With Maurice Jones-Drew, the reigning rushing champion, continuing his prolonged holdout, the Jacksonville Jaguars rushed for a pair of touchdowns as they beat the Atlanta Falcons, 24-14, Thursday at EverBank Field. Rashad Jennings stepped in and rushed for 34 yards on 11 carries, while Jalen Parmele finished with six carries for 56 yards and a score and Richard Murphy chipped in 12 rushes for 44 yards and a touchdown. Jennings has already been named the starter for the Jaguars season-opener on Sunday, Sept. 9 when they head to Minnesota to take on the Vikings. Blaine Gabbert completed 7-of-12 passes for 64 yards, while backup Chad Henne went 4-of-6 for 106 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Dominique Davis took every snap for the Falcons, going 14-of-24 for 175 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, as starter Matt Ryan sat out to prepare for Atlanta's season opener on Sunday, Sept. 9 on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs. Jacquizz Rodgers started in place of Michael Turner, who also watched from the sidelines, and rushed five times for 24 yards and a touchdown.
Final Score: Philadelphia 28, NY Jets 10
Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Trent Edwards threw for 197 yards and two touchdowns, as the Philadelphia Eagles capped a perfect exhibition slate with a 28-10 victory over the New York Jets. Edwards completed 22-of-32 passes for the Eagles, who went 4-0 in the preseason for the first time since 1995. Rookie Nick Foles connected on 4-of-6 passes for 46 yards to finish off an impressive preseason. Rookie running backs Chris Polk and Bryce Brown each scored a touchdown on the ground for Philadelphia, which opens the regular season on Sept. 9 against the Cleveland Browns. Mardy Gilyard caught five passes for 71 yards and a score. Greg McElroy completed 12-of-17 passes for 90 yards and a touchdown for the Jets, who went 0-4 in the preseason for the first time since 1993. McElroy also carried the ball five times for 33 yards. Terrance Ganaway's TD catch in the second quarter was New York's first and only offensive touchdown of the preseason. The Jets open the season against the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 9.
Final Score: Detroit 38, Buffalo 32
Detroit, MI (Sports Network) - Kellen Moore's touchdown run in the fourth quarter was the winning score as the Detroit Lions took a 38-32 win over the Buffalo Bills in the final preseason game for both squads. Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson hooked up for a score while Shaun Hill and Mikel Leshoure both scored on the ground for the Lions. Detroit finished the preseason with a mark of 2-2 and will open their season on Sept. 9 at home against the St. Louis Rams. Ryan Fitzpatrick and Tyler Thigpen each threw a touchdown pass for the Bills. Tarvaris Jackson, who was acquired by the Bills from the Seattle Seahawks on Monday, had a shaky performance. He fumbled his first snap and threw one pass, which was picked off by Amari Spievey at the Detroit 6 with 4:33 remaining in the game. Buffalo went 0-4 in the preseason and will begin its 2012 campaign on the road against the New York Jets on Sept. 9.
Final Score: Green Bay 24, Kansas City 3
Green Bay, WI (Sports Network) - Graham Harrell threw for 223 yards and two touchdown passes on Thursday and the Green Bay Packers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs, 24-3, in the preseason finale for both teams. Harrell, who entered training camp as the favorite to replace departed backup Matt Flynn, closed his otherwise shaky preseason on a high note. The former practice- squad player completed 13-of-15 passes without an interception. He threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Alex Green and also hit Jarrett Boykin for a 12-yard score. Green added a two-yard touchdown run while Cedric Benson had 11 yards on four carries. Aaron Rodgers completed 1-of-2 passes for five yards in limited action and Mason Crosby hit a 37-yard field goal for the Packers, who open the regular season Sunday, Sept. 9 at Lambeau Field against the San Francisco 49ers.
Final Score: Houston 28, Minnesota 24
Houston, TX (Sports Network) - Justin Forsett ran for 114 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 13 carries as the Houston Texans wrapped up their preseason slate with a 28-24 win over the Minnesota Vikings at Reliant Stadium. John Beck got the start in place of Matt Schaub and threw for 149 yards and a touchdown on 6-of-10 passing, while Texas native Case Keenum, who was signed by the club as an undrafted rookie free agent, completed 5-of-10 passes for 43 yards. DeVier Posey hauled in two passes for 93 yards and a touchdown for the Texans, who open their regular season on Sept. 9 at home against the Miami Dolphins. Minnesota's McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw for 193 yards, one touchdown and one interception on 15-of-29 passing, while Sage Rosenfels connected on 7-of-11 through the air for 111 yards and a score. Jordan Todman carried the ball 10 times and racked up 114 yards and a touchdown, while Devin Aromashodu and Jarius Wright caught touchdown passes in the setback for the Vikings, who will start the regular season on Sept. 9 at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Final Score: Indianapolis 20, Cincinnati 16
Indianapolis, IN (Sports Network) - Chandler Harnish finished with 162 yards passing and the winning touchdown throw in the fourth quarter, as the Indianapolis Colts topped the Cincinnati Bengals, 20-16, in the exhibition finale for both teams. Harnish completed 9-of-16 passes, while Drew Stanton went 3-for-3 for 43 yards in brief action for the Colts, who open up the 2012 season at Chicago on Sept. 9. Deji Karim and Darren Evans added rushing scores, while Dominique Jones hauled in the game-deciding catch, a 42-yard score. Bruce Gradkowski was 12-of-19 for 95 yards and a touchdown for the Bengals, who are in Baltimore to begin the year 10 days from now. He subbed admirably for starter Andy Dalton, who suffered a bruised arm on the first Cincy series. Dalton completed 3-of-4 attempts for 26 yards before departing. Zac Robinson added 140 yards on 16-of-22 completions, while Mohamed Sanu led all receivers with eight catches for 80 yards.
