Pack drops opener
Shannon Eastin became the first woman to officiate an NFL game and the San Diego Chargers slogged to a sloppy 21-13 preseason victory over the Green Bay Packers.
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Shannon Eastin became the first woman to officiate an NFL game and the San Diego Chargers slogged to a sloppy 21-13 preseason victory over the Green Bay Packers.
Eastin broke the NFL’s on-field gender barrier by serving as the line judge for the seven-man crew of replacement officials.
She helped oversee a predictably ugly preseason opener by both teams, filled with fumbles, interceptions and missed assignments.
Philip Rivers had a touchdown, an interception and a fumble in limited action for the Chargers ( No. 16 in the AP Pro32). Rookie Jarrett Lee got most of the action, throwing for 235 yards and a touchdown.
Aaron Rodgers had an interception and a fumble in three series for the Packers (No. 1).
Redskins 7, Bills 6
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Washington Redskins rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III capped his much-anticipated NFL preseason debut with a touchdown in a 7-6 win over the Buffalo Bills.
Overcoming a muffed handoff, RG3 capped his third and final series of the game by completing three passes for 58 yards, including a 20-yard TD to Pierre Garcon. He finished 4 of 6 for 70 yards in showing flashes of the potential the Redskins (No. 25 in the AP Pro32) saw in drafting the Baylor product with the No. 2 pick.
Eagles 24, Steelers 23
PHILADELPHIA — Andy Reid was welcomed back to the sideline with a standing ovation and chants of “Andy! Andy! Andy!”
Alex Henery kicked a 51-yard field goal with 12 seconds left to lift the Eagles to a 24-23 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in their preseason opener.
Patriots 7, Saints 6
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Will Smith crunched Tom Brady from behind, forcing a fumble in the first quarter. It may be the Saints’ defensive end’s biggest play for a while.
One of four players punished in the New Orleans bounty scandal, Smith was suspended for the first four regular-season games. So Thursday night’s sack of New England’s star quarterback was a highlight in the Patriots’ lackluster 7-6 win in their exhibition opener.
Ravens 31, Falcons 17
ATLANTA — Baltimore backup Curtis Painter threw three second-half touchdown passes to lead the Ravens to a 31-17 preseason win over the Falcons.
Atlanta’s Matt Ryan led two touchdown drives, including a scoring pass to Julio Jones, before Painter took over.
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