Eagles Defeat Colts, 36-10, In Preseason Opener

First Quarter Recap

The Colts received to start the game. With Frank Gore also sitting out on Sunday,Zurlon Tipton got the start at running back. A pair of catches by rookie Phillip Dorsettstarted the opening drive. After an initial first down, a drop from Coby Fleener ended the Colts first series on a third-and-seven.

The Eagles offense got things started with the high-tempo pace on their first series. A failed third-and-one ended the drive.

Andrew Luck’s final series of the day would come on this second drive with a 13-play, 58-yard series ending in a 32-yard field goal by Adam Vinatieri. Luck exited midway through the drive (11 total snaps), finishing the afternoon 5-of-6 for 43 yards (his lone incompletion was a drop). An Andre Johnson reception on a third-and-nine extended the Colts drive, which ended with a Vinatieri field goal at the 5:40 mark of the third quarter. The Colts led the Eagles 3-0.

The Eagles high-tempo got to the Colts on their second series. Indianpaolis had a chance to get off the field on a three-and-out, but quarterback Mark Sanchez eluded Jerrell Freemanand scrambled for a first down. With new life, the Eagles marched down the field and rookie wide receiver Nelson Agholor scored on a 34-yard touchdown catch and run. The Eagles led 7-3 with 3:27 remaining in the first quarter.

With Matt Hasselbeck starting the third series, the Colts went three-and-out. The Colts had starters Phillip Dorsett, Coby Fleener, Jack Mewhort, Lance Louis andKhaled Holmes still in on their third offensive drive.

Philadelphia then turned to Matt Barkley at quarterback and wasted no time attacking a banged up Cotls secondary. A five-play, 76-yard drive for the Eagles ended with Kenjon Barner running in from nine yards out. The Colts led 13-3 (they missed the extra point) with 46 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

At the end of the first quarter, the Eagles led the Colts 13-3.

Second Quarter Recap

The Colts and Eagles traded turnovers to start the second quarter.

Phillip Dorsett had a 20-yard completion go for naught when he coughed up the ball over the middle of the field.

Two plays later, the Colts would get the ball back. Outside linebacker Bjoern Werner did a nice job recognizing a play-action bootleg and tipped a pass from quarterback Matt Barkley. The deflected ball fell into the arms of rookie linebacker Amarlo Herrera. 

The Colts couldn’t take advantage of their own takeaway. A three-and-out would follow the turnover.

Philadelphia would then have a three-and-out of its own. A nice pressure from outside linebacker Cam Johnson forced the Eagles punt.

With just a couple of offensive “starters” remaining, the Colts offense continued to struggle. A 15-yard (post-play) penalty by David Arkin backed things up for the offense. Another three-and-out would follow the penalty.

The Eagles worked their way back into Colts territory but would leave with no points to show from it. On a fourth-and-four from the Colts 15-yard line, the Indianapolis defense stopped Philadelphia short on a running play.

The Colts appeared to gain some offensive steam but a third-down attempt in the direction ofGriff Whalen and Phillip Dorsett fell incomplete. Pat McAfee showed he was in midseason form with a 64-yard punt.

It was another drive in Colts territory for the Barkley-led Eagles offense. The drive stalled at the Colts 22-yard-line, with kicker Cody Parkey connecting on a 40-yard field goal. The Eagles led 16-3 with 1:16 left in the first half.

The first half ended with the Colts going three-and-out and the Eagles special teams making a massive play.

After another booming punt from Pat McAfee, return man Kenjon Barner broke several tackles in taking the punt 92 yards the other way.

At halftime, the Eagles led the Colts 23-3.

Third Quarter Recap

The Eagles got thing started in the third quarter with a quick 1:56 drive, ending in a 48-yard field goal from kicker Cody Parkey. The Eagles now led 26-3.

Undrafted rookie Bryan Bennett entered the game at quarterback to start the third quarter. The Colts put together their best drive of the day behind the legs of Bennett and a couple of other young skill players. A 16-yard catch by Duron Carter and the compact lower body ofJosh Robinson sparked the offense. A nine-yard touchdown run from Robinson brought the score to 26-10 with 7:08 remaining in the third quarter.

The loudest cheer of the afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field came on the next Eagles drive. Tim Tebow entered the game at quarterback to a mini standing ovation. Tebow drove the Eagles deep into Indianapolis territory but Cody Parkey missed wide on a 42-yard field goal attempt.

