NFL preseason: E.J. Manuel tosses 3 TDs as Raiders topple Seahawks 30-19
SEATTLE – E.J. Manuel made a strong bid to be Oakland’s backup quarterback, throwing for 255 yards and three touchdowns, and the Raiders closed out the preseason with a 30-19 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night.
Manuel completed 18 of 22 passes in the competition with Connor Cook to be Derek Carr’s backup. He hit Keon Hatcher on both of his touchdowns in the first half and added a 45-yard TD to Saeed Blacknall in the third quarter. Hatcher caught a 45-yard TD in the first quarter when he spun off Seattle’s Justin Coleman as he was being tackled to the ground, never touched the turf and completed the catch-and-run score that was upheld on review.
Manuel found Hatcher again on a 19-yard TD strike late in the second quarter. Raiders coach Jon Gruden was unhappy with the performance of both Manuel and Cook after last week’s game.
Cook came on late in the third quarter and threw a 22-yard TD to Hatcher in the fourth quarter. Hatcher had eight catches for 128 yards.
Oakland finished the preseason 3-1, while Seattle went 0-4, its first winless preseason in franchise history. The teams will meet in Week 6 in London.
Seattle’s Austin Davis made a strong audition for other teams. The Seahawks acquired Brett Hundley in a trade with Green Bay on Wednesday likely marking the end of Davis’ time in Seattle. But he was still tasked with playing the entire first half against Oakland.
Davis was solid even if one of his completions was a deflected pass that was caught by right tackle Willie Beavers. Davis finished 13 of 20 for 194 yards and an 81-yard touchdown strike to Damore’ea Stringfellow. Davis also led a two-minute drive at the end of the first half that culminated in Mike Davis’ 1-yard TD run.
Seattle rookie linebacker Shaquem Griffin had a team-high seven tackles in the first half and found his way into the action all over the field. Griffin, whose left-hand was amputated as a child, could be in line to start the opener after starter K.J. Wright had arthroscopic knee surgery earlier this week. Seattle also used veteran safety Maurice Alexander at linebacker in the second half.
Browns 35, Lions 17: Baker Mayfield threw for 138 yards in a dominant first half for Cleveland, and the visiting Browns defeated Detroit.
Mayfield completed a 41-yard pass to Devon Cajuste on the first play from scrimmage, and the top overall pick in this year’s draft looked sharp throughout his two quarters directing Cleveland’s offense.
Colts 27, Bengals 26: Matt Barkley’s left knee was injured by a low hit after he threw a pass, giving Jeff Driskel the inside track for the Bengals’ backup quarterback role as visiting Indianapolis defeated Cincinnati.
Dolphins 34, Falcons 7: Brock Osweiler made a strong final bid for Miami’s backup quarterback job, leading three first-quarter touchdown drives as visiting Miami topped Atlanta. Osweiler completed each of his first six passes for 65 yards, including a 1-yard scoring pass to Buddy Howell on Miami’s opening drive. He added a 14-yard scoring pass to Francis Owusu on the final play of the third quarter.
Eagles 10, Jets 9: Christian Hackenberg had a rough audition for an NFL roster spot, tossing two interceptions, but defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia rallied past visiting New York. Joe Callahan threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Matt Jones with 18 seconds left to lift Philadelphia.
Jaguars 25, Buccaneers 10: Fourth-stringer Tim Cook ran for a pair of second-half touchdowns, and Carroll Phillips returned a fumble for another TD to help Jacksonville win in Tampa, Florida.
Patriots 17, Giants 12: Third-stringer Danny Etling tossed a 1-yard touchdown pass to Ralph Webb early in the second half and iced the game with an 86-yard run late to lift New England over New York in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Vikings 13, Titans 3: Rookie Daniel Carlson kicked field goals of 39 and 22 yards, and Kyle Sloter added a 24-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter as Minnesota won in Nashville, Tennessee. Carlson rebounded from missing a pair of 42-yarders wide left a week ago after beating out Kai Forbath for the job. Carlson connected from 39 yards late in the first half, tying it 3-3.
Ravens 30, Redskins 20: Ravens rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson ran for a touchdown while backup Robert Griffin III spent the entire game on the sideline as Baltimore completed its third consecutive unbeaten preseason by topping visiting Washington.
Steelers 39, Panthers 24: Josh Dobbs put together a compelling case to be on someone’s NFL roster next week, throwing for a touchdown and running for another to lead Pittsburgh over visiting Carolina.
Texans 14, Cowboys 6: Houston rookie running back Terry Swanson rushed for a 37-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter to lift the Texans over visiting Dallas. The undrafted rookie running back out of Toledo, who served as an understudy to the Chiefs’ Kareem Hunt in college, found a hole with five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter to put the Texans up two scores. Swanson finished with 69 yards on 17 carries.
Bills 28, Bears 27: AJ McCarron made a shaky case for a roster spot, leading a surge in the fourth quarter after struggling for most of the game as Buffalo won in Chicago. McCarron ran for a touchdown and threw for three more in the fourth – including a 6-yarder to Keith Towbridge in the closing minute.
Saints 28, Rams 0: Cameron Meredith caught two passes for 72 yards and a touchdown to lead the Saints in New Orleans. The former Bears wide receiver was one of the top free agents signed by the Saints, who brought him in even though he had major knee surgery last fall. Meredith’s rehab from the injury has gone well, but he was limited in training camp and didn’t catch a pass in the first three preseason games.
Chiefs 33, Packers 21: Rookie safety Armani Watts intercepted two passes, while Makinton Dorleant returned another pick for a touchdown for Kansas City in a win over Green Bayin Kansas City, Missouri.
Broncos 21, Cardinals 10: Paxton Lynch made his case for backup quarterback – or at least staying on Denver’s roster – with a near-perfect second half. Lynch completed 14 of 15 passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns and was not intercepted in Denver’s win in Glendale, Arizona.
Chargers 23, 49ers 21: Roberto Aguayo kicked a 26-yard field goal on the final play. Aguayo is in a battle with Caleb Sturgis to win the kicking job for the Chargers (2-2) and got the opportunity for the winner against San Francisco in Santa Clara, California.