Starters Sharp As Cardinals Open Preseason

If there was an MVP to be named for the two weeks of training camp leading into the Cardinals’ first preseason game, it would have been Carson Palmer. Or Tyrann Mathieu.

It only made sense to have the two perform the same in their brief appearances Saturday night at University of Phoenix Stadium during a 34-19 loss against the Kansas City Chiefs. Call it #CardsCamp continued.

“You want to be on the same page with everyone,” Palmer said, and that’s exactly what the Cardinals (0-1) got out of their starters.

“We accomplished what we wanted to – we got a good start for our first-team offense and defense,” coach Bruce Arians said. “Then we found out a lot about young guys. Some can’t tackle, others hold on running plays.

“We don’t judge now. We judge when we watch the tape. But there were enough good things, and enough really, really poor things to take away from tonight that we will grow off of.”

Palmer got his one series but it was seven plays and generated a touchdown. The quarterback completed all four of his passes for 77 yards, the longest of which was a 57-yard laser to running backAndre Ellington, splitting two defenders and hitting Ellington in stride.

“I was just very focused,” Palmer said. “I was excited all day until I got here, and there’s just a great focus – going through my plays in my head, my reads, my checks, my adjustments. Just a very business-like, very workmanlike day.”

Ellington, who didn’t truly have a full day of training camp practice until Thursday because of a hamstring issue, looked good. He had a total of five touches on the seven-play drive. The last play was a two-yard touchdown run, although the Cardinals had hoped his long pass would have ended in the end zone and not the Kansas City 5-yard line.

“I told him to get in shape because he had never been caught before,” Arians said.

“They gave me a hard time, but that’s alright,” Ellington said. “I’ve got some work to do.”

That was enough for the entire starting offense, with all 11 leaving for good for the night.

“That’s just what we’re capable of,” Ellington added. “We have playmakers. We can score on any drive.”

And the entire starting defense – minus cornerbackJerraud Powers, who was held out – also only had a single series, punctuated by Mathieu. In five plays, the Chiefs lost two rushing yards and then Alex Smith’s down-the-middle pass was picked.

“He's like a magnet to the football,” defensive endCalais Campbell said. “I don't know how he does it."

Mathieu has had a handful of interceptions in training camp already, so it only made sense.

“I’ve been lucky enough that I’ve been getting my hands on some balls in practice, so it definitely translated to the game today,” Mathieu said.

The rest of the game wasn’t as smooth. After jumping out to a 10-0 lead the Chiefs (1-0) scored the next 31 points, until rookie defensive end Rodney Gunter sacked Chiefs quarterback Aaron Murray for a safety.

In the battle for third-string quarterback, Logan Thomas looked relatively solid in the pocket, his interception not his fault after a bullet pass hit receiver Jaron Brown in the chest and ricocheted to Kansas City linebacker Ramik Wilson. Phillip Sims threw a late touchdown pass.

The running game never found a lot of room, though, and defensively, many of the young players fighting for spots on the roster struggled, including a secondary that made veteran backup quarterback Chase Daniel (17 for 21, 189 yards, three touchdowns) look like a Pro Bowler.

But there are still three preseason games and two full weeks of training camp practices left to sort that out.

“It was a night to see if the young guys could win the game,” Arians said. “They couldn’t get it done.”

49ers Drop Preseason Opener to Texans, 23-10

A year ago, Blaine Gabbert began the preseason against the Baltimore Ravens by completing just 3-of-11 passes for 20 yards and an interception.

In the buildup to this week’s exhibition opener versus the Houston Texans, Jim Tomsula fielded several questions about the backup quarterback’s progress since 2014. The first-year coach responded each time by proclaiming, “I’m a believer in Blaine Gabbert.”

Well on Saturday night at NRG Stadium, Gabbert made his coach look mighty smart.

Although the San Francisco 49ers fell to the Texans, 23-10, Gabbert shined in extended action, finishing his evening 8-of-11 passing for 86 yards, a touchdown and a 125.6 passer rating. He led the offense to its only two scoring drives, one of 99 yards and the other 54 yards.

“It was good to see Blaine out there with a nice supporting cast,” Tomsula said. “I wanted to see him function like he does in practice. I think he showed that today.”

Other bright spots in the game included the defensive line and Jarryd Hayne. The former turned in a wildly impressive goal-line stand while the latter rushed five times for 63 yards in his NFL debut. The Australian import was also strong on special teams, picking up gains of 11 and 13 on his two punt returns and 33 yards in his lone kickoff return.

The 49ers began the game on defense after Phil Dawson officially set the team’s 2015 campaign in motion with a booming kickoff that was returned to the Houston 13-yard line.

Shayne Skov and Nick Moody got the starts at the two inside linebacker spots withNaVorro Bowman and Michael Wilhoite held out of the contest.

