Pennington in form
Chad Pennington went 9 of 10 for 86 yards and a touchdown, helping the New York Jets beat the Minnesota Vikings 28-21 in a preseason game Friday night in East Rutherford, N.J.
Daunte Culpepper looked just as good for the Vikings (1-1), going 11 of 13 for 146 yards while leading them on one scoring drive. Minnesota staged a second-half rally with two scores from their third and fourth stringers, tying the game at 21 before Cedric Houston scored the game-winner on a 10-yard TD run with 5:52 remaining.
The show stopper was Pennington’s 20-yard score to Laveranues Coles in the second quarter, a beautiful pass down the middle that hit Coles in stride.
Titans 24, Falcons 21
Rookie DeAndra Cobb scored on a 101-yard kickoff return and T.J. Duckett had a 72-yard touchdown run for the Falcons, but Shane Boyd threw a late touchdown pass to fellow rookie O.J. Small that gave Tennessee a victory over Atlanta.
Michael Vick played nearly the entire first half for the Falcons, looking especially good on the opening possession. He hooked up with fullback Justin Griffith on a 23-yard pass, then broke off a 21-yard run, and lobbed a touchdown pass to Brian Finneran.
Steve McNair completed 14 of 19 passes for 137 yards for the Titans, including an 11-yard touchdown to Chris Brown.
Bengals 24, Redskins 17
The good news for Carson Palmer and Patrick Ramsey is that they have three more weeks to get ready for the regular season. From the look of things Friday night, both need all the time they can get.
The young quarterbacks each had one nice throw for a touchdown but mostly struggled for the second straight week.
Ramsey threw two interceptions. Palmer threw one, and they combined to complete just four of their first 16 passes in Cincinnati’s victory over Washington in Landover, Md.
Palmer finished 12 for 24 for 152 yards and and two touchdowns. Ramsey was 9 for 18 for 190 yards.
Owens out for Ravens game
When the Eagles boarded a bus to Baltimore for tonight’s game against the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium, wide receiver Terrell Owens was not along for the ride. Coach Andy Reid said Owens is still recovering from a groin injury.
“Really, he’s just getting back into the swing of things,” Reid said. “He was hurt before he left, and he’s still bothered by that groin. It’s not near as bad as it was when he left, but I didn’t want to take any chances. That would be nonproductive.”
Owens has been on the field for three of the Eagles’ last 13 practice days. Reid said the star receiver did not participate in Friday’s walk-through at the NovaCare Complex after slightly tweaking the groin injury Thursday afternoon. After being sent home for seven days by Reid following an Aug. 10 argument with the coach at Lehigh University, Owens returned to the practice field Wednesday at the NovaCare Complex.
Perhaps it’s just as well that Owens is sitting out this game. Though he has never shied from a challenge, Owens would have been a prime target for abuse from the Ravens’ fans and their aggressive defense.
Cowboys hopeful finished
Jacob Rogers’ career with the Dallas Cowboys hit another dead end. After hardly playing as a rookie offensive lineman, then spending most of training camp on the sideline with what were thought to be minor injuries, Rogers is headed to injured reserve because of a knee problem that will require surgery.
“He’s done for the year,” coach Bill Parcells said.