Tom Brady put to rest worries about his knee. His nearly perfect arm was never a concern.
Two days after spraining his left knee, the New England star completed his first 11 passes before missing his last one and threw his first touchdown pass to new top wide receiver Danny Amendola. Brady played the first two series, then rested as the Patriots went on to a 25-21 exhibition victory over the Buccaneers in Foxborough.
Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman worked two possessions and had a much rougher time against the team they will face in the third game of the regular season. He was sacked three times and completed only two of three passes for eight yards.
Bills 20, Vikings 16
Rookie EJ Manuel took another step toward securing the Bills’ starting job, and the defense stuffed Vikings last night in Orchard Park.
Manuel went 10-of-12 for 92 yards and a touchdown through three series in the second half. He out-shined veteran Kevin Kolb, who went 13-of-21 for 111 yards and an interception in the first half.
49ers 15, Chiefs 13
Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith struggled against his former team, and backup San Francisco quarterback B.J. Daniels threw a late touchdown pass to lead the 49ers over the Chiefs in Kansas City.
Saints 28, Raiders 20
Drew Brees passed for 202 yards and a touchdown while leading five scoring drives, and the Saints survived a sloppy second half for a preseason victory in New Orleans.
GM: No RG3/Shanahan trouble
Redskins general manager Bruce Allen said he doesn’t see a controversy between quarterback Robert Griffin III and coach Mike Shanahan.
The views expressed by Griffin and Shanahan reflect “a very competitive player,” Allen said, and a coach who’s “doing the right thing.”