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Smith Struggles in His Debut for 49ers

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From Associated Press

After No. 1 draft pick Alex Smith struggled in his first NFL action, Tim Rattay threw touchdown passes to Brandon Lloyd and Arnaz Battle early in the second half of San Francisco’s 21-13 victory over the Oakland Raiders in the annual preseason Battle of the Bay on Saturday night at San Francisco.

Rookie cornerback Derrick Johnson returned an interception 87 yards for a touchdown as the 49ers, shut out in the first half, scored 21 points in 4 1/2 minutes of the third quarter behind Rattay.

Smith’s first taste of the NFL was slightly bitter: He completed only three of nine passes for 25 yards and was sacked by Warren Sapp while the 49ers failed to get a first down in his four series.

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Rattay, the 49ers’ starter for nine games last season, showed why rookie Coach Mike Nolan might be unwise to put Smith in charge immediately. The veteran was sharp and quickly led a 65-yard drive capped by his 36-yard touchdown pass to Lloyd.

Meanwhile, Randy Moss caught one pass in two series while wearing his No. 18 Raider jersey for the first time.

In other exhibition games:

David Allen returned a punt 76 yards for a touchdown, Ernest Wilford caught a 19-yard touchdown pass that ricocheted off a teammate and the Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Miami Dolphins, 27-17, at Jacksonville, Fla. But Jaguar quarterback Byron Leftwich was sacked four times on 11 pass plays, a bad sign for a team that vowed to score more points after finishing last in the AFC and 29th in the league in scoring last season.

Todd Devoe broke free with a short pass from Matt Mauck, then scampered 92 yards late in the fourth quarter to provide the winning margin in the Denver Broncos’ 20-14 victory over the Houston Texans at Houston. Devoe broke a tackle inside his own 20, then raced down the sideline for the touchdown with 4:18 to go.... Todd Peterson kicked three field goals, and Ty Detmer threw an 18-yard pass to Mark Anelli for the lone touchdown in the Atlanta Falcons’ 16-3 victory over the Baltimore Ravens at Atlanta.

Rod Gardner caught a 21-yard touchdown pass on Carolina’s first drive to get the Panthers out to a quick lead that they turned into a 28-10 victory over the Washington Redskins at Charlotte, N.C. It was Carolina’s 10th consecutive exhibition victory dating to 2002.... J.P. Losman threw a touchdown pass, and the Buffalo Bills returned a blocked punt for a score in a 17-10 victory over Colts at Indianapolis. The teams combined for 26 penalties and four fumbles.

Romeo Crennel, Cleveland’s first-year coach, saw his debut hampered by severe weather that caused a lengthy delay, but he got his first win as the Browns beat the New York Giants, 17-14, at Cleveland. Rookie Tyler Jones kicked a 41-yard field goal with 6:18 left for the decisive points.... Kurt Warner, playing most of the first half at Tempe, Ariz., completed 14 of 19 passes for 151 yards and a 31-yard touchdown to Larry Fitzgerald to help the Arizona Cardinals defeat the Dallas Cowboys, 13-11.

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San Diego Charger Coach Marty Schottenheimer is sticking with Nate Kaeding even though the kicker has missed his last four field-goal attempts dating to the playoff loss to the New York Jets.

Kaeding was wide left from 45 yards and then wide right from 44 and 46 in the closing minutes of a 10-7 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Thursday night in the Chargers’ exhibition opener.

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