Batch injured in 16-10 victory

The play of Pitttsburgh’s offensive line answered some questions for the coaching staff.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers backup quarterback Charlie Batch broke his right collarbone in the preseason opener against the Philadelphia Eagles and is expected to miss four to six weeks.

Coach Mike Tomlin says the team hopes to sign a veteran to replace Batch, perhaps as soon as today.

Tomlin said Batch was hurt on a broken play midway through the second quarter of the Steelers’ 16-10 victory.

Batch scrambled for 6 yards off left tackle after running back Mewelde Moore didn’t take a handoff. Batch lowered his shoulder and was hit on the play.

He remained in the game but left after handing off to Gary Russell on the next play with 6:13 left in the half.

A sore groin didn’t slow Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers’ first-string offense.

Roethlisberger completed both passes he threw, a pair of 19-yarders, the second to Santonio Holmes for the game’s first score to cap a brisk, eight-play, 80-yard drive.

Donovan McNabb and the Eagles also looked crisp, and McNabb played far more than Roethlisberger. The Eagles scored a touchdown and a field goal on their first two drives, during which McNabb completed 10-of-13 passes for 97 yards and a touchdown, but were shut out the rest of the night.

The Steelers’ two biggest questions coming into the game were answered. With Alan Faneca gone, offensive line protected Roethlisberger and opened large holes for Mendenhall and Willie Parker, who was coming off a broken leg that ended his 2007 season

Parker did not appear to be slowed as he ran three times for 20 yards on the opening drive before he was pulled.

Each team’s featured rookie also played well.

Rashard Mendenhall, the Steelers’ first-round draft pick out of Illinois, ran seven times for 34 yards. That included a nifty 15-yard run that he bounced outside, keeping alive a drive that led to Jeff Reed’s 20-yard field goal.

Reed added two more field goals, including a 50-yarder midway through the fourth quarter.

Eagles second-rounder DeSean Jackson made five catches for 51 yards. A handful of other balls thrown his way were either knocked down or ruled out of bounds.

The Steelers’ second-round pick, Limas Sweed, took longer to get untracked, but found his rhythm with third-string quarterback Dennis Dixon, a rookie out of Oregon. All three of Sweed’s catches came from Dixon, including a 9-yarder on a rollout early in the fourth quarter.

The Eagles had a chance to win the game late, when A.J. Feeley drove the team inside the 20, but misfired on a fourth-down pass with seconds left.

Vikings 37, Vikings 17

MINNEAPOLIS — Matt Hasselbeck was 7-of-8 for 70 yards and a touchdown and the Seahawks racked up 187 total yards in three series against the Vikings’ defensive starters.

Maurice Morris got the start at running back ahead of Julius Jones and rushed for 62 yards on six carries in the first three drives against what was the league’s top-ranked run defense last season.

With Adrian Peterson being used only as a decoy, the Vikings called passes on the first 11 plays Tarvaris Jackson was under center. He threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to new fullback Thomas Tapeh and hooked up with new receiver Bernard Berrian twice for 43 yards.