NFL capsules: No Tom Brady, no defense, Patriots fall to Jaguars 31-24 in opener

Chad Henne hit Keelan Cole on a 97-yard touchdown pass, Corey Grant scored on a 79-yard run and the Jacksonville Jaguars feasted on a Patriots lineup without Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski – or much defense at all – to beat the defending NFL champions 31-24 on Thursday night in their exhibition opener in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

With the reigning Super Bowl MVP sitting out, Jimmy Garoppolo completed a Brady-like 22 of 28 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns. The Patriots’ heir apparent completed 13 straight passes at one point, finding Austin Carr on a 3-yard touchdown pass at the end of the first half and then K.J. Maye from 5 yards out to start the second and make it 17-17.

But the New England defense followed by giving up another one-play scoring drive – this one Grant’s run down the left sideline to make it 24-17. Third-string QB Brandon Allen hit Dede Westbrook from 42 yards out – victimizing Patriots cornerback Cyrus Jones for another big play – to make it a two-touchdown game.

Grant ran for 120 yards on eight carries, and No. 4 overall draft pick Leonard Fournette ran nine times for 31 yards and a 1-yard touchdown for the Jaguars, who were playing their first game under new coach Doug Marrone after firing Gus Bradley following a 3-13 record.

Minnesota 17, Buffalo 10: Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater need not rush back from injury after Case Keenum showed glimpses of being a capable backup in the Vikings’ preseason-opening win over the Bills in Orchard Park, New York.

Taking over for starter Sam Bradford, Keenum went 11 of 16 for 121 yards. The sixth-year player engineered a pair of scoring drives – both set up by passes to rookie receiver Stacy Coley.

Keenum hit Cooley in stride over the middle on a crossing pattern for a 38-yard catch to set up Kai Forbath’s 36-yard field goal to tie the game at 3-3 late in the second quarter.

On the opening drive of the second half, Keenum rolled to his right and hit Coley, a seventh-round pick out of Miami, who made a sliding catch at the Bills 2.

Fullback C.J. Ham scored on the next play to put Minnesota ahead 10-3.

Buffalo starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor played three series and hit 5 of 8 attempts for 46 yards.

Minnesota’s trainers carried running back Bishop Sankey off the field in the third quarter after the former Gonzaga Prep star appeared to have injured his leg at the end of a 14-yard run. There was no immediate report on his condition.

Miami 23, Atlanta 20: The NFL’s highest-paid running back, Devonta Freeman looked the part in a brief appearance, scoring on a 15-yard reception from Matt Ryan as the Falcons lost to the Dolphins in Miami Gardens, Florida.

Freeman, who agreed to terms Wednesday on a $41.25 million, five-year contract extension, scored to cap the Falcons’ first preseason possession. New offensive coordinator Steve Sarkasian’s unit drove 36 yards for the touchdown after a 39-yard punt return by newcomer Andre Roberts.

The Dolphins’ exhibition season began badly. Second-round draft pick Raekwon McMillan, the front-runner to start at middle linebacker, hurt his right knee on Roberts’ punt return and walked to the locker room accompanied by trainers.

Miami backup safety Walt Aikens also left the game in the first quarter with a back injury.

Undrafted rookie Damore’ea Stringfellow caught a 99-yard touchdown pass from David Fales in the fourth quarter. Neither is likely to make the team.

The Falcons, who blew a 28-3 advantage against New England in last season’s Super Bowl, this time let a 20-10 fourth-quarter lead get away.

Denver 24, Chicago 17: Mitch Trubisky threw for 166 yards and led three scoring drives after Mike Glennon struggled for Chicago, before the Broncos scored two long touchdowns in the closing minutes to beat the Bears in the preseason opener in Chicago.

Though the Bears have insisted Glennon is their starter, Trubisky just might have created a quarterback controversy.