The first-team defense quickly forced a 3rd-and-9 with consecutive stops to open the series. But on the next snap, Texans starting quarterback Brian Hoyer found tight end Garrett Graham in the left flat for a first down.

Five plays later, the Texans made the 49ers pay for not getting off the field as Hoyer connected with Cecil Shorts III over the middle for a 58-yard touchdown strike. Shorts got behind Moody before splitting two defenders in the secondary on the catch-and-run.

With the new extra-point rule in effect (moving the field goal back to the 15-yard line), the Texans opted to go for two after the score. Hoyer threw a back-shoulder fade to DeAndre Hopkins, who snatched the ball at its highest point despite solid coverage from Shareece Wright.

On the team's first offensive possession of the year, Colin Kaepernick and Co. began backed up at the 5-yard line due to a wedge penalty on the kickoff.

Following a holding penalty on first down, Kaepernick hitAnquan Boldin in stride for a 14-yard pickup and the only completion of the night for the franchise signal-caller.

Moments later, Kaepernick nearly hit a home run with prized free-agent acquisitionTorrey Smith. With a perfect pocket to throw from thanks to the offensive line, the quarterback stepped up and fired the ball deep downfield for the speed wideout. The pass, however, fell a few feet past of the outstretched reach of Smith, who had Texans first-unit defenders Kareem Jackson and Rahim Moore beat on the play.

The drive, Kaepernick’s only action of the night, ended on third down when the quarterback felt pressure, scrambled to the right and threw the ball away to avoid a loss.

Rookie punter Bradley Pinion flipped the field with huge hang time on his first NFL kick, allowing L.J. McCray to tackle the returner at the point of the catch for a 49-yard net punt.

After surrendering a touchdown on the Texans first drive of the night, the 49ers first-team defense bent again with Ryan Mallet replacing Hoyer for Houston’s second possession. But this time around, the unit did not break. Not by a long shot.

The only changes personnel wise from the starters were Eli Harold replacingAhmad Brooks and Mike Purcell taking over for Ian Williams.

The Texans needed just five snaps to march from their own 22-yard line into the red zone. The big play saw Alfred Blue run 32 yards down the left sideline beforeEric Reid tracked him down to save the touchdown. That tackle proved crucial, as it gave the goal-line defense its opportunity to shine.

The Texans ran seven plays from inside the 49ers 3-yard line but failed to punch it into the end zone. Purcell came up clutch several times, mauling Brandon Brooks at the line of scrimmage and wreaking havoc in the backfield. Purcell’s best moment came when he split the A-gap and tackled Blue for a three-yard loss on a snap from the 1-yard line.

The Texans got an extra set of downs when Tramaine Brock was called for a questionable pass interference in the end zone. Still, the 49ers goal-line unit stood strong, stopping the Texans on four consecutive runs from the 1-yard line for a turnover on downs. Reid, Wright, Moody and Skov all were in on the tackle on fourth down.

Taking over in the shadow of his own end zone, backup quarterback Gabbert came out of the gates firing. Gabbert connected with Garrett Celek andVance McDonald, who started in place of Vernon Davis (coach’s decision), on back-to-back plays for a total of 27 yards.

San Francisco’s most explosive play of the game came via Hayne, who broke off his 53-yard run on the next snap, narrowly missing a touchdown as he was tripped up at the Houston 13-yard line. Two plays later, the 49ers got their lone touchdown as Gabbert threw a nice pass to Celek, who slipped a tackle and sped into the end zone for the score. Jerome Simpson set up the touchdown by clearing defenders out of the left side of the field with a cross route.

The drive went 99-yards in seven plays over three minutes and 15 seconds.

Gabbert went on to lead the 49ers to another first-half scoring drive, with Dawson hitting a 37-yard field goal. The key play on that series saw Jerome Simpson haul in a 25-yard catch from Gabbert. The 49ers were held scoreless in the second half with rookie quarterback Dylan Thompson leading the huddle. A Jaelen Strong touchdown, a sack of Thompson in the end zone and two Randy Bullock field goals provided the final score.

The only injury the 49ers endured was Desmond Bishop, who sustained a lower leg strain.

Osweiler leads 5 scoring drives, Broncos beat Seahawks 22-20

 Brock Osweiler was composed and efficient, leading the Denver Broncos to scores on all five first-half possessions. An impressive effort, even if it came against a makeshift Seattle defense.

Osweiler was 15 of 20 for 151 yards and a touchdown playing the first half in the Broncos' 22-20 win over the Seahawks to open the preseason on Friday.

