Cassel crumbles in Patriots’ loss to Buccaneers

No Tom Brady equals little offense for the New England Patriots this preseason.

With the 2007 MVP sitting out for the second straight week, the defending AFC champions sputtered with backup Matt Cassel running the show in a 27-10 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday night in Tampa, Fla.

Brady didn’t make the trip, reportedly remaining home to rest a sore foot. Cassel had limited success moving the ball against a feisty Bucs defense that scored on his third-quarter fumble and intercepted the first pass thrown by successor, Kevin O’Connell.

Randy Moss, the other half of New England’s record-breaking passing combination, made his preseason debut and caught two passes for 25 yards. Both catches came on the five-play drive Cassel used to get New England on the scoreboard at the end of the first half.

Lions 27, Bengals 10: At Cincinnati, Pro Bowl receiver Chad Johnson hurt his left shoulder during Detroit’s victory over the Bengals.

Johnson landed awkwardly on his left side after cornerback Brian Kelly intercepted a pass thrown his way on Cincinnati’s first series. He did not return to the field.

Detroit quarterback Jon Kitna had a perfect passer rating of 158.3 for the second straight game. Kitna completed his three passes for 76 yards and a touchdown, leaving him 9 of 10 for 146 yards with a pair of touchdowns in the preseason.