NFL roundup: Kenny Pickett, Steelers top Baker Mayfield, Bucs

 

[August 12, 2023]  Kenny Pickett connected with George Pickens for an early touchdown and the Pittsburgh Steelers played four quarterbacks en route to a 27-17 win in their preseason opener over the host Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Friday night.

Pickett finished the game 6-of-7 passing for 70 yards, including his 33-yard scoring strike to Pickens. Mason Rudolph later added a 67-yard touchdown throw to Calvin Austin III, and Tanner Morgan and Mitch Trubisky also saw time at quarterback.

Anthony McFarland added a 14-yard rushing touchdown for Pittsburgh.

Baker Mayfield started the game for the Buccaneers and found Trey Palmer for an 8-yard touchdown pass early in the second quarter. Mayfield went 8-for-9 passing for 63 yards before giving way to Kyle Trask, with whom he is competing for the team's starting quarterback gig.

Trask finished 6-of-10 passing for 99 yards and one interception. Tampa Bay trailed 27-7 before a 10-point fourth quarter, in which John Wolford (10-for-17, 111 yards) hit Payne Durham for a late 3-yard TD.

Packers 36, Bengals 19

Emanuel Wilson broke off an 80-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to punctuate Green Bay's preseason win over host Cincinnati.

Wilson finished with 111 rushing yards and two touchdowns on just six carries.

New Green Bay starting quarterback Jordan Love completed 7 of 10 passes for 46 yards and a 9-yard touchdown pass to Romeo Doubs. Sean Clifford spent the majority of the game under center and went 20-for-26 passing for 208 yards and a touchdown.

Clifford also threw two interceptions, one returned 43 yards for a touchdown by Tycen Anderson -- the Bengals' only touchdown.

With Joe Burrow sidelined because of a calf injury, Jake Browning started at quarterback for the Bengals and went 10-for-17 passing for 95 yards. Trevor Siemian played the second half and went 15-for-28 for 121 yards. Each threw an interception.

Evan McPherson made all four of his field-goal attempts for Cincinnati.

Lions 21, Giants 16

Adrian Martinez's 1-yard rushing touchdown with less than two minutes to play gave host Detroit a preseason win over New York.

Martinez, a rookie quarterback, capped an 11-play drive that milked 6:08 off the clock by scoring on the QB sneak. He also went 4-for-7 passing for 37 yards in relief of Nate Sudfeld, who started the game for Detroit and finished 15-for-28 for 194 yards and two interceptions.

Maurice Alexander returned a punt 95 yards for a score early in the third quarter for the Lions, and Sudfeld followed that with a 2-point conversion pass to Jameson Williams.

The Giants got three field goals from Graham Gano and a second-quarter touchdown hookup from Tommy DeVito to Tommy Sweeney. DeVito played quarterback for New York for most of the game and finished 15-of-24 passing for 155 yards with an interception.

Falcons 19, Dolphins 3

Godwin Igwebuike took 13 carries for 70 yards and a touchdown and Atlanta pulled away from Miami in a preseason contest in Miami Gardens, Fla.

Igwebuike's 11-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, with a missed extra-point try, stood as the only points for either team until the fourth. Jason Sanders made a 49-yard field goal for the Dolphins before the Falcons put up two non-offensive touchdowns 13 seconds apart.

Aug 11, 2023; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Green Bay Packers running back Emanuel Wilson (31) carries the ball on a touchdown in the third quarter during a Week 1 NFL preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kareem Elgazzar - USA Today Network via The Cincinnati Enquirer

Dee Alford returned a punt 79 yards for a touchdown to extend Atlanta's lead to 13-3, and two plays from scrimmage later, Breon Borders intercepted Skylar Thompson's pass and took it back 26 yards for another touchdown.

Thompson finished 10-of-16 passing for 104 yards and two interceptions. Myles Gaskin had 57 rushing yards and Erik Ezukanma added 52 rushing yards on just two touches.

Commanders 17, Browns 15

Sam Howell threw a touchdown pass and fellow quarterback Jacoby Brissett ran for a score as Washington outlasted host Cleveland.

Howell connected with Jahan Dotson at the 11-minute mark of the second quarter for a 26-yard score to answer the Browns' first-quarter safety. Brissett made it 14-2 Commanders with a 12-yard TD run less than five minutes later.

Trailing 17-2, the Browns came to life for the second straight game behind rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson. The former UCLA quarterback zipped a 7-yard TD pass to David Bell to make it a one-score game at 17-9. Thompson-Robinson completed 9 of 10 passes for 102 yards and had three carries for 11 yards.

Kellen Mond's 20-yard touchdown pass to Mike Harley Jr. with 1:39 remaining made it 17-15. Mond missed Austin Watkins Jr., who had a game-high six receptions for 71 yards, on the two-point conversion try that would've tied the game.

Browns starting quarterback Deshaun Watson ripped through the Commanders' defense on the opening drive, ending in a goal-line stand by Washington at its own 1-yard line. Watson completed each of his three pass attempts for 12 yards and had three carries for 20 yards.

Browns rookie safety Ronnie Hickman Jr. intercepted both Commanders backup quarterbacks.

Lightning and heavy rain delayed the start of the game.

Cardinals 18, Broncos 17

David Blough hit Brian Cobbs for a wide-open touchdown pass and Emari Demercado ran in the game-winning two-point conversion with 2 seconds on the clock to hand Arizona a final-seconds win over Denver in Glendale, Ariz.

The Cardinals never led the game until Cobbs' touchdown with time winding down. Blough finished 8-for-14 passing for 86 yards and the scoring pass, while Clayton Tune went 13-for-23 for 135 yards, one touchdown and one interception for Arizona.

Broncos star quarterback Russell Wilson connected with Jerry Jeudy on a 21-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter to open the scoring. Wilson exited after completing 7 of 13 passes for 93 yards as he begins his second year in Denver and his first with head coach Sean Payton.

Tune's 7-yard touchdown completion to Kaden Davis tied the game 10-10 for Arizona early in the fourth quarter. Jaleel McLaughlin restored Denver's seven-point lead with a 4-yard rushing score with 90 seconds to go.

--Field Level Media

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