NFL roundup: Darnold starts, plays solid first half

[August 25, 2018]  Hunter Sharp returned a punt 55 yards for a touchdown as the New York Giants won the annual preseason game against the New York Jets 22-16 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

Giants quarterback Eli Manning threw for 188 yards on 17-for-23 passing, but in his three quarters of preseason action this month, the Giants are without an offensive touchdown. Aldrick Rosas made field goals from 48, 40, 27 and 21 yards -- all in the second quarter. Teammate Marshall Koehn kicked a 44-yarder in the fourth quarter.

Looking to win the starting job, rookie Sam Darnold started and played the whole first half, going 8 for 16 for 86 yards and a touchdown pass of 12 yards to Terrelle Pryor in the second quarter. He also directed the game's first touchdown drive, which ended in a 10-yard run by Bilal Powell.

Sharp's return came later in the second quarter, after he started right, delivered a fantastic juke and slithered his way up the right sideline for the score.

Broncos 29, Redskins 17

Quarterback Case Keenum had Denver moving at times in its preseason victory against Washington at FedEx Field.

Keenum completed 12 of 18 passes for 148 yards, Royce Freeman had a 24-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and Emmanuel Sanders had three touches for 75 yards on one drive, capping it with a 27-yard TD run on a reverse. Brandon McManus kicked five field goals, including two from 50-plus yards.

New Redskins running back Adrian Peterson, who signed with the team on Tuesday, was given extensive work in the first half. He finished with 56 rushing yards on 11 carries. Quarterback Alex Smith finished 3 for 8 for 33 yards.

Lions 33, Buccaneers 30

Adam Humphries returned a missed field goal 109 yards for a touchdown to give Tampa Bay a 20-6 halftime lead, before visiting Detroit rallied for the win.

Following the approach they used in the first two preseason games, the Bucs had Ryan Fitzpatrick start at quarterback, before Jameis Winston -- who is suspended for the first three regular-season games -- entered in the second quarter. Winston played through halftime, going 6 of 10 for 60 yards and a 10-yard touchdown to Chris Godwin. Fitzpatrick went 6 of 7 for 82 yards.

Matthew Stafford played one series into the third quarter, leading the Lions to a pair of field goals and a 27-yard drive just before halftime. That drive ended in a 62-yard attempt by Matt Prater, which came up short and was returned for the score by Humphries. Stafford finished 9 of 18 for 113 yards.

Panthers 25, Patriots 14

There were only field goals in the first half when the starters were on the field, and Carolina defeated New England at Charlotte, N.C.

It was 9-3 at halftime, with Graham Gano of the Panthers connecting from 21, 38 and 23 yards. Panthers quarterback Cam Newton missed time in the first quarter after diving for a first down and landing awkwardly on his head and neck. He left the field to be evaluated but returned a few plays later.

Oakland Raiders running back Chris Warren (34) is upended as Green Bay Packers defensive back Raven Greene (36) watches during a preseason game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Newton and Tom Brady both sat out the second half. Newton was 11 of 17 for 142 yards, while Brady finished 12 of 18 for 102 yards, managing a field goal on just three possessions.

Vikings 21, Seahawks 20

Seattle took a 10-6 halftime lead while both team's starters played, before Minnesota rallied in the final minute for a victory at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Russell Wilson led three scoring drives (one touchdown, two field goals) on six possessions, playing about five minutes into the third quarter. He finished 11 of 21 for 118 yards. Chris Carson scored on a 6-yard run, and Sebastian Janikowski made field-goal attempts of 35 and 55 yards.

Kirk Cousins sat after halftime, finishing 17 of 28 for 182 yards. Dalvin Cook saw his first action since tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in Week 4 last season, carrying twice for 1 yard before exiting. Vikings fifth-round rookie kicker Daniel Carlson, who won the job in camp to facilitate veteran Kai Forbath's release earlier this week, missed both of his field-goal attempts, each from 42 yards.

Raiders 13, Packers 6

Undrafted rookie Chris Warren rushed for 54 yards on 15 carries and scored the game's only touchdown in the fourth quarter as Oakland defeated visiting Green Bay.

Warren's 1-yard run with 5:07 remaining in the fourth quarter completed a comeback for the Raiders, who trailed 6-3 after the Packers' Mason Crosby hit field goals from 42 and 36 yards out in the first and third quarters, respectively.

Derek Carr played one series and led Oakland's first scoring drive, hitting 2 of 3 passes for 68 yards, 49 coming on a strike to Amari Cooper. Green Bay's DeShone Kizer completed 11 of 23 passes for 120 yards, as star quarterback Aaron Rodgers did not play.

--Field Level Media

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