Starting in place of Peyton Manning, who went through pregame warmups but was just a spectator, Osweiler finished with a 112.7 rating. He capped his night with a 17-yard touchdown pass to tight end Virgil Green late in the first half for a 19-10 lead. Denver's offense finished with 240 yards in the half, although much of that came with most of Seattle's starting defense standing on the sideline.

"Things felt very smooth out there tonight. So from a personal standpoint it probably is my best performance to date, but I can't say that without those 10 other guys I was out there with tonight," Osweiler said.

While Osweiler picked apart Seattle's defense, Russell Wilson was left to scramble for safety during his two series in the first quarter. Wilson was sacked by Von Miller and fumbled on Seattle's second offensive play. He was sacked on third-and-goal from the Denver 8 and completed only one pass - a 12-yard connection with new tight end Jimmy Graham that elicited one of the biggest cheers of the night.

The biggest highlight for Seattle was the electric debut of rookie Tyler Lockett. Drafted primarily for his ability as a returner, Lockett took a kickoff back 103 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter after having a 46-yard return in the first quarter.

But there were more concerns for Seattle than highlights after seeing two important players taken to the locker room with injuries. Wide receiver Chris Matthews, who had four catches for 109 yards and a touchdown in the Super Bowl, suffered a sprain of his left shoulder on punt coverage diving for a loose ball after it was muffed by Solomon Patton.

And backup quarterback Tarvaris Jackson, Seattle's security should anything happen to Wilson, was taken to the locker room on a cart in the third quarter after his right ankle was rolled. Jackson was diagnosed with a sprain.

Both Matthews and Jackson are likely to be out at least 10 days to two weeks, according to coach Pete Carroll.

Even Carroll got dinged up. During Lockett's touchdown return, Carroll collided on the sideline with field judge Eugene Hall. Carroll was sent sprawling to the turf while Hall kept his balance and was able to throw the flag for sideline interference.

"I saw him and couldn't get out of the way," Carroll said.

Other observations from the preseason opener:

NEW LOOK LINE

Denver's new look offensive line, with five players in new spots, played well with the exception of one play. Osweiler was sacked by Cliff Avril on Denver's second offensive play. Otherwise, Osweiler stayed upright and the Broncos rushed for 101 yards in the first half.

"Once they settled down they played well. They came off the ball well," Denver coach Gary Kubiak said.

CANCER RECOVERY

Seattle defensive tackle Jesse Williams took the field with 11:30 left in the second quarter for his first play of the preseason, less than three months after undergoing surgery to remove a cancerous kidney. Williams played in a rotation on the defensive line for the final three quarters.

Williams finished with two tackles.

GETTING THEIR KICKS

Denver continued to split its kicking duties, with Connor Barth and Brandon McManus both getting multiple chances. Barth hit from 28 and 23 yards, while McManus was good from 52, 44 and 23 yards.

BOYER'S CHANCE

Undrafted free agent long snapper and ex-Green Beret Nate Boyer led the Seahawks out of the tunnel pregame carrying the American flag. Boyer handled all of the snapping duties in the second half after veteran Clint Gresham snapped in the first half.

FANTASY WATCH

Green led Denver with five catches for 45 yards and the touchdown reception. It's a good start as Denver tries to replace Julius Thomas.

ROOKIE WATCH

Along with Lockett, rookie defensive end Frank Clark stood out for Seattle. Clark had a game-high nine tackles, one quarterback hit and one forced fumble playing a variety of positions on the defensive line.

QUOTABLE

"I thought Lockett's 83-yard touchdown was really good. See, I didn't see the last 20," Carroll on his collision with the side judge.

Sloppy Rams lose preseason debut

The start, however fleeting, was eye-opening for the Rams and new quarterback Nick Foles. There was a 26-yard completion on the first play from scrimmage to tight end Lance Kendricks down the right sideline.

Next came a quick screen to Tavon Austin, and by golly, not only did the Rams have blockers out there for Austin, but Austin cut it inside, accelerated, and raced 35 yards to the Oakland 19.

Two plays, two passes, 61 yards. Not too shabby. But that was about it for the Rams’ offense in a sloppy performance that fitted the description — preseason opener — in every way. The final result was an 18-3 loss to Oakland at O.co Coliseum that left the Rams with plenty to work on.

"We played hard, we flashed at times, and then we had some mistakes," coach Jeff Fisher summarized.

They also had a couple injuries. Before that first series ended on a 31-yard field goal by Greg Zuerlein, the Rams watched left guard Rodger Saffold leave the field after just four plays when he tweaked his shoulder.

"Don't have any information on Rodger right now, or Daren (Bates)," Fisher said. "Daren's sore.  Everybody that left temporarily (during the game) came back. Hopefully we'll have good news as far as that's concerned."

The Rams lost special teams ace and backup linebacker Bates to a knee injury in the first half, an injury that at face value looked more severe than Saffold's.

