Thursday's NFL: Eagles backup Mariota booed in 18-18 tie against Browns

Philadelphia – Backup quarterbacks Marcus Mariota of Philadelphia passed for 85 yards and Dorian Thompson-Robinson of Cleveland threw for 164 while starters Jalen Hurts and Deshaun Watson watched from the sidelines as the Eagles and Browns played to an 18-18 tie on Thursday night in a preseason game that was marred by injuries.

Mariota completed 9 of 17 passes with an interception and was sacked three times in the first half for the defending NFC champion Eagles. Signed to a one-year deal in the offseason to back up Hurts, Mariota was high and off target on several throws while playing behind Philadelphia’s backup offensive linemen and reserve receivers. Most of his completions were short passes that went for longer yards on runs after the catch.

Philadelphia signed the former Heisman winner and 2015 No. 2 overall pick this offseason because, like Hurts, he can be a run and pass threat. The 29-year-old veteran has rushed for 2,012 yards and 17 touchdowns in his career, but also has 54 interceptions in 87 career games.

Eagles fans booed Mariota when his pass late in the first quarter intended for tight end Grant Calcaterra went high and was picked off by Browns safety Ronnie Hickman. Mariota’s half ended, fittingly, with a sack.

Hurts was just a spectator. The Eagles are taking no chances this preseason with the 2022 MVP runner-up who signed a five-year deal with $179.3 million guaranteed in the offseason.

Coach Nick Sirianni normally wouldn’t put Hurts in harm’s way during the preseason anyway and might have concerns about any absence in the regular season after Thursday’s game. Hurts was sidelined for two games last season during Philadelphia’s run to the Super Bowl, getting injured on a running play, and the Eagles certainly want a quality backup just in case their franchise QB goes down.

In two preseason games, Mariota is 16 for 28 for 143 yards with an interception and four sacks.

Rookie sixth-round pick Tanner McKee went 10 for 18 for 147 yards with a touchdown after halftime, following an impressive performance in which he threw for 148 yards against Baltimore in his preseason debut on Aug. 12.

Eagles wide receiver Tyrie Cleveland and rookie defensive tackle Moro Ojomo were carted off the field on a backboard with neck injuries. Both had movement in all extremities. Cleveland landed hard on his head while trying to make a catch in the third quarter, and Ojomo collided with a teammate while attempting to make a tackle in the fourth quarter. There were several other injuries to players on both teams that required carts, visits to the medical tent and early departures to the locker room.

The game was played mostly between backups and players who likely won’t be on the roster when the regular season opens. In addition to Hurts, Watson watched from the sidelines out of uniform, along with many first-teamers from both teams.

Cleveland split the quarterback reps between backup contenders Thompson-Robinson and Kelle Mond. Joshua Dobbs, the frontrunner as the No. 2 to Watson, did not play.

Thompson-Robinson was 13 for 25 in the first half, and Mond was 12 for 24 for 126 yards and a TD after halftime.

A rookie fifth-round pick out of UCLA who had been impressive in the preseason entering Thursday, Thompson-Robinson had ups and downs in his outing. He completed 5 of 7 passes for 71 yards on Cleveland’s first drive that ended with running back John Kelly Jr.’s fumble near Philadelphia’s goal line. Thompson-Robinson also fumbled, was sacked once and committed a 15-yard penalty for an illegal block to negate a 12-yard Browns run. He also connected on a beautiful, 27-yard pass down the right sideline to Austin Watkins Jr.

Mond’s play in the second half was against Philadelphia’s deep reserves.

Browns coach Kevin Stefanski surely hopes he won’t need a backup quarterback.

Cleveland has high hopes this season for Watson, the anchor of the offense for a team looking to recover from a disappointing 7-10 record last year in Stefanski’s third at the helm. In 2020, Stefanski led Cleveland to its first playoff win since 1999, but the Browns have gone 15-19 since. Watson started in just six games last season, going 3-3, due to an 11-game suspension following accusations of sexual assault and harassment by more than two dozen women.

Chiefs to play Mahomes in first half

St. Joseph, Mo. – The Kansas City Chiefs plan to play Patrick Mahomes and the rest of their starters for the first half of their preseason game in Arizona, where they were last seen walking off the field hoisting their second Lombardi Trophy in four years.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid said upon wrapping up training camp at Missouri Western on Thursday that the starters would get the first half and backups would split the second half. That's in line with what Reid has done since the league trimmed the preseason to three games and is designed to help Mahomes and the rest of his guys get ready for the speed of the regular season.