The third quarter came to a close following a Colts punt.

At the end of the third quarter, the Eagles led the Colts 26-10.

Fourth Quarter Recap

Rookie running back Josh Robinson continued to be a bright spot for the Colts. An Indianapolis drive would stall though following a drop by Duron Carter.

The Colts defense responded with a solid drive, highlighted by a sack from defensive endEarl Okine.

With some nice field position, the Colts could not take advantage. A deep ball from Bryan Bennett, intended for wide receiver Ryan Lankford was picked off by Eagles safety Ed Reynolds.

The Indy defense would continue it’s solid pass rushing pressure in the second half. A second sack from inside linebacker Junior Sylvestre led the pressure group with Zach Kerrand David Parry not far behind.

Any movement through the air for the Colts third-team offense was absent in the fourth quarter. Reynolds once again made a play by stepping in front of undrafted rookieQuan Bray for a pick of Bennett.

Starting at the Colts 12-yard line, the Eagles would pad their lead. While the Colts defense made a stand, Philadelphia kicker Cody Parkey knocked home a 40-yard field goal. The Eagles lead was now 29-10 with 4:46 left in the fourth quarter.

The next Colts drive would end rather quickly as Bryan Bennett was stripped by outside linebacker Bryan Barman.

This time, the Eagles would take full advantage of the turnover deep in Indianapolis territory. A seven-yard touchdown run by Tim Tebow pushed the Eagles lead to 36-10 with 2:02 left in the preseason opener.

The final score on Sunday was 36-10 in the Eagles favor.

Kansas City Chiefs Defeat the Arizona Cardinals 34-19

Arizona's Carson Palmer was flawless in a brief appearance, Kansas City backup Chase Danielthrew for three touchdowns and the Chiefs beat the Cardinals 34-19 in the teams' preseason opener Saturday night.

Palmer, in his first game since tearing an ACL last Nov. 9, was 4 for 4 for 77 yards, directing a seven-play, 80-yard touchdown drive to start the game before sitting down for the night. Palmer threw over the middle to Andre Ellington on a 57-play to highlight the seven-play, 80-yard drive.

Arizona's Tyrann Mathieu intercepted Alex Smith's pass on the Chiefs' first possession to set up a field goal to put Arizona up 10-0. The Kansas City reserves scored the next 31 points.

Daniel was 17 for 29 for 189 yards in two quarters of play.

"It's great to be back and play on this grass again in front of our fans and in our stadium," Palmer said. "It's been a long time coming. It's been a lot of days since I saw this day in the future."

On the big play, Palmer found Ellington through a tight window. Ellington, who nursed a foot injury most of last season and has missed most of training camp with a hamstring injury, scored on a 2-yard riun on third-and-goal.

On Kansas City's first possession, Smith was under pressure when he threw the pass intended for open Jason Avant. The pass was well behind the intended receiver and Mathieu, who was slowed noticeably last season after coming off knee surgery, easily picked it off.

"Luckily, the quarterback threw the ball right to me so I didn't really have to break and get a good route to the receiver," Mathieu said. "He kind of just threw it right to me."

Smith completed 6 of 10 for 42 yards.

Daniel threw TD passes of 13 yards to Fred Williams, 14 to Frankie Hammond Jr. and 3 yards toDa'Ron Brown.

Chandler Catanzaro's 52-yard field goal try early in the fourth quarter was deflected by the outstretched hand of 6-foot-7 rookie David Irving.

Kansas City starting right guard Jeff Allen left the game early with a knee injury.

Arizona rookie Rodney Gunter tackled quarterback Aaron Murray from the blind side for a safety.

Texans QBs have solid preseason debut

The trio of Texans quarterbacks, Brian Hoyer, Ryan Mallett, and Tom Savage, all had a solid debut Saturday night against the San Francisco 49ers.

“I have to watch the tape, but I thought those guys went out there and operated the offense pretty well,” head coach Bill O’Brien said after the Texans 23-10 win in the preseason opener.

Brian Hoyer threw a touchdown pass to Cecil Shorts III on the opening drive and added a successful two-point conversion to DeAndre Hopkins. Ryan Mallett finished the rest of the first half and completed 10-of-11 passes for 90 yards. Second-year quarterback Tom Savage added the second touchdown of the day, a 10-yard pass to rookie Jaelen Strong in the third quarter. Savage was 8-for-14 for 97 yards and the score. 

