NFL ROUNDUP \ Thursday’s games

Ravens 16, Patriots 15

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — With Tom Brady having the night off, the Patriots were far from perfect in their first game after a nearly perfect season. For John Harbaugh, the Ravens’ exhibition win was a good start to his head coaching career. Harbaugh got a look at the quarterbacks competing to succeed the retired Steve McNair. Kyle Boller started for Baltimore, Troy Smith replaced him and both played decently. First-round draft pick Joe Flacco looked like a rookie, losing a fumble on his second play. Three quarterbacks are competing to be Brady’s backup on a team that was 18-0 before losing the Super Bowl to the New York Giants. Third-round choice Kevin O’Connell led the Patriots to their only touchdown on a 31-yard march after Flacco’s fumble. But O’Connell played the last third of the game against defenders far down on the depth chart. Another newcomer to New England had one of the best games for the team. LaMont Jordan, fighting for a job behind Laurence Maroney, ran with power, picking up 76 yards and scoring on a 1-yard run just 13 days after being released by Oakland following his seventh NFL season.

Lions 13, Giants 10

DETROIT — Eli Manning and the Super Bowl champion New York Giants finally stumbled on the road. Only this time, it didn’t really matter. Manning, the Super Bowl MVP, struggled on his only two series in the preseason opener and the Giants lost to the Detroit Lions. New York won its final 11 games away from Giants Stadium last season, including all four in the playoffs en route to the championship. Manning completed two of his six passes for 19 yards. He was 0-for-3 on New York’s first possession, including two passes that were knocked down by Lions linemen. Eddie Johnson’s 31-yard field goal with 2:47 to play gave Detroit the win. With Manning long out of the game and Super Bowl hero David Tyree home with a knee injury, the Giants offense was in the hands of third-string quarterback David Carr, who tried to try to put together a winning drive in the final moments. New York got as far as the Detroit 40, but the comeback attempt ended when Carr was called for intentional grounding, then sacked by rookie Andre Fluellen on the next play. Both teams pulled their starters after one quarter, when the Lions led 7-0. Detroit scored on the game’s opening drive when Roy Williams broke free of Michael Johnson’s tackle and went 20 yards with a short pass from Jon Kitna. In his two drives, Kitna went 6-for-7 for 106 yards and the touchdown to Williams. Detroit’s first-team offense struggled on the ground, though, as Tatum Bell carried seven times for eight yards.

Saints 24, Cardinals 10

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Drew Brees and Matt Leinart started the preseason with near-perfection. Brees was 6-for-7 for 40 yards and a touchdown in his lone series in the short-handed New Orleans Saints’ victory over the Arizona Cardinals. Saints backup Mark Brunell was equally effective, completing 10 of 12 for 119 yards. Leinart, the third-year Arizona quarterback who missed the final 11 games last season due to a broken collarbone, completed eight of nine passes for 91 yards in the first two series of the game. Leinart said his offseason work paid off. “The biggest thing is when you know your reads and know where you are going with the ball, the footwork comes naturally and is easier,” Leinart said. “I did work on it this summer and I just have to keep getting better. It was a good start but we just have to keep working.” Nine Saints regulars didn’t make the trip because of various minor injuries. Among them were starting tight end Jeremy Shockey and starting wide receivers Marques Colston and Devery Henderson. Running back Deuce McAllister also stayed home.

Associated Press