Sun, Aug 28, 2005 - Page 22 News List

Pats, Eagles already in top form

AP , NEW YORK

They were the two best teams in football last season, and they looked it again in their third preseason games.

The Patriots and Eagles had plenty of offensive burst Friday in lopsided wins. New England beat Green Bay 27-3 with Tom Brady and Corey Dillon starring, and Philadelphia used the familiar -- if feuding -- combination of Donova McNabb and Terrell Owens in defeating Cincinnati 27-17.

At Lambeau Field, Brady guided the Patriots on five scoring drives, only one longer than 41 yards, and Dillon ran for two TDs for the champs. Dillon gained 70 yards on 14 carries and Brady completed 12 of 21 passes for 127 yards. He capped a 77-yard drive with a 12-yard toss to David Givens that made it 17-3 in the second quarter.

"I don't think I was as accurate as I wanted to be," Brady said. "But we made some plays."

In other games Friday night, it was: San Francisco 16, Tennessee 14 in overtime; Arizona 17, Oakland 16; Minnesota 19, San Diego 16; Carolina 23, Cleveland 20; Baltimore 21, New Orleans 6; Washington 17, Pittsburgh 10; the Giants over the Jets 15-14; and Chicago 16, Buffalo 12.

In Philadelphia, Owens didn't give the fans a chance to boo him for his contract squabbles with the Eagles. He caught a 64-yard touchdown pass from McNabb on the first play from scrimmage.

"It was business as usual," said McNabb, who finished with 256 yards passing and three touchdowns. Owens had five catches for 131 yards.

Owens caught just about everything throw his way.

In Green Bay, the Packers had a forgettable first half that included numerous breakdowns on special teams and eight accepted penalties.

Brett Favre threw two interceptions -- a third was wiped out by a flag -- and he lost receivers Javon Walker (finger) and Antonio Chatman (neck) on the same series.

Panthers 23, Browns 20

At Cleveland, rookie Efrem Hill caught a 21-yard touchdown pass from Chris Weinke with 45 seconds left as the Panthers overcame some late penalties.

Hill's TD capped a 43-yard drive was set up by Cleveland running back Sultan McCullough's fumble with 3:08 to go. Two minutes earlier, McCullough's 2-yard TD run after two defensive penalties against Carolina on third downs had given the Browns a 20-16 lead.

Giants 15, Jets 14

At East Rutherford, New Jersey, Jay Feely kicked five field goals, including 52- and 54-yarders, and Michael Strahan had a forced fumble and interception.

Bryan Thomas and Ryan Myers scored defensive touchdowns for the Jets following fumbles into the end zone, and the teams combined for eight turnovers.

Bears 16, Bills 12

At Chicago, Adrian Peterson had a 3-yard touchdown run with 1:32 left. Peterson set up his winning score with a 21-yard run during a late 50-yard drive featuring veteran Jeff Blake at quarterback for Chicago.

Nate Clements returned a first-quarter interception 31 yards for a touchdown against struggling Bears QB Chad Hutchinson.

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