NFL Exhibition Roundup : Chargers Win on Ware’s Third TD Catch, 45-38

Timmie Ware caught three fourth-quarter touchdown passes, including a 52-yarder with 31 seconds remaining, to lead the San Diego Chargers to a 45-38 exhibition victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in a wild aerial show Saturday night at San Diego.

The Eagles tied the score at 38-38 with 1:10 remaining, but reserve San Diego quarterback Tom Flick threw his fourth touchdown pass, and third to Ware, to complete a lightning 70-yard drive that took four plays and about 30 seconds.

Flick, who played the final two quarters, along with Dan Fouts and Mark Herrmann threw for 598 yards, which would have topped the NFL record of 554 yards set in 1951 in a game between the Rams and the New York Yanks. It also was the most passing yardage in Charger history but it isn’t officially recognized because it came during a preseason game.

Flick also threw a pair of 1-yard touchdown passes to Ware, second year receiver from USC, during the fourth quarter when the two teams combined for 33 points.

The Chargers’ third long touchdown pass of the night, and Flick’s first, was a 62-yard bomb to Trumaine Johnson.

The Chargers jumped to an early 14-0 lead under Fouts, who left the game after San Diego’s third offensive series. He finished with six completions in eight attempts for 111 yards, including touchdown plays of 51 yards to Gary Anderson and 31 yards to Wes Chandler.

Junior Tautalatasi, the Eagles’ 10th-round draft choice out of Washington State, scored on a 65-yard run in the first quarter.

N.Y. Jets 28, Cincinnati 17--Ken O’Brien threw for two touchdowns, and Michael Harper had two long kickoff returns, one of 97 yards for a score, to lead the Jets at East Rutherford, N.J.

Cincinnati led, 7-0, when Harper, a free agent from USC who was out of football last season, took Jim Breech’s kickoff at the 3. He cut left through a big hole at the 20 and veered to the left sidelines. Harper outraced Tim McGee, a sprinter from the University of Tennessee, for the touchdown.

Harper added a 52-yard kickoff return to the Cincinnati 42 after the Bengals moved to within four points. That set up the clinching touchdown, a 41-yard pass play from backup quarterback Pat Ryan to Dennis Bligen.

Chicago 38, Indianapolis 21--Mike Tomczak threw three touchdown passes in the second half as the Bears raised their exhibition record to 3-0 at Chicago.

Tomczak threw scoring passes of 12 yards to David Williams, 1 yard to Dennis Gentry and 11 yards to E. J. Jones.

Minnesota 29, Denver 27--Steve Bono threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Allen Rice with 56 seconds left to rally the Vikings to victory at Minneapolis.

Rookie Vince Evans broke free on a 60-yard touchdown run with 3:51 left in the game on a 4th-and-1 play to pull the Vikings within 27-22.

Bono, a third-stringer from UCLA who played only in the last half of the fourth quarter, completed a 17-yard pass to Jim Gustafson on 4th-and-10 to reach the Bronco 12, setting up Rice’s TD catch.

Denver quarterback John Elway hit 9 of 14 passes for 117 yards, including touchdowns plays of 31 yards to Clint Sampson and 24 yards to Butch Johnson.

Houston 23, Buffalo 20--Tony Zendejas kicked three field goals, and cornerback Steve Brown returned an interception of an Art Schlichter pass 25 yards for a touchdown to lead the Oilers at Houston.

Trailing 23-10 after three quarters, Buffalo rallied in the fourth quarter behind rookie quarterback Brian McClure. Scott Norwood kicked a 36-yard field goal and McClure hit Walter Broughton with a six-yard touchdown pass with 1:51 to go in the game.

N.Y. Giants 22, Green Bay 14--Phil Simms completed 11 of 15 passes for 127 yards and a touchdown, while Eric Schubert added a pair of field goals for the Giants at Milwaukee.

Tight end Zeke Mowatt, seeking to regain his starting job with the Giants after missing the 1985 season with a knee injury, caught seven passes for 112 yards.

Atlanta 20, Tampa Bay 17--Mick Luckhurst kicked a 29-yard field goal for the Falcons with only three seconds left at Tampa.

Tampa Bay quarterback Steve Young, who played only in the fourth quarter, put Atlanta in position for the winning kick when he threw an interception. He completed one of four passes for 10 yards.

William Andrews, starting for the first time for Atlanta after missing two years with a knee injury, carried nine times in the first period for 34 yards.

New England 38, New Orleans 34--Rookie quarterback Steve Calabria hit tight end Greg Baty with a 21-yard scoring pass in the final minute as the unbeaten Patriots survived a four-touchdown final period by the Saints at New Orleans.

Reuben Mayes, rookie running back from Washington State, scored twice for New Orleans, on a 16-yard pass from Bobby Hebert and a 4-yard run.

Kansas City 27, St. Louis 26--Nick Lowery kicked a 32-yard field goal with five minutes left for the Chiefs at St. Louis.

Two extra-point tries missed by St. Louis provided Kansas City with its winning margin. Cards holder Scott Brunner bobbled a center snap in the second quarter, and the Chiefs broke through to block rookie John Lee’s conversion try with 9:58 left.