“They have to get ready for the game,” Reid said ahead of Saturday night's game against the Cardinals, “and at the same time, I think it's tough going into the first game – the first regular-season game. It's going to be fast, much faster than you can present in practice. So this is at least another step up from that, another kick up speed-wise to the game.”

Mahomes and the starters played only one series in their preseason opener in New Orleans, putting together a promising drive that ultimately stalled near midfield on a failed fourth-and-short conversion attempt. The second preseason game is closer to a dress rehearsal for their Sept. 7 opener against Detroit, which is why Mahomes will play into the second quarter.

Nevertheless, Reid acknowledged a balancing act between preparing for the season and the risk of injury in a preseason game.

“That's all part of the game," he said.

The Chiefs need look no further than last season's playoffs for proof that injuries can happen suddenly.

Mahomes was twisted to the turf in the divisional round against Jacksonville, sustaining a high ankle sprain that he had to manage the rest of their Super Bowl run; he even aggravated it in the championship win over Philadelphia, limping through most of the second half.

Even if Mahomes doesn't necessarily need the preseason reps, the rest of the Chiefs offense probably does.

They allowed both of their starting offensive tackles to leave in free agency, and Jawaan Taylor and Donovan Smith are still getting comfortable as the replacements. They also lost veteran wide receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman, which means the Chiefs could lean heavily on two players yet to take a regular-season snap in Rashee Rice and Justyn Ross.

“I thought those guys got better and better (in camp),” Mahomes said of his wide receivers Thursday. “They learned how to finish and keep that mentality throughout practice. They have a lot of talent but you have to learn how to be consistent every day, and I thought they got better and better at that as they went.”

Mahomes also was pleased with the way Taylor and Smith have worked with perhaps the league's best interior offensive line, anchored by Pro Bowl center Creed Humphrey with guards Joe Thuney and Trey Smith on either side of him.

“The offensive line did a great job throughout camp just battling,” Mahomes said.

Mahomes was asked Thursday how he would feel stepping on the field in Arizona, where the Chiefs rallied to beat the Eagles in February. But in typical fashion, Mahomes preferred to talk about what the Chiefs must do to get back to the Super Bowl, rather than look back on winning his second championship ring.

“We have a lot of stuff we have to continue to work on,” Mahomes said. “I said it after the ring ceremony, ‘That’s it.' We're going to go back and try to get another one.”

Rams' Donald avoids fights

Thousand Oaks, Calif. – The most recent time Aaron Donald participated in a joint NFL preseason practice before Thursday, he ripped the helmet off a Cincinnati player and swung it at a few Bengals during a big brawl last year.

A few years before that, he was part of a knock-down, drag-out fight when his Los Angeles Rams held workouts against the Raiders.

Donald is perhaps the best defensive lineman of his generation, so it's not surprising if youngsters do a little something extra when they go up against him, particularly in the adversarial atmosphere of a joint practice. Donald is used to it, but he's grateful he didn't have to fight this week when the Rams hosted the Raiders again.

“Not too much stuff, but obviously football is football,” Donald said. “You’re going to have those days when (it’s) a little chippy, but it comes with it. But it was a good day’s work.”

The Rams' two days of joint workouts against Las Vegas this week didn't include anything nearly as bizarre or as exciting as that scrap in Cincinnati, not even when Donald joined the second day of practice ahead of the Raiders' preseason visit to SoFi Stadium on Saturday night. Donald had a brief post-whistle exchange early Thursday with Raiders offensive lineman Netane Muti, but it amounted to nothing.

The biggest fight of the engagement occurred Wednesday while Donald was taking a veteran rest day. Los Angeles running back Cam Akers and Las Vegas defensive line star Maxx Crosby threw punches after a play, prompting Rams coach Sean McVay to send Akers to the showers.

Donald didn't see that scrap, but he wanted to hear all about it a day later.

“Who won? I was asking both of them,” Donald said with a laugh. "I had them together. I was like, ’Who won? ‘I won, I won.’ I’m like, ‘I don’t know. I don’t know. I’m going to say it’s a tie.’”

Donald is focusing his energy on a rebound year after the first significant injury of his NFL career forced him to miss six games last season. That sprained ankle wasn't career-altering, yet the 32-year-old Donald sounds determined to prove he can be just as good in his 10th NFL season.

