Stafford has mixed results in his debut
Matthew Stafford threw a touchdown, an interception and had some passes dropped in his debut with the Detroit Lions.
Jason Hanson’s 47-yard field goal as time expired lifted Detroit to a 27-26 win over the Atlanta Falcons in the exhibition opener for both teams at Detroit.
Stafford, the No. 1 pick of the NFL’s first 0-16 team, completed half of his 14 passes for 114 yards, with a 25-yard touchdown to fellow rookie Derrick Williams and an interception that Tony Gilbert returned for a score. Former USC receiver Keary Colbert dropped Stafford’s first pass and two more.
Daunte Culpepper started and completed five of six passes for 41 yards for Detroit.
In other exhibition games: Jay Cutler came out throwing against Buffalo in his Chicago Bears debut but completed only five of 10 passes for 64 yards and an interception in a 27-20 loss to the Bills at Orchard Park, N.Y. Bills starter Trent Edwards finished 10 of 10 for 79 yards, and backup Ryan Fitzpatrick went 13 of 16 for 143 yards. . . . Aaron Rodgers directed two long touchdown drives before departing, and the Packers’ new 3-4 defense gave Browns quarterbacks Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson fits as Green Bay rolled to a 17-0 win over visiting Cleveland. . . . Matt Cassel played three series and completed only two of five passes for 15 yards as the Kansas City Chiefs lost to the visiting Houston Texas, 16-10. . . . Kerry Collins was intercepted twice, but backup Vince Young threw for 131 yards and a touchdown to rally the Tennessee Titans to a 27-20 win over the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers. . . . LaDainian Tomlinson played in an exhibition game for the first time since 2005, carrying four times for 10 yards, but the San Diego Chargers lost to the Seattle Seahawks, 20-14.
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Elsewhere
Michael Vick practiced for the first time in two years when he took the field for the Philadelphia Eagles. Wearing a No. 7 red quarterback’s jersey, Vick took part in limited drills but mostly observed starter Donovan McNabb during the two-hour session. . . . Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Marcus Smith will undergo season-ending right knee surgery after tearing his right anterior cruciate ligament in Thursday’s game against the Washington Redskins. . . . The Oakland Raiders have signed cornerback Ricky Manning Jr. and released tight end John Paul Foschi. . . . The New Orleans Saints have signed veteran free agent kicker John Carney.
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