NFL roundup: Josh Allen, Bills open up Highmark Stadium in style

Josh Allen passed for 111 yards and one touchdown and the Buffalo Bills opened Highmark Stadium with a 29-14 victory over the Carolina Panthers in a preseason game at Orchard Park, N.Y., on Saturday afternoon.

Allen tossed a 9-yard touchdown pass to Keon Coleman in the first quarter and completed 6 of 8 passes in the club’s preseason opener. It also was Buffalo’s first game since Sean McDermott was fired as coach and replaced by Joe Brady.

The new stadium is located right next to where the former one resided, and the Bills made themselves comfortable as Ian Wheeler and Frank Gore Jr. scored on fourth-quarter runs to boost Buffalo’s lead to 29-7.

Bryce Young played sparingly for the Panthers (1-1) and was 3-of-5 passing for 18 yards. Kenny Pickett and Kyle Trask threw touchdown passes and Trask also was picked off once.

Bears 34, Browns 10

Case Keenum completed 9 of 10 passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns to help Chicago roll past visiting Cleveland in the preseason opener for both teams.

Bears starting quarterback Caleb Williams didn’t play and Tyson Bagent (169 yards) and Keenum helped Chicago recover from an early 10-0 deficit. Jamree Kromah had two sacks and a fumble recovery for the Bears.

Deshaun Watson, who missed all of last season due to an Achilles injury, completed 11 of 15 passes for 126 yards and guided Cleveland to all of its points in the first half. Watson is competing for the starting job with Shedeur Sanders, who completed 6 of 11 passes for 79 yards and one interception.

Vikings 13, Giants 10

Carson Wentz threw the go-ahead touchdown pass to Myles Price in the third quarter and Kyler Murray made a brief appearance as Minnesota staved off New York in both teams’ opener.

Murray is the Vikings’ new quarterback after playing seven seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. He completed 2 of 3 passes for 10 yards. Minnesota defender Jamal Adams was carted off with an apparently serious knee injury.

Jaxson Dart threw a touchdown pass to Malachi Fields for the Giants, who were playing their first game under new coach John Harbaugh. Jameis Winston completed 8 of 9 passes for 89 yards.

Jaguars 24, Saints 20

J’Mari Taylor scored on a 2-yard rush with 4:55 remaining as Jacksonville rallied for a 24-20 victory over host New Orleans in both teams’ preseason opener.

The Jaguars trailed 20-6 at halftime but cut the gap to 20-14 on a Hunter Long touchdown catch from Carter Bradley and a successful 2-point conversion in the third quarter. They added a Cam Little 36-yard field goal in the fourth before the 5-play, 57-yard game-winning drive.

Taylor carried the ball 22 times for 78 yards, while Bradley went 10-for-17 for 105 yards, with one touchdown and one interception.

Veteran quarterback Zach Wilson completed 11 of 16 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown pass to Oscar Delp. Audric Estime scored the game’s first touchdown and ran for 28 yards on five carries.

Rams 20, Chiefs 12

Ty Simpson threw a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown passes to Dean Connors as Los Angeles earned a comeback victory over host Kansas City in the preseason opener for both teams.

Simpson, the Rams’ surprise first-round pick from Alabama in the 2026 NFL Draft, completed 21-of-25 passes for 190 yards and the two touchdowns, producing a QB rating of 125.0. Tight end Max Klare caught seven passes for 37 yards.

Harrison Butker connected on field goals of 37, 35, 59 and 26 yards, accounting for all of the Chiefs’ scoring. New quarterback Justin Fields completed all four of his passing attempts for 41 yards in limited action.

Ravens 24, Eagles 7

Rookie quarterback Joe Fagnano threw for 224 yards and a touchdown to lead Baltimore to a win over visiting Philadelphia in both teams’ preseason opener.

The UConn product, who is well-positioned to be the Ravens’ third-string QB, got the bulk of the reps, completing 22 of 28 passes with an interception. Baltimore took a 10-0 lead through three quarters before Adam Randall and reserve QB Austin Reed ran for touchdowns in the first 10 minutes of the fourth.

The Eagles forced both turnovers in the game but were outgained in total yardage 440-159. Rookie QB Cole Payton led the team in passing yards (37) and rushing yards (45) after Andy Dalton started for Philadelphia in pursuit of his 16th season. Payton threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Erik Ezukanma with 2:14 left to prevent the shutout.

Cowboys 17, Seahawks 7

Joe Milton III and Sam Howell each threw a touchdown pass to rookie receiver Camden Brown, leading Dallas past host Seattle, which was playing its unofficial first game since last season’s Super Bowl championship.

Milton (12-for-15) and Howell (8-for-12) combined for 201 passing yards and helmed a Cowboys offense that converted 11 of 15 third downs and outgained the Seahawks 338-156. Brown caught a 39-yard touchdown from Howell in the second quarter and a 2-yard score from Milton in the third, finishing with three catches for 62 yards.

Seattle’s only score came on its opening 13-play, 80-yard drive, capped by Drew Lock’s 5-yard touchdown pass to Montorie Foster Jr. Lock (9-for-13) and Jalen Milroe (5-for-8) combined for just 76 passing yards, though Milroe added 36 yards on five carries.

–Field Level Media