Bates was on crutches in the locker room after the game, and will undergo an MRI Saturday. Fisher indicated that Saffold also will undergo testing on the shoulder. It's not the same shoulder that was surgically repaired in the offseason for Saffold; it's the other shoulder.

After the initial burst the offense sputtered thereafter, managing a modest 224 yards in its final 59 plays after gaining those 61 yards on the first two. Foles completed three of five passes for 69 yards before giving way to Case Keenum after two series.

"We've got a ways to go," Foles said after his first action as a Ram. "But with these guys, we can do it. It was great being out there."

Fisher had stressed the importance of keeping Foles clean, not only in the preseason opener but this season in general. But Saffold’s replacement at left guard, Brandon Washington, gave up sacks on back-to-back plays to kill Foles’ second series.

The first sack was nullified by offsetting penalties. But the second, which came when Raiders defensive end Shelby Harris got around Washington, cost the Rams 14 yards.

Even with the troubles on that series, Kendricks said the first couple of plays were indicative of what might be expected from Foles in 2015.

“He’s just in sync with the whole offense — great rhythm, great timing with everybody. Easy to work with,” Kendricks said. “It’s going to be a fun season.”

It wasn’t too much fun Friday. The Rams didn’t get much going once Keenum and the second-teamers took over on offense, reaching only as far as the Oakland 49 in the second quarter on a series that ended with a punt.

• BOX SCORE: Raiders 18, Rams 3

Meanwhile, Oakland saw its second possession against the Rams’ first-team defense reach the St. Louis 6 only to be thwarted on a Trumaine Johnson interception. Johnson, flagged for a facemask four plays earlier, cut in front of a Derek Carr pass intended for rookie first-rounder Amari Cooper for the “pick” in the end zone.

“I just read the quarterback’s eyes and was able to make a play,” Johnson said.

Simple as that. That was it for the Rams’ first-team defense after two series against an Oakland offense that looks more potent this season with Cooper and former San Francisco 49er Michael Crabtree at wide receiver.

The Rams’ defense held at its 26-yard line, forcing Oakland to kick a field goal after a 54-yard drive on the Raiders’ first possession. Then Johnson provided the eraser with his interception on the second series.

“I think we handled the first 15 (minutes) pretty well,” linebacker James Laurinaitis said. “Teams usually come out and try to do a lot of different stuff, and they certainly did with reverses and stuff like that. There’s some things we need to correct, no doubt.”

Oakland made the most of its first series against the Rams’ second-team defense, driving 80 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter. Lamarcus Joyner was beaten by Andre Holmes for a 3-yard score. Oakland went for two points, failed, and thus took a 9-3 lead.

The Raiders tacked on a field goal to open the third quarter, and then pushed their lead to 18-3 early in the fourth quarter on a 15-yard pass from third-string quarterback Matt McGloin to Brice Butler. Safety Maurice Alexander slipped in coverage on the play, giving Butler enough room to reach the end zone.

Once again, the Raiders went for two points and failed.

All in all, if this was the night you were looking for crisp execution by the offense, a shutdown performance by the defense, and a minimum of penalties ... well, maybe next week when the Rams play preseason game No. 2 at Tennessee.

The Rams were flagged 10 times for 75 yards, and that's not including four penalties that were either declined or negated by offsetting flags. Even Pro Bowl punter Johnny Hekker shanked a punt, for just 22 yards late in the second quarter, so it was not a banner night for the Rams.

The defense did get another takeaway, in the form of an interception by undrafted rookie Imoan Claiborne. Claiborne was later shaken up and left the game but appeared to be OK.

"He's got ball skills and he's been productive," Fisher said.

But the offense simply couldn’t get much going. Keenum got another series to start the third quarter and finished 12 for 17 for 83 yards. But the closest the Rams got in the quarter was a missed 48-yard field goal by camp kicker Michael Palardy with 2:07 to play in the quarter.

Austin Davis took over for a series at quarterback in the fourth quarter, then gave way to rookie Sean Mannion, the third-round draft pick from Oregon State, on the Rams’ final series.

"We used the timeouts just so we could get Sean in," Fisher said. "We wanted to get Sean some work. It was extremely important to us. It was nice to put him in that pressure situation where he was in the hurry-up and making throws. He did have a couple drops."

Mannion threw 13 passes in that one series, completing eight for 53 yards, before the Rams ran out of downs at the Oakland 42 with 1:42 to play.

Before their next exhibition game _ a Sunday night contest Aug. 23 against the Titans in Nashville _ it’s off to Oxnard, Calif., for three days of practices in the Los Angeles area. The team will practice against the Dallas Cowboys on Monday and Tuesday, practice on their own at Oxnard on Wednesday, then fly back to St. Louis.