MIAMI (AP) — Cam Newton lofted a long pass that fell incomplete on the final play of the first half Friday night, and that’s the closest he came to reaching the end zone.
The top pick of the NFL draft was shut out in his first exhibition-game start, and Newton’s Carolina Panthers lost to the Miami Dolphins 20-10.
Newton played the entire first half, when the Panthers managed only three first downs, had the ball for less than eight minutes and fell behind 17-0. Newton went 7 for 14 for 66 yards, and he ran four times for 18 yards.
Carolina crossed midfield for the first time when Newton ran for 7 yards on the next-to-last play of the half.
Reggie Bush, another former Heisman Trophy winner, played for the first time since joining the Dolphins and totaled 81 yards from scrimmage in three series. He ran eight times for 48 yards, including a 17-yard burst up the middle, and caught two passes for 33 yards.
Miami’s Chad Henne played the entire first half and led the Dolphins to 17 points in five possessions, including 10 points in two series against Panthers reserves. Henne went 15 for 24 for 194 yards, and he had a 17-yard scramble.
Packers 28, Cardinals 20
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers topped off a sharp performance with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Greg Jennings for the defending Super Bowl champions.
Rodgers played into the second quarter, completing 9 of 12 passes for 97 yards and the touchdown. Matt Flynn took over for Rodgers and led the Packers to another touchdown before halftime, a 2-yard run by rookie Alex Green.
Cardinals quarterback Kevin Kolb was 6 for 11 for 80 yards for the Cardinals, who were called for nine penalties in the first half, including several sloppy mistakes on offense.
Richard Bartel threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Stephen Williams and Alfonso Smith added a 1-yard touchdown run to give the Cardinals the lead in the third quarter.
But Flynn threw a 97-yard touchdown to Chastin West on the first play of the fourth quarter, putting the Packers back ahead 21-20. Third-stringer Graham Harrell threw a 6-yard touchdown to Kerry Taylor in the fourth quarter.
Jaguars 15, Falcons 13
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — David Garrard did little to solidify his starting spot and rookie Blaine Gabbert was equally unimpressive for the Jaguars.
Garrard completed 7 of 12 passes for 99 yards, with an interception in three series. Gabbert, the 10th pick in the April draft, completed 11 of 23 passes for 96 yards in seven series. Gabbert was plagued by several drops, including three on one second-half series that forced the Jaguars to settle for a 54-yard field goal.
Matt Ryan’s receiving corps had similar issues, but Harry Douglas turned a short crossing route into a 76-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Ryan finished 7 of 15 for 116 yards.
Ryan, who led the Falcons to a field goal on the team’s opening drive, played the entire first half as Atlanta built a 10-3 lead. Michael Turner ran seven times for 14 yards, and Roddy White had a 13-yard reception. Douglas caught two passes for 87 yards.
Redskins 16, Colts 3
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — One week after Rex Grossman’s impressive performance, John Beck answered by leading the Redskins to four straight scores in the first half.
Beck and Grossman are fighting to become Washington’s starting quarterback, and after two weeks, the race appears even.
Grossman was 19 of 26 for 207 yards in a 16-7 win over defending AFC champion Pittsburgh last week. Beck’s answer: 14 of 17 for 140 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions against the defending AFC South champs. With Beck in the game, the Redskins outgained the Colts 277-41 in the first half, ran more than twice as many plays (41-14) and had two 50-plus yard runs.
Grossman was 7 of 13 for 88 yards with one interception, all in the second half.
Indianapolis looked lethargic and inept in losing its eighth straight preseason game. The Colts are 4-24 since 2005 in games played in August and early September.
Lions 30, Browns 28
CLEVELAND (AP) — Colt McCoy threw three touchdown passes — two to tight end Evan Moore — in the first half, but Cleveland blew a 15-point lead in a penalty-filled exhibition.
McCoy finished 10 of 18 for 96 yards, his second straight solid performance running first-year Browns coach Pat Shurmur’s new West Coast offense. McCoy was victimized by a few drops but didn’t force any throws while playing most of the first half.
The Lions trailed by 10 entering the fourth, but got a 20-yard TD pass from Drew Stanton and Dave Rayner’s 48-yard field goal.
The officiating crew had a busy night: The teams were assessed 26 penalties for 211 yards.
Moore caught TDs of 2 and 21 yards, rookie Greg Little grabbed a 13-yarder from McCoy, and rookie Armond Smith had an 81-yard TD run in the third for the Browns.
Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford threw one TD pass to Nate Burleson. Stafford went 6 of 10 for 85 yards in four series.
