Wednesday, August 27, 2003
Titans 23, Bengals 15
CINCINNATI -- Steve McNair was something to behold. The Tennessee Titans' depleted defense was something else.
McNair put on another impressive passing performance, leading the Titans to scores on all three first-half possessions.
Looking sharp for the third straight preseason game, McNair completed 13 of 17 passes for 167 yards and a 13-7 halftime lead. He wasn't sacked as he picked apart Cincinnati's first-string defense, completing four throws of at least 20 yards.
Joe Nedney kicked field goals of 48 and 31 yards, and McNair tossed a 1-yard pass to uncovered tight end Shad Meier with 20 seconds in the half. He was 7-of-8 for 81 yards in the drive that showed the Titans' spread offense at its best.
McNair has been the Titans' brightest spot in preseason, going 28-of-39 for 298 yards with two touchdowns. The defense has been their biggest concern.
With Jevon Kearse sidelined by a sprained ankle sustained in practice Tuesday and the middle linebacker position unsettled, the Titans (3-0) went with a patchwork defense that had problems.
The Bengals (1-2) had chances to score on each of their three first-half possessions, but self-destructed the way they have for most of the last 12 years.
Backup tight end Tony Stewart let Jon Kitna's perfectly thrown pass glance off his hands at the Titans' 5-yard line, the ball deflecting to Andre Dyson for an interception. Neil Rackers missed a 49-yard field goal attempt on the next possession.
Finally, Kitna threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Peter Warrick to complete an unremarkable first half -- 12-of-17 for 114 yards and the first touchdown by Cincinnati's first-string offense in preseason.
Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer took over in the second half, hoping to build upon his perfect Cincinnati debut last weekend -- 7-for-7 for 97 yards and two touchdowns against the Lions. Instead, he looked like a rookie.
His first throw was intercepted by Dyson, and linebacker Rocky Boiman sacked him on his next play. Palmer was 3-of-5 for 22 yards in the third quarter.
Bills 28, Rams 24
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Marshall Faulk needed only one half to show he's ready for the regular season.
Making his preseason debut, Faulk scored twice, including a 26-yard reception from Kurt Warne.
The Rams (1-2) have lost five straight preseason road games, going back to their 24-10 win at Buffalo in 2001. Buffalo (2-1) played before an announced crowd of 62,286, the third largest in the franchise's preseason history.
Faulk, coming off a frustrating year in which he was hampered by a high ankle sprain, ran for 43 yards on 11 carries, including a 6-yard touchdown run, in which he bounced off a tackle, and made a quick burst up the right side. He added seven catches for 70 yards, and was involved in 69 percent of the Rams' first-half offense.
Faulk overshadowed what was an encouraging outing by Buffalo's Drew Bledsoe-led offense, which finally got clicking after two sub-par outings. Bledsoe completed his first seven passes and engineered scoring drives on the Bills' first two possessions.
After squandering a 14-0 lead, the Bills second- and third-stringers pulled out the victory in the second half, capped by Joe Burns' 13-yard touchdown run with 2:03 remaining. Backup quarterback Alex Van Pelt also hit Clarence Coleman for a 3-yard touchdown pass.
St. Louis backup Marc Bulger, on his second possession of the third quarter, had a 66-yard touchdown completion to Kevin Curtis, putting the Rams ahead 21-14.
The buzz centered on the Rams' starting offense, showing glimpses of returning to form with a healthy Faulk and Warner, who finished last season on injured reserve with a broken hand.
Warner strung together his second straight strong outing, finishing 13-of-15 for 125 yards passing in playing the first half, his longest outing of the postseason. His best completion was on the touchdown to Faulk, threading a pass over the middle to Faulk, who had a step on linebacker Jeff Posey, and caught it in full stride over his left shoulder.
In three games, Warner is 23-of-26 for 198 yards. The Bills got the performance they was looking for from Bledsoe.
Bledsoe finished 22-of-29 for 231 yards and two touchdowns, an 8-yarder to Bobby Shaw and an 18-yarder to Eric Moulds.
That's a significant turnaround from his first two preseason games, in which he went a combined 9-of-19 for 74 yards and no touchdowns.
Bledsoe's only mistake came during Buffalo's third possession, in which he forced a pass over the middle, which was picked off by linebacker Tommy Polley.
-- Associated Press