Weekend preseason wrap-up

After going 2-2 in the first real week of the preseason, the NFC East went 3-1 this week.

The Eagles beat the Panthers 27-10 on Friday, and on Sunday, the Giants beat the Ravens 13-12 in Baltimore. It was mostly a battle of field goals, as the Josh Huston kicked two for the Giants and Matt Stover and Rhys Lloyd accounted for all of the Ravens’ points. Eli Manning was 10 of 13 for 114 yards and the game’s only touchdown, a 10-yarder to rookie Steve Smith. Another rookieAhmad Bradshaw, led the Giants in rushing with 70 yards on seven carries.

The only loss of the weekend was the Redskins’ 12-10 home loss to the Steelers. Washington led all game long, but Pittsburgh kicked themselves into the lead with 1:31 left. The ‘Skins mounted a potential game-winning rally, and got to the Steelers’ 26, but an interception in the final seconds put an end to their hopes to stay unbeaten on the preseason. There were some worrying moments for the Redskins, as QB Jason Campbell limped off after taking a hit to the left knee in the first quarter. Fortunately, it was revealed to only be a bruise. He was lucky, but two others weren’t. LB Marcus Washington dislocated his right elbow, and WR Mike Espy suffered a ruptured kneecap. Washington could be ready for the season opener, so it’s not a huge blow. However, Espy is out for the season with his injury.

After two weeks, the Cowboys are the only team in the East that’s 2-0, with the others all at 1-1.

There were seven other games on Saturday. The Cowboys’ next opponent, the Texans, won 33-20 at Arizona. It was an offensive affair, as the Cardinals outgained the Texans 436-391. Both teams’ starting quarterbackers performed very well. Matt Schaub rebounded from a subpar preseason debut and went 9 for 12 for 108 yards, while Matt Leinart was perfect in his stint for Arizona, going 7 for 7 for 70 yards.

The rest of the scores:

Detroit 23, Cleveland 20 - Jon Kitna was 12 of 16 for 137 yards and a touchdown for the Lions, who improved to 2-0. Brady Quinn went 13 of 20 for 155 yards and two touchdowns in his preseason debut. You’re welcome, Cleveland, and please don’t forget the nice return gift. Don’t crown him as the savior just yet though; he’s only played one preseason game.

Jacksonville 31, Tampa Bay 19 - The Jaguars scored 24 points in the second quarter to propel themselves to their first victory of the preseason.

New Orleans 27, Cincinnati 19 - The Saints picked up their first preseason victory with a road win over the Bengals. Drew Brees was 6 of 6 for 55 yards, and the duo of Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush both scored touchdowns in the first half for the Saints.

San Diego 30, St. Louis 13 - Philip Rivers was 9 of 13 for 82 yards and a TD for the Chargers, who picked up the road win in the Gateway City. Marc Bulger was 8 of 12 for 79 yards and was intercepted once in his stint for the Rams. LB Stephen Cooper was a tackling monster, as he racked up 12 tackles in the win.

Green Bay 48, Seattle 13 - The Packers stayed unbeaten with an absolutely dominant home win over the Seahawks. Green Bay scored 28 points in the second quarter to break open a 10-3 game to lead 38-13 at the half. The Packers had two defensive touchdowns in the second quarter, both on fumble returns. Brett Favre was 7 of 12 for 74 yards and a TD, and backup Aaron Rodgers threw two TD passes. Rookie receiver James Jones had two second-quarter TD catches. Shaun Alexander had only three carries for three yards, and Matt Hasselbeck didn’t play.

San Francisco 26, Oakland 21 - Thomas Clayton scored on a 1-yard run with 47 seconds left to give the 49ers the win at home in the Bay Area battle. 49ers starting QB Alex Smith was 8 of 12 for 106 yards and a touchdown. Daunte Culpepper had a strong performance and helped himself in his hopes to be the starter while JaMarcus Russell’s contract negotiations continue to drag on, going 6 of 8 for 75 yards and two TDs.

The last game of the week takes place tonight, as the Bears and Colts tangle in Indy in a rematch of Super Bowl XLI. Yay?