It was a record day for the quarterback group.

“I think all three of us have had good training camps so that kind of translates over onto the field,” Hoyer said. “There’s been some good and some bad so we are learning from our mistakes and will keep doing the things we do well to improve our play.”

O’Brien sees progress in the Texans red zone offense but wants to see improvement there and specifically in goal-line offense next week. On Mallett’s first series, the Texans were unable to score from the San Francisco one-yard line despite five attempts by four different backs:Alfred Blue, Jay Prosch, Kenny Hilliard, and Jonathan Grimes.

“We’ll have to look at it,” O’Brien said. “We were in some big people groupings down there, and wer were in some smaller groupings. We’ll have to look at it. Give San Francisco credit. They stopped us right there. In the end, we won the game, which was good, but we have to correct that part of what happened tonight, no doubt about it.”

Ryan Mallett will start on Saturday against Denver in the Texans second preseason game.

Broncos, Brock Osweiler impress in preseason opening win over Seahawks

The pregame preparation spared no detail. Peyton Manning wore tape on his ankles, a glove on his right hand and a towel on his pants to wipe his hands in the persistent drizzle. He threw short, threw long and then reluctantly threw the keys to Brock Osweiler.

Gary Kubiak's first call in his first game as Broncos coach turned out to be a wise choice.

In a frenetic, physical game more suited for November than August, the Broncos watched Osweiler grow before their eyes as they broke in a new offensive line.

The score? Denver won 22-20. Nobody will remember it next week. But it was an effective starting point, serving up equal doses of potential and anxiety.

"The mistakes are what jumps at you. I am very concerned special teams-wise with some things that happened. But I am really happy with how hard we played. That's all we've been talking about is effort, being physical, and I think we did that tonight," Kubiak said. "Now I think we have to go make a lot of corrections."

Preseason games don't count, but they matter. And no one entered with more to prove than Osweiler and the Baby Blockers up front. Osweiler took an encouraging step forward as the Broncos try to decide if he's part of their long-term future. He spent the last three seasons in the NFL's green room, waiting for an opportunity that will never exist as long as Manning is upright. Manning's health improved by watching Osweiler, who showed toughness in the face of consistent pressure, while finding a new favorite target in tight end Virgil Green.

Kubiak has pushed Osweiler all summer to improve his footwork, to release the ball more quickly from a higher arm slot. It was just one game, but the long hours paid off.

"The biggest thing I took away is that I couldn't be more proud of that offensive unit. There were a lot of young guys getting their first starts. It's a hostile environment, maybe the toughest place to play in the NFL," Osweiler said as he walked to the team bus. "Those guys came in and got us started in the run game, really got us going."

Osweiler led the Broncos on four first-half scoring drives, spanning 41 plays. The Broncos didn't punt once in the first 30 minutes. It didn't hurt that the defense suffocated the Seahawks, holding them to 29 yards at halftime.

Osweiler took over a short field on his initial drive after Von Miller continued writing his diary of havoc. Miller sacked Russell Wilson, forcing a fumble. Feeding off Miller's start, the Broncos finished with seven sacks from seven different players.

Denver Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler (17) leading the offense during their preseason game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Denver Broncos at CenturyLink Stadium August 14, 2015 Seattle, Wa. (Joe Amon, The Denver Post)

"I am just in a good place. It's all about football. I love football. I love the games. It's all I have to worry about it," Miller said. "Everybody should be able to see that."

The first impression left a mark on Osweiler, but he made one as well. He absorbed a big hit from Cliff Avril on a missed blocking assignment — and didn't flinch. Connor Barth then converted the first of the Broncos' four first-half field goals in the kicking derby between him and Brandon McManus.

Cassius Marsh and Bruce Irvin tagged Osweiler on subsequent possessions. Yet he remained patient — poised even — as the Seahawks' swarm claimed a victim in starting running back C.J. Anderson. Anderson jogged off with a sprained left ankle after just three carries and didn't return.

"It's no big deal. Nothing. I wanted to go back out there," Anderson said. "I am fine."

Osweiler played the first half, finishing 15-for-20 for 151 yards and a touchdown in arguably his best performance as a Bronco.

"I was really impressed. We tried to settle him down the first couple of series. Then we let him go and throw it around a little bit. Once he did that he got in rhythm. I thought he made some really nice plays," Kubiak said. "He made good decisions all night long."

