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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Owens returns to Philly lineup with a bang


Philadelphia Eagles receiver Terrell Owens scored on his first play Friday night. 
 (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
Associated Press

Donovan McNabb and Terrell Owens already weren’t speaking to each other. No surprise they aren’t exchanging congratulations, either, after the feuding stars hooked up for a 64-yard touchdown pass on the first play, helping the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Cincinnati Bengals 27-17 in a preseason game Friday night in Philadelphia.

Playing together for the first time since their public spat began in April, McNabb and Owens picked up where they left off last year. In just one half, Owens caught five passes for 131 yards, and McNabb threw for 256 yards and three touchdowns.

After Rod Hood returned the opening kickoff 24 yards to Philadelphia’s 36, McNabb connected with Owens on a deep pass down the right side. The All-Pro wideout caught McNabb’s toss in full stride near the 20 and streaked into the end zone.

Vikings 19, Chargers 16

Minnesota may have found its kicker.

Paul Edinger kicked four field goals, including a 50-yarder, as the Vikings defeated San Diego in Minneapolis.

Edinger, signed as a free agent after a disappointing season with Chicago, got his chance after Aaron Elling hurt his leg during warmups.

Giants 15, Jets 14

Jay Feely kicked five field goals, including 52- and 54-yarders, and Michael Strahan had a forced fumble and interception to help the New York Giants defeat the New York Jets in East Rutherford, N.J.

Bryan Thomas and Ryan Myers scored defensive touchdowns for the Jets (2-1) following fumbles into the end zone, and the teams combined for eight turnovers.

Redskins 17, Steelers 10

Patrick Ramsey had an interception returned for a touchdown, but then rallied for his best performance this preseason as Washington defeated Pittsburgh in Landover, Md.

Ramsey hit Chris Cooley for a second-quarter touchdown and completed 12 of 19 passes for 141 yards.

Patriots 27, Packers 3

Tom Brady guided New England on five scoring drives, even though only one was longer than 41 yards, and Corey Dillon ran for two touchdowns as the reigning Super Bowl champions defeated host Green Bay.

Dillon gained 70 yards on 14 carries and Brady completed 12 of 21 passes for 127 yards. He capped an impressive 77-yard drive with a 12-yard touchdown toss to David Givens that made it 17-3 in the second quarter.

Cardinals 17, Raiders 16

Randy Moss finally scored his first touchdown for Oakland, and it almost seemed he didn’t know what to do when it happened. A wide-open Moss caught a 40-yard TD pass from Kerry Collins, but the Raiders remained winless after a loss to Arizona.

After a casual trot into the end zone, Moss hesitated briefly before celebrating by slapping high-fives and offering hugs to Oakland’s fans.

Bears 16, Bills 12

At Chicago, Adrian Peterson had a 3-yard touchdown run with 1:32 left, and the Bears rallied after another rough outing by starting quarterback Chad Hutchinson to defeat Buffalo.

Buffalo led most of the game after Nate Clements returned a first-quarter interception 31 yards for a touchdown against the struggling Hutchinson. He was intercepted twice, sacked three times and completed only 3 of 14 passes and was booed in Chicago’s first home preseason game.

Ravens 27, Saints 6

Chester Taylor became the latest running back to break loose for big gains against New Orleans.

Taylor rushed for 151 yards on 13 carries, one of them a 43-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage, as Baltimore defeated the host Saints.

On Taylor’s next run – Baltimore’s next play from scrimmage – he broke free for a 50-yarder.

49ers 16, Titans 13 (OT)

Thomas Herrion still was on San Francisco’s minds, and his number was on the backs of their helmets when they went back to work.

Joe Nedney kicked three field goals against his former Tennessee teammates, including the game-winning 24-yarder with 2:09 left in overtime, and the host 49ers beat the Titans in San Francisco’s first game since Herrion’s death.

Panthers 23, Browns 20

Rookie Efrem Hill caught a 21-yard touchdown pass from Chris Weinke with 45 seconds left as Carolina overcame some late penalties to defeat host Cleveland.

Hill’s TD capped a 43-yard drive that was set up by Cleveland running back Sultan McCullough’s fumble with 3:08 to go.