PRO FOOTBALL / DAILY REPORT : Morton May Be the Man to Fill Lions’ Gray Area

Finding a returner to replace Mel Gray could be easier than the Detroit Lions thought.

Johnnie Morton returned a punt 77 yards to set up the go-ahead touchdown Friday night and lead the Lions to a 30-17 exhibition victory over the New England Patriots at Foxboro, Mass.

Gray, who signed with Houston as a free agent, returned three kickoffs for touchdowns last year en route to his fourth Pro Bowl. Morton, the former USC standout who’s bidding to replace him, had a 93-yard kickoff return of his own in 1994.

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Jacksonville’s Ryan Christopherson scored three touchdowns and Scott Sisson kicked a 32-yard field goal with one second left at Miami as the expansion Jaguars beat the Dolphins, 24-21, for their first victory.

The 237-pound Christopherson, a fifth-round draft choice from Wyoming, scored on a one-yard run in the second quarter, a two-yarder in the third to tie it 14-14 and another one-yarder in the fourth to make it 21-21.

Tom Braatz, the Dolphins’ director of college scouting, was rushed to a hospital after complaining of weakness and dizziness and was kept overnight for observation.

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The Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense did not appear to have lost much since last season. Just ask Buffalo Bills rookie quarterback Todd Collins.

Pittsburgh’s blitz, orchestrated this year by new defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau, sacked Collins twice, forced two interceptions and scored a touchdown in a 31-10 victory over the Bills at Orchard Park, N.Y.

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Ki-Jana Carter isn’t the Cincinnati Bengals’ only rookie running back worth noticing.

Jason Burns, playing much of the second half, ran for 52 yards and scored a third-quarter touchdown as the Bengals beat the Indianapolis Colts, 34-21, at Indianapolis.

Carter, the No. 1 pick in the draft, did not play because of a strained Achilles’ tendon.

Craig Erickson, who went to the Colts in a trade with Tampa Bay, completed 12 of 18 passes for 152 yards in the first half.

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Kevin Butler kicked a 51-yard field goal with 1:52 left and the Chicago Bears rallied behind third-string quarterback Shane Matthews to beat the expansion Carolina Panthers, 18-15, at Chicago.

Carolina running back Tony Smith broke his left leg when he was tackled in the third quarter.

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St. Louis Ram running back Jerome Bettis ended his 14-day holdout after the team agreed to discuss a contract extension at the end of the season.

Bettis is in the third year of a five-year, $4.65-million deal. He accumulated $56,000 in fines during the holdout that began July 21. He and the Rams said in a statement that the money will go to various St. Louis charities.

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San Diego Charger officials said holdout running back Natrone Means needed to be in camp by midnight Friday to avoid losing a year of seniority that could affect his eventual eligibility to become an unrestricted free agent.

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Oakland Raider center Don Mosebar was hospitalized in fair condition Friday, one day after undergoing emergency surgery to repair his damaged left eye.

Mosebar was injured when he got tangled up with Dallas Cowboy defensive lineman Chad Hennings in a goal-line running drill in Austin, Tex.

Mosebar suffered a ruptured globe in his left eye, which required more than three hours of surgery to repair. Doctors at the University of Texas Medical Center believe they saved Mosebar’s vision, but won’t know for certain for at least two weeks.

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Wide receiver Chuck Levy of the Arizona Cardinals has acknowledged that the NFL is considering action against him under the league’s substance-abuse policy.