Denver's 19-10 halftime advantage failed to hide a glaring weakness: kickoff coverage. The Seahawks gashed the Broncos for 236 yards on six returns. Rookie Tyler Lockett, looking like "a smaller Usain Bolt," Wilson said, punctuated the embarrassing performance with a 103-yard touchdown after receiving a low line-drive boot from Barth.

1/5

SEATTLE, WA. - AUGUST 14, 2015: The defensive starters are fired up watching the younger guys in the 4th quarter during the preseason game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Denver Broncos at CenturyLink Stadium August 14, 2015 Seattle, WA (Photo By Joe Amon/The Denver Post)

‹›

Solomon Patton and Jordan Norwood muffed a pair of punt returns. Only the field goals provided salvage for the unit.

"We have a lot of things to clean up," Kubiak said.

With Owen Daniels joining a group of veterans sitting out in the opener by design, Green became Osweiler's go-to guy. The tight end, who answers to the nickname "Hulk" because of his blocking prowess, caught five first-half passes for 45 yards. The two developed chemistry through spring and summer workouts at Kent Denver High School.

"I understand what he's seeing, and he understands what I am seeing," Osweiler said.

While center Matt Paradis, left guard Max Garcia and left tackle Ty Sambrailo — who have zero combined NFL regular-season starts — made early mistakes, their wide eyes eventually shrank. The Broncos moved defenders with double-tight end sets and efficient zone blocking. The Broncos rushed for 101 yards in the first half. Ronnie Hillman, continuing his strong camp, darted for 66 on eight attempts just days after Kubiak praised him as a "home run threat."

"We wanted to hit them in the mouth first, and I think that's what the line did," Hillman said. "They did a great job of making holes."

Seattle's third stringers posted fourth-quarter statistics that clouded Denver's overall performance. Quarterback R.J. Archer connected with Thomas Rawls on a 19-yard touchdown late, but the Broncos covered the subsequent onside kick.

"We knew it wasn't going to be perfect," Kubiak said. "But we played hard and some good things happened."

---

Looking back

The Broncos revealed promise and concern in their preseason opener Friday night at Seattle:

What about the new O-line? It's a work in progress. Rookie left tackle Ty Sambrailo struggled in the first half, leaving fourth-year quarterback Brock Osweiler to absorb big hits. But the Broncos ran the ball well, finishing the first two quarters with 101 yards rushing.

How did Brock do? Osweiler played well. He completed 15-of-20 passes for 151 yards, including a 17-yard TD pass to tight end Virgil Green.

How were Montee Ball and Ronnie Hillman as backup backs? Hillman took advantage of C.J. Anderson's first-quarter ankle injury, darting for 54 yards in the first half. Ball displayed toughness with his runs, including a 12-yarder. Anderson's injury didn't appear to be serious, though he didn't return to action.

How did top pick Shane Ray fare? The rookie pass rusher from Missouri lived in Seattle's backfield over the course of three series, causing a fumble that led to a huge loss of yards for the Seahawks. His first-step quickness was terrific.

Any surprises? The Broncos' special-teams coverage was awful. Denver allowed a 103-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. The Broncos went with a mix of starters and younger players, which made their coverage issues even more perplexing.

Ponder, McGloin Toss TD Passes in Raiders 18-3 Win Over the Rams

Oakland Raiders QB Matt McGloin completed 10 of 11 pass attempts for 104 yards and a TD, RBLatavius Murray carried the ball 6 times for 35 yards, the defense made timely stops, and the team played relatively mistake-free and penalty-free football in an 18-3 victory over the St. Louis Rams in the 2015 preseason opener for both team at O.co Coliseum in Oakland. WR Brice Butler added 6 catches for 57 yards and a score.

The St. Louis Rams won the opening coin toss and elected to receive. WR Chris Givens watched KSebastian Janikowski’s opening kickoff sail over his head for a touchback. Nick Foles opened at quarterback for St. Louis as the Rams started at the 20. The Rams drove to the Raiders 13 before CBTJ Carrie broke up a would-be touchdown pass in the end zone on 3rd and 4. K Greg Zuerlein put the Rams on the board with a 31-yard field goal, which capped a 67-yard drive. St. Louis took a 3-0 lead with 12:28 left in the 1st quarter.