Denver’s Trevor Siemian did nothing to hurt his standing as the leader for the starting quarterback job, while Paxton Lynch did little to close any ground.

Third-stringer Kyle Sloter threw a 47-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah McKenzie with about six minutes left in the game, and De’Angelo Henderson ran for a 41-yard score with just under two minutes remaining to put the Broncos on top 24-17.

But the biggest development in this game was Trubisky showing exactly why general manager Ryan Pace traded up a spot with San Francisco to draft him with the No. 2 overall pick.

The North Carolina product completed 18 of 25 passes in his first pro appearance after making just 13 college starts.

Trubisky replaced veteran Mark Sanchez late in the second quarter and completed his first 10 passes while leading Chicago to touchdowns on his first two possessions and a field goal on the next one. That gave the Bears a 17-10 lead.

Green Bay 24, Phialdelphia 9: Quarterback Carson Wentz went 4 for 4 for 56 yards and a score on his first series, eluding a potential sack and burning the Packers on third and fourth downs in Philadelphia’s 24-9 loss in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

He did his best impression of elusive Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who was a healthy scratch for the first preseason game of the year.

The Eagles got off to a nice start against Green Bay’s first-string defense, though they did turn the ball over three times in the second quarter with backup quarterback Matt McGloin behind center. Philadelphia is looking to improve a pass offense that ranked 24th in the NFL last season.

Free agent addition Alshon Jeffery didn’t play on Thursday. Nelson Agholor, who is having a good camp, didn’t have a catch. But Wentz found rookie Mack Hollins, the team’s fourth-draft pick, for a 38-yard touchdown pass on third-and-13 with 6:33 left in the first quarter after the quarterback eluded rushing linebacker Clay Matthews’ grasp.

Baltimore 23, Washington 3: Ryan Mallett struggled in place of injured quarterback Joe Flacco, throwing for only 58 yards while playing the entire first half, and the Ravens beat the Redskins in a sloppy preseason opener in Baltimore.

The Ravens scored 13 points while Mallett was in the game, including a 2-yard touchdown run by Terrance West following two costly penalties by the Redskins: pass interference for 23 yards on a third-and-8 and an illegal formation on a field goal try that hit the left upright.

Flacco has yet to take a snap this summer because of a bad back. That left Mallett to run the first-team offense; he went 9 for 18 and was sacked once.

In his defense, Mallett was operating behind a makeshift line and without his top three receivers.

But he didn’t give the Ravens any reason to lose interest in adding free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

The Redskins, similarly, had very little success moving the ball. Starting quarterback Kirk Cousins went three-and-out on his two possessions, completing 1 of 2 passes, and Washington managed only 47 yards on 27 plays while falling behind 13-0 at halftime.

Though Baltimore’s offense sputtered, its upgraded defense proved to be as good as advertised. Free agent defensive backs Tony Jefferson and Brandon Carr teamed with Jimmy Smith and Eric Weddle to seal the back end.

The biggest play of the first half was the last one: Justin Tucker kicked a 59-yard field goal for a 13-0 lead.

Cleveland 20, New Orleans 14: Myles Garrett showed flashes of dominance in his NFL exhibition debut, and Cleveland rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer threw a late touchdown pass and the Browns beat the Saints in Cleveland while Saints stars Drew Brees and Adrian Peterson watched.

The No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, Garrett had a tackle for loss and blazed off the edge to pressure Saints backup QB Garrett Grayson in the first half.

The Browns haven’t solved their endless QB dilemma, but Garrett appears to be a long-term answer at defensive end.

Garrett vowed to “send a message” in his first preseason game as a pro, and he did just that in limited time. On one play, Garrett timed the snap perfectly and pushed past third-string tackle Khalif Barnes to hit Grayson.

Kizer completed a 45-yard TD pass to Jordan Payton with 1:52 left as the Browns rallied for their first preseason win in two seasons under coach Hue Jackson.

The Saints lost their 10th straight preseason game.