FOXBOROUGH, Massachusetts — Quarterback Tom Brady stole the attention by making an unexpected start for the New England Patriots on Thursday night, but his presence couldn’t lift New England to a win in its exhibition opener against the Green Bay Packers at Gillette Stadium.
Brady, playing a day after appearing in federal court to fight the NFL’s four-game suspension for his role in the deflation of footballs in the AFC Championship Game, completed only 1 of his 4 passes, for 10 yards before giving way. Backup Jimmy Garoppolo replaced him and completed 20 of 30 passes for 159 yards, with one interception.
Packers starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw for 117 yards and completed 11 passes before taking the rest of the night off.
Fans loudly cheered Brady when he took the field. Some thought that Brady would not play because he spent all day in court on Wednesday and missed the team’s walk-through practice in Foxborough.
Ravens 30, Saints 27
BALTIMORE — Quarterback Bryn Renner ran the ball in himself from the 1-yard line with 2 seconds remaining, and Baltimore rallied to beat New Orleans in the preseason opener for both teams.
Running back Marcus Murphy’s 3-yard touchdown run with 1:56 remaining put the Saints ahead 27-23, after kicker Justin Tucker’s 51-yard field goal broke a tie and put the Ravens ahead 23-20 with 8:09 left.
Quarterback Matt Schaub threw for 134 yards on 11-for-18 passing for Baltimore.
Lions 23, Jets 3
DETROIT — Quarterback Matthew Stafford threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Golden Tate on one of only two passes he threw, and running back Ameer Abdullah ran for 45 of his 67 yards on one play to lead Detroit past New York. The Jets, playing without injured quarterback Geno Smith (broken jaw), totaled only 123 yards of offense.
Redskins 20, Browns 17
CLEVELAND — Quarterback Kirk Cousins rallied Washington from a 14-3 second-quarter deficit, running for a touchdown and completing 12 of 14 passes for 154 yards. Backup Cleveland quarterback Johnny Manziel ran for one touchdown, and starter Josh McCown threw for another for the Browns.
Washington tight end Niles Paul injured his left ankle in the first half and was carted off the field with an air cast on his left leg. Browns linebacker Craig Robertson rolled up on Paul’s leg during a running play.
Bears 27, Dolphins 10
CHICAGO — Running back Senorise Perry ran for 89 yards on 10 carries, one of them a 54-yard touchdown jaunt that capped Chicago’s dominating second half.
The Bears scored 24 unanswered points after halftime, with kicker Robbie Gould booting three field goals, and running back Ka’Deem Carey adding a 1-yard touchdown run.