WR/KR/PR Trindon Holliday bobbled the ensuing kickoff and took the touchback. Derek Carr started at quarterback as the Raiders started their first drive at the 20. After a 3-yard RB Latavius Murray run, Carr connected with rookie WR Amari Cooper for the first time, a 12-yard pass for a first down. The Raiders drive stalled when Carr’s 3rd and 2 pass for WR Michael Crabtree was batted away. Janikowski tied the game at 3-3 with a 44-yard field goal that capped an 11-play, 54-yard drive with 7:20 left in the first quarter.

WR Chris Givens fielded KGiorgio Tavecchio’s ensuing kickoff 7 yards deep and took a knee for a touchback. The Raiders allowed one first down before DE Shelby Harris dropped Foles for a 14-yard loss on 3rd and 4. P Johnny Hekker came on to punt. After a delay of game call on the Rams, Holliday returned Hekker’s 59-yard punt 22 yards to the Oakland 42. A 10-yard holding penalty on the Rams during the kick tacked 10 yards onto the end of the return and the Raiders started at the Rams 48.

After a 15-yard pass to Crabtree, the veteran receiver drew a facemask penalty moving the Raiders to the Rams 18. The Raiders drive ended when CB Trumaine Johnson picked off a Carr pass intended for Cooper in the end zone. The Rams started their next possession at the 20.

Case Keenum took over at quarterback for the Rams. The Rams drove just past midfield before the Raiders came up with the stop on 3rd and 9. Hekker’s punt bounced into the end zone for a touchback and Christian Ponder entered the game at quarterback for the Raiders.

Ponder went up tempo and utilized the running of RB Trent Richardson and precise passes to rookie TEClive Walford and WR Brice Butler to set up 1st and goal at the 8.  On 3rd and goal at the 3, Ponder hit WR Andre Holmes with a quick strike for the touchdown. The two-point conversion was no good as Ponder completed his pass to WR Kenbrell Thompkins, but Thompkins didn’t cross the goal line. The score gave the Raiders a 9-3 lead with 5:50 left in the 2nd quarter. The TD pass capped a 10-play, 80-yard drive. Head Coach Jack Del Rio challenged the ruling on the field that the conversion was no good. The call stood leaving the score 9-3.

WR Damian Williams fielded Tavecchio’s ensuing kickoff 3 yards deep and ran it out, and was dropped at the 12 by LB Gary Wilkins. The Rams drive stalled with 1:49 left in the 2nd quarter and Hekker came on to punt on 4 and 14 at the St. Louis 37.

The Raiders started at the Oakland 41. The Raiders drove to the Rams 45. On 4th and 8, Ponder’s pass for WR Brice Butler was intercepted at the St. Louis 32. The Raiders took a 9-3 lead into the locker room at half time.

RB Taiwan Jones returned Michael Palardy’s opening kickoff of the 2nd half to the Oakland 22. Matt McGloin opened at quarterback for the Raiders.  Tavecchio capped a 9-play, 56-yard drive with a 39-yard field goal, which gave the Raiders a 12-3 lead with 10:17 left in the 3rd quarter.

WR Daniel Rodriguez returned the ensuing kickoff 23 yards to the 14. Palardy’s 48-yard field goal was no good and the Raiders took over at the 38 with 2:07 left in the 3rd.

McGloin hit WR Brice Butler for a 16-yard catch and run for the touchdown to cap a 9-play, 62-yard drive. The two-point conversion pass attempt to WR Kris Durham was knocked away and the Raiders led 18-3 with 12:15 left to play.

Tavecchio’s ensuing kickoff flew out of the end zone for a touchback. Austin Davis took over at quarterback for the Rams, down 18-3. LB Josh Shirley came on a blitz and hammered the ball loose from Davis and DTStacy McGee recovered for the Raiders. The officials overturned the call and ruled Davis down by contact. The Raiders forced a punt. WR Austin Willis called for and made a fair catch of a Palardy punt at the Oakland 25. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against the Raiders backed them up to the 13.

Cody Fajardo entered the game at quarterback for Oakland. The Raiders drive stalled and PMarquette King came on for the first Oakland punt of the night. Rodriqguez returned the 50-yard punt 5 yards to the ST. Louis 17. Sean Mannion entered the game at quarterback for the Rams.

The Rams drove to the Raiders 35 before the Silver and Black came up with a 4ht down stop and took over on downs with 1:24 left to play.

Fajardo took a knee twice to run out the clock and secure the victory. The Raiders improve to 1-0 on the preseason and head to Minnesota next week to take on the Vikings at TCF Bank Stadium.