Final Score: Pittsburgh 17, Carolina 16
Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - Charlie Batch completed 11-of-14 passes for 102 yards and threw for a touchdown as the Pittsburgh Steelers edged the Carolina Panthers, 17-16, in the final preseason game for both teams. Emmanuel Sanders caught one pass, a 37-yard touchdown reception, and Jonathon Dwyer rushed for 63 yards on 13 carries for the Steelers, who open up against Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos on Sept. 9. Jimmy Clausen was 9-for-19 passing for 173 yards and two touchdowns, including a 79-yard strike to Lamont Bryant for the Panthers, who will play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sept. 9.
Final Score: St. Louis 31, Baltimore 17
St. Louis, MO (Sports Network) - Sam Bradford tossed a trio of touchdown passes and the St. Louis Rams beat the Baltimore Ravens, 31-17, as both teams closed out their preseason schedules Thursday at Edward Jones Dome. Bradford went 11-of-16 for 175 yards while playing the majority of the first half in the Rams' final tune up before they begin their regular season on Sunday, Sept. 9 in Detroit against the Lions. Stephen Jackson rushed for 23 yards on six carries, rookie Isaiah Pead finished with 58 yards on 10 carries and Danny Amedola hauled in two passes for 31 yards, including a seven-yard touchdown grab. Janoris Jenkins, the 39th-overall selection in April's draft, returned an interception 76 yards for a touchdown for the Rams. Tyrod Taylor connected on 8-of-12 passes for 58 yards, as starter Joe Flacco spent the game on the sidelines in preparation for Baltimore's season-opener on Monday, Sept. 10 when it hosts fellow AFC North member Cincinnati. Curtis Painter was picked off three times in backup duties, but finished 19-of-31 for 193 yards and two touchdowns. Bernard Pierce, who started with Ray Rice resting on the sidelines, rushed eight times for 27 yards. Rookie Deonte Thompson hauled in six passes for 68 yards and a touchdown.
Final Score: Tennessee 10, New Orleans 6
Nashville, TN (Sports Network) - Jake Locker threw for 81 yards in his last tuneup to start the regular season under center, as the Tennessee Titans edged the New Orleans Saints, 10-6, in the final preseason game for both teams. Locker, Tennessee's first-round selection in the 2011 draft, completed 9-of-16 passes Thursday night. He was named the team's starting signal-caller last week after coming out on top of a close competition with battle-tested veteran Matt Hasselbeck. Locker's first regular season start will come at home against the defending AFC champion New England Patriots on Sept. 9. Third- string quarterback Sean Canfield played the entire contest for the Saints and connected on 31-of-45 passes for 288 yards and a pair of interceptions. Garrett Hartley booted a pair of field goals for the Saints, who will begin the regular season Sept. 9 at home against the Washington Redskins. The Saints ended the preseason 2-3, while the Titans finished 3-1.
Final Score: Chicago 28, Cleveland 20
Cleveland, OH (Sports Network) - Josh McCown threw for 157 yards and two touchdowns on Thursday and the Chicago Bears edged the Cleveland Browns, 28-20, in the preseason finale for both teams. McCown completed 20-of-29 passes with an interception. He threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Dane Sanzenbacher and also hit Armando Allen for am 11-yard scoring strike. Jay Cutler did not play for the Bears, who will open the regular season against the Indianapolis Colts at Soldier Field on Sunday, Sept. 9. Greg McCoy returned an interception 15 yards for a touchdown in the win and Brittan Golden returned a blocked punt 22 yards for a score. Allen finished with 51 receiving yards on five catches and also led the rushing attack with 16 carries for 83 yards. Lorenzo Booker had 81 yards on 15 carries. The Browns, who will open the regular season Sept. 9 at home against the Philadelphia Eagles, held out rookie starting quarterback Brandon Weeden. Colt McCoy got the start for Cleveland and completed 2-of-5 passes for 16 yards with an interception. Seneca Wallace threw for 36 yards on 3-of-4 passing and completed a two-yard touchdown pass to Rod Windsor. Adonis Thomas rushed for 81 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries in the setback and Phil Dawson hit field goals of 39 and 42 yards.
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