CLEVELAND -- Buffalo quarterback AJ McCarron sustained a potentially serious shoulder injury, throwing the Bills' quarterback situation into total disarray, during a 19-17 victory over the Cleveland Browns on Friday night.
McCarron, who signed with Buffalo as a free agent for a chance to start after four years as a backup in Cincinnati, completed just 3 of 6 for 12 yards during 4 series.
The 27-year-old didn't show any obvious signs of being hurt -- he was hit hard from behind by Myles Garrett and sacked by Larry Ogunjobi -- and the Bills didn't disclose his injury until the fourth quarter.
McCarron is competing with Nathan Peterman and rookie Josh Allen for Buffalo's starting job.
Allen, the No. 7 overall pick, outperformed McCarron and Peterman rallied the Bills (2-0) with a late touchdown pass to tight end Nick O'Leary.
Rookie Nick Chubb and Carlos Hyde had touchdown runs for the Browns (1-1).
PANTHERS 27, DOLPHINS 20
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Christian McCaffrey had 120 yards from scrimmage in the first half, including a 71-yard touchdown run and Carolina defeated Miami.
McCaffrey had 92 yards rushing on 5 carries and caught 4 passes for 28 yards for Carolina (2-0).
Cam Newton overcame an early interception and two sacks by Robert Quinn to finish 9 of 12 for 89 yards, including a 27-yard touchdown pass to speedy rookie tight end Ian Thomas to give Carolina a 13-9 lead before exiting near the end of the first half.
Ryan Tannehill was an effective 14 of 17 for 100 yards for Dolphins.
CHIEFS 28, FALCONS 14
ATLANTA -- After a dismal showing in the first preseason game, Matt Ryan and Atlanta found their offensive rhythm.
Ryan guided the Falcons right down the field for a touchdown on their first possession, hooking up with Austin Hooper on a 4-yard scoring pass, and led another impressive drive before calling it a night in a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Ryan finished 5 of 7 for 90 yards, looking very much like the quarterback who won the MVP during the 2016 season even though two of his top weapons, receiver Julio Jones and running back Devonta Freeman, were held out for the second week in a row.
It was certainly an encouraging contrast to the preseason opener, when the Falcons (0-2) were blanked 17-0 by the New York Jets and Ryan played only one brief series.
Kansas City's new starting quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, had an up-and-down game. The second-year player was intercepted on a deep throw by Falcons safety Damontae Kazee, who drifted over from the middle of the field to pick a ball intended for Sammy Watkins. Mahomes was 8 of 12 for 138 yards.
GIANTS 30, LIONS 17
DETROIT -- Davis Webb took advantage of his opportunity to play for Eli Manning, throwing a go-ahead touchdown in the second quarter to help New York beat Detroit.
Webb was 14 of 20 for 140 yards with an 8-yard TD pass to Wayne Gallman Jr., who scored for a second time later in the game. Webb showed poise in the pocket and touch down the field, connecting on a perfectly lofted 40-yard pass to Russell Shepard to set up Aldrick Rosas' 55-yard field goal in the second quarter.
Webb, a 2017 third-round pick, bounced back from a poor performance last week. He was 9 of 22 for 70 yards, sailing passes over open receivers in the preseason opener against Cleveland to raise some concerns about whether he's ready to be the team's No. 2 quarterback.
The Lions started Matthew Stafford after sitting him in last week's game at Oakland and he had a shaky game behind a porous offensive line. Stafford was 2 of 5 for 51 yards and was sacked twice and hit once as he threw.
CARDINALS 20, SAINTS 15
NEW ORLEANS -- Free-agent acquisition Sam Bradford and 10th overall draft choice Josh Rosen combined to provide a promising outlook for Arizona's quarterback situation.
After Bradford completed all six of his passes for 61 yards, Rosen went 10 of 16 for 107 yards, including a 13-yard touchdown to rookie Christian Kirk in a preseason victory over New Orleans.
David Johnson bowled his way into the end zone for a 9-yard touchdown to give the Cardinals the game's opening score, capping a six-play, 61-yard drive led by Bradford.
Kirk finished with 4 receptions for 49 yards, and Chad Williams caught 3 passes for 44 yards for Arizona.
Saints quarterback Drew Brees sat out the entire game, as he also did when the Saints won their preseason opener in Jacksonville last week.
At a glance
THURDAY’S GAMES
New England 37, Philadelphia 20
Washington 15, NY Jets 13
Green Bay 51, Pittsburgh 34
FRIDAY’S GAMES
Kansas City 28, Atlanta 14
NY Giants 30, Detroit 17
Carolina 27, Miami 20
Buffalo 19, Cleveland 17
Arizona 20, New Orleans 15
TODAY’S GAMES All times Central
Jacksonville at Minnesota, noon
Oakland at LA Rams, 3 p.m.
Cincinnati at Dallas, 6 p.m.
San Francisco at Houston, 7 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Tennessee, 7 p.m.
Chicago at Denver, 8:05 p.m.
Seattle at LA Chargers, 9 p.m.
MONDAY’S GAME
Baltimore at Indianapolis, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
Sports on 08/18/2018