NFL ROUNDUP \ Sunday’s games

Lions 27, Bengals 10

CINCINNATI — Pro Bowl receiver Chad Johnson hurt his left shoulder, meaning the Bengals now have their top two receivers and their starting tailback limited by injuries. Johnson landed awkwardly on his left side after cornerback Brian Kelly intercepted a pass thrown his way on Cincinnati’s first series. Johnson rolled on the field in pain for several seconds, then went to the locker room for an examination. He did not return, and the team didn’t provide any detail about the extent of his injury. The Bengals already were missing Pro Bowl receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh and running back Rudi Johnson. Both of them have missed the first two preseason games with hamstring injuries. Detroit got the better of it in the first quarter, when both teams played their starters. Jon Kitna had a perfect passer rating of 158.3 for the second straight game. Playing in the stadium where he started the Bengals’ resurgence in 2003, Kitna was much better than Carson Palmer, the No. 1 draft pick who took his place in Cincinnati. Right away, Kitna tested a redesigned Bengals defense that has the cornerbacks aggressively covering receivers. He threw a 40-yard pass to Calvin Johnson on the opening play, letting the receiver beat cornerback Leon Hall on a sideline route. That drive came up short in part because of an offensive pass interference penalty on Roy Williams. The next time the Lions got the ball, Kitna threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Johnson, who ran past cornerback Johnathan Joseph for an easy score. Kitna completed his three passes for 76 yards and a touchdown, leaving him 9-of-10 for 146 yards with a pair of touchdowns in the preseason. In an ominous sign for the Bengals, Palmer was repeatedly hit as he threw and got sacked once. He was only 6-of-13 for 50 yards with the one costly interception. He led Chad Johnson a bit too much, giving Kelly a chance to knock the ball free and grab it in the air. Palmer played until the middle of the second quarter, trying to get the offense moving. In his two preseason games, Palmer is 11-of-22 for 83 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

Buccaneers 27, Patriots 10

TAMPA, Fla. — No Tom Brady equals little offense for the New England Patriots this preseason. With the 2007 MVP sitting out for the second straight week, the defending AFC champions sputtered with backup Matt Cassel running the show. Brady didn’t make the trip to Tampa, reportedly remaining home to rest a sore foot, and Cassel had limited success moving the ball against a feisty Bucs defense that scored on his third-quarter fumble and intercepted the first pass thrown by successor, Kevin O’Connell. Bucs starting quarterback Jeff Garcia also has yet to play this preseason after missing most of training camp with a sprained right calf. His absence is creating plenty of opportunities for Brian Griese, Luke McCown and Chris Simms to build their cases for being No. 2. Griese and McCown produced a 17-3 halftime lead, with the Patriots scoring on Stephen Gostkowski’s 53-yard field goal on the final play of the second quarter.

Associated Press