kelly praised Vick and Foles equally, even though Vick looked better and played against a first-team defense. Kelly said he’s not leaning toward either guy and isn’t planning to pick one until the Eagles start preparing for their regular-season opener at Washington on Sept. 9.
“Both got us in the end zone. I was pleased,” Kelly said. “They played pretty well. Both rose to the occasion. I was excited with the way they played.”
3. EAGLES WILL KEEP IT SIMPLE IN PRESEASON: Kelly isn’t going to show off his up-tempo offense in the preseason. Though the Eagles ran several no-huddle plays and moved quicker than most, this was hardly the offense Kelly ran at Oregon. The fast-paced, hurry-up style that helped the Ducks average an astounding 44.7 points per game in four years may or may not work in the NFL. We’ll have to wait until the games count to make that determination.
“We didn’t do a third of what we normally would do,” Vick said.
4. THE PATRIOTS CAN RUN THE BALL: After finishing seventh in the NFL in rushing offense last year, the Patriots might even be improved. LeGarrette Blount had 101 yards rushing on 11 carries in his first game for New England, including a nifty, 51-yard TD run in which he reversed direction twice on the play. The former 1,000-yard rusher with Tampa Bay complements Stevan Ridley, who had 92 yards on the ground.
“We’re special,” Ridley said. “We’re off to a good start. You can’t really ask for more.”
5. TIM TEBOW STILL HAS WORK TO DO: Tebow made his New England debut after backup Ryan Mallett left with a head injury late in the second quarter. He was 4 of 12 for 55 yards and ran for 31 yards on four carries.
Though Tebow adds a new dimension for the Patriots because he can run the option, he has to improve his passing skills.
“It’s fun, and I’m comfortable with it,” Tebow said of the hurry-up offense. “You have to stay on your toes, there’s a lot of moving parts out there. We still have to get some things down, and that’s something that we’re still working on.”
SAINTS 17, CHIEFS 13
NEW ORLEANS — Preston Parker had a pair of touchdown catches in his bid to fill one open receiver spots, and New Orleans defeated Kansas City in coach Sean Payton’s first game back from his bounty suspension.
New Chiefs coach Andy Reid saw all he needed of new starting quarterback Alex Smith in the opening drive, which went 80 yards on 14 plays, capped by Jamaal Charles’ TD run. Smith was 7 of 8 for 68 yards.
Drew Brees was 7 of 10 for 65 yards in two series, which produced one field goal.
His longest completion went for 22 yards to rookie Kenny Stills, who like Parker is a candidate to replace injured deep threat Joe Morgan as the Saints’ No. 3 receiver behind Marques Colston and Lance Moore.
TEXANS 27, VIKINGS 13
MINNEAPOLIS — Rookie DeAndre Hopkins caught a 34-yard touchdown pass in Houston’s victory over Minnesota.
The Vikings showcased their rookie wide receiver, too, during a flashy first half by Cordarrelle Patterson.
Hopkins, the 27th overall pick in the draft, had four receptions for 52 yards. Patterson, taken two slots later, caught four passes for 54 yards and returned the opening kickoff 50 yards.
Christian Ponder connected with Jerome Simpson for 15 yards right after that, but when he went back to Simpson on the next play the throw was a bit high and bounced off Simpson’s hands and into Shiloh Keo’s for an interception.
Ponder, entering a critical third season for his future as Minnesota’s quarterback, only took those two snaps.
CARDINALS 17, PACKERS 0
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Stepfan Taylor rushed for 63 yards on 21 carries in his rookie debut, and Arizona picked apart Green Bay on both sides of the ball.
Tyrann Mathieu had a sack in his first game in two years, and also returned two punts for Arizona, which was playing its first game under new coach Bruce Arians.
Aaron Rodgers connected with James Jones on a 50-yard gain in his only series, and Vince Young showed flashes of potential just three days after signing with Green Bay. But those were among the only highlights for the Packers, who were shut out in a full preseason game for the first time since 1987. The Packers also were shut out in the 2003 Hall of Fame game, although that game was called because of lightning with 5:49 left in the third quarter.
LIONS 26, JETS 17
DETROIT — Mark Sanchez had an interception returned for a touchdown, and Geno Smith left with an apparent ankle injury in New York’s loss to Detroit.
Lions rookie Ziggy Ansah made an immediate impression, intercepting Sanchez’s pass and returning it 14 yards for a touchdown. The 6-foot-5 defensive end from Ghana put his hands up just in time to pick off Sanchez’s screen pass in the first quarter. He had an easy return to the end zone for the game’s first TD.
Sanchez played three series, going 10 of 13 for 125 yards and a touchdown. Smith was 6 of 7 for 47 yards but left shortly after halftime.
Detroit’s Matthew Stafford was 3 of 8 for 58 yards.
DOLPHINS 27, JAGUARS 3
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Ryan Tannehill connected with Dustin Keller for a 22-yard touchdown, and Miami thumped Jacksonville.
Tannehill played a little longer and a lot smoother in his second preseason game. The Jaguars can only hope Blaine Gabbert will do the same.
Tannehill completed 5 of 9 passes for 75 yards, getting things rolling late in the first quarter. He connected with Keller for a 24-yard gain and then found the former New York Jets tight end five plays later for a score. Safety Chris Prosinski looked lost on the play, the first of many mistakes for the rebuilding Jaguars.
Jacksonville finished with four turnovers.
Gabbert was hoping to make a strong impression in Jacksonville’s preseason opener. But Gabbert looked a lot like he did in his first two seasons. He completed 5 of 10 passes for 19 yards, with an interception.
PANTHERS 24, BEARS 17
CHARLOTTE, N.C. —Chicago forced three first-half turnovers and linebacker Jonathan Bostic returned an interception 51 yards for a touchdown, but Carolina capitalized on turnovers to spoil Marc Trestman’s NFL head coaching debut.
The Bears — who forced four turnovers — picked up where they left off last season when they led the NFL with 44 takeaways and finished with nine defensive touchdowns, one shy of the league record.
Chicago’s offense, however, left plenty of room for improvement.
Jay Cutler was intercepted on his first play from scrimmage by Josh Norman, setting up a touchdown pass from Cam Newton to Brandon LaFell. Cutler completed 6 of 8 passes for 56 yards but the Bears had three turnovers and allowed seven sacks.
Newton was 3 of 6 for 16 yards.
Norman had two interceptions, including one he returned 60 yards for a score.
RAIDERS 19, COWBOYS 17
OAKLAND, Calif. — Sean Lee and rookie J.J. Wilcox forced first-half turnovers for Dallas’ revamped defense before Oakland rallied for the victory.
Lee flattened Matt Flynn on a delayed blitz on the opening drive of the game to force a fumble deep in Oakland territory in his first action since a season-ending toe injury last October.
Wilcox intercepted an ill-advised pass from Terrelle Pryor in the end zone to thwart a promising Raiders drive.
The Cowboys forced just 16 turnovers last year, contributing to the firing of coordinator Rob Ryan, who was replaced by Monte Kiffin as the defense moved from a three-man front to a four-man front. Dallas has forced four turnovers in its first two preseason games under Kiffin.