EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- See you again in five weeks, Tom Brady.
With a four-game suspension for his role in the "Deflategate" scandal beginning in just a few days, Brady had an NFL going-away party Thursday night, playing the first half in the New England Patriots' preseason finale against the New York Giants.
Brady completed 16 of 26 passes for 166 yards, a touchdown and an interception as the Patriots (3-1) missed out a perfect preseason in a 17-9 loss to the Giants (2-2).
Brady showed flashes in his second preseason game of the season. He completed five passes between 16 and 38 yards, but only one drive resulted in a score, a 7-yard TD toss to Keshawn Martin. Two others, including one in the red zone, were ended by lost fumbles. His sixth and final series was a knee at the half.
The two-time NFL MVP begins a four-game suspension Saturday for his role in the use of deflated footballs in the 2014 AFC championship game. He won't be eligible to rejoin the active roster until Oct. 3, leaving the team in the hands of Jimmy Garoppolo.
New England opens the season on Sept. 11 at Arizona. The Giants are at Dallas (see full recap).
Despite early TD by Browns' starters, Bears get win
CLEVELAND -- Robert Griffin III led Cleveland's starting offense on a short touchdown drive against Chicago's defensive backups in a 21-7 exhibition loss to the Bears on Thursday night.
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Ka'Deem Carey scored on a 1-yard run in the first half, rookie Jordan Howard had a 16-yard TD run and Robbie Gould kicked three field goals as the Bears (1-3) avoided a winless preseason.
Not the Browns, who look as if they could use more time before the Sept. 11 opener.
Isaiah Crowell had a 4-yard TD for the Browns (0-4), who played Griffin and the offensive starters for the first quarter. RG3, attempting to revive his career in Cleveland after an ugly departure from Washington, went 4 of 8 for 31 yards during his three series.
Griffin's night might have been over after the second possession, but the Bears fumbled a punt, giving Cleveland the ball at the Chicago 18.
Griffin threw two incompletions in the end zone before Crowell -- with Pro Bowl tackle Joe Thomas watching from the sideline -- squirted in on third down to give the Browns a 7-3 lead. It took Cleveland six plays to cover the 18 yards.
Following a dismal performance last week at Tampa Bay, Browns coach Hue Jackson felt his starters needed more playing time before his team takes on Philadelphia in 10 days. He was willing to risk the potential for injuries so his players could carry some confidence into Week 1 (see full recap).
Washington, Rudock help Lions crush Bills
DETROIT -- Dwayne Washington likely secured a spot on Detroit's season-opening roster with a 58-yard touchdown run and Jake Rudock boosted his chances with three touchdown passes, helping the Lions close the preseason with a 31-0 win over Buffalo Bills on Thursday night.
Washington, a seventh-round pick from Washington, used a burst of speed to get around the left side and up the sideline on the third snap of the game. He had a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and scored on a run earlier in the preseason, leading to the Lions cutting Stevan Ridley last week.
Like a vast majority of starters on both sides, Washington watched much of the game after he ran for 68 yards on seven carries.
Rudock lofted a 2-yard TD pass to Jay Lee to give Detroit a 17-0 lead late in the first half. He drove Detroit down the field late in the third quarter, converting third downs with his arms and leg, and scrambled to buy time on a 10-yard TD pass to Jace Billingsley, who snagged the ball with his left hand. Rudock connected with rookie tight end Adam Fuehne on another TD pass, putting the Lions up 31-0 midway through the fourth quarter.
Bills coach Rex Ryan seemed determined to get his team on and off the field as quickly as possible, trying to limit injuries and to avoid showing future opponents anything to help them game plan. It didn't go as planned, though, because he had a handful of players go down with injuries.
Buffalo ran plays out of the wishbone early in the game, using a formation it likely wouldn't in the regular season, and punt returner Greg Salas called for a fair catch once in the first half -- even though a Lions player wasn't within 15 yards of him (see full recap).