“Always, I feel like I’m not where I want to be," Donald said. "But I feel like I’m getting better, obviously. I did some good things today. I did some things that I didn’t like. Me personally, I didn’t think I had the type of practice that I wanted to, so I've just got to watch the film and see what I did wrong, or see what I need to do better. I’m always my worst critic. Just got to continue to study, continue trying to find ways to be better.”

Donald's task will be daunting: Because the Rams are focused on cleansing their payroll after cutting ties with several key veterans, Los Angeles' defense appears to have less talent than any unit since McVay's debut season in 2017. The Rams cut ties with six of their top seven tacklers from last season, along with all of their top six defensive players by snap count, and didn't sign any significant free agents until late summer.

Donald and linebacker Ernest Jones are the only major contributors, although the Rams made a concession to the grimness of their situation last week by re-signing veteran safety John Johnson, a key contributor for four years in Los Angeles before spending the past two seasons in Cleveland.

Donald doesn't appear to be bothered by the possibility of a rebuilding season for the Rams. He has spoken repeatedly of his desire to be a leader and a mentor to young teammates as he attempts to return to dominant form.

The Rams' longtime opponents have little doubt they'll have to watch for the No. 99 jersey whenever it's on the field.

“AD, he’s a special talent, man,” said Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who saw plenty of Donald during his career with the 49ers. "Going against him twice a year these last couple of years, I’ve seen it firsthand. We had to plan for him. The dude is all-world man, he really is. He doesn’t get enough credit for it, I think, but hell of a player.”

Colts reunites with Eberflus

Westfield, Ind. – Indianapolis Colts cornerback Kenny Moore has been anticipating the final week of training camp ever since he knew it would end with two joint practices against the Chicago Bears.

Sure, like many of his teammates Moore wants to return home after spending nearly three weeks at the Grand Park training complex in Westfield, Indiana.

But he circled these practices for another reason; he was eager to spend some time with the coach who gave him his first big break five years ago, then-Colts defensive coordinator and current Bears coach Matt Eberflus.

“I think about foundation, that's where everything gelled not only with him, but everybody we had over that journey,” Moore said, following a pause and a smile to reflect on those early days. “Just to see him here in a place in the Midwest, to go out and compete and show him this is where it all started is pretty cool.”

It's also pretty a special moment for the two, who haven't seen each other much since Eberflus took the Chicago job but admire one another.

Moore started his pro career as an undrafted rookie out of Valdosta State with the New England Patriots. One day after he was waived during the Patriots' final cutdown, the Colts claimed Moore and he wound up starting five games in 2017 because of injuries.

The next season, Moore's playing time increased under Eberflus and the new coaching staff and he was so successful defending slot receivers that Indy signed him to a four-year, $36 million contract extension in June 2019.

From there, Moore became the anchor of the secondary, a key leader in the locker room and in 2021, a first-time Pro Bowler. Then came the Bears offer – and the breakup.

“We all knew how much he meant to this team, to be over a team,” Moore said. “He can get the job done and I would just tell him, he looked good and I’m proud of him being a (head) coach.”

Moore traveled to Chicago shortly after to see Eberflus but it wasn't until Thursday when they were back on the field together that they really chatted after Moore was shoved into Bears quarterback Justin Fields. Eberflus said Fields and most of his starters will not play Saturday night because they already had enough work against the Colts.

“I know Kenny and I love Kenny. He's a great player and a great man,” Eberflus said. “He came off the edge and we had our protection break down and at the very last minute our tackle pushed him and I told Kenny ‘You’re athletic enough to move out of that way,' He agreed.”

The camaraderie was evident off the field – even though four skirmishes broke out in a 34-minute stretch Thursday as practice ended early.

Colts owner Jim Irsay occasionally talks about growing up in Chicago, a fan of Hall of Famers Gale Sayers and Dick Butkus before his father, Robert, took over the Colts.

Eberflus and new Indy coach Shane Steichen both donned T-shirts promoting the Colts' mental health awareness campaign, “Kicking The Stigma,” in front of a capacity crowd on a warm, sunny Wednesday evening.

Several Colts players took the time to find Bears defensive coordinator Alan Williams, who spent 10 seasons in Indy on the staffs of Tony Dungy and Jim Caldwell, and Steichen made sure he said hello to Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards, who had been playing with the Philadelphia Eagles where Steichen spent two seasons.

Even Bears tight end Cole Kmet, a former Notre Dame star, enjoyed the spirited action.

“Our fans travel, so that's pretty cool and it's great being back in the state of Indiana – a great state," he said. “It's fun and we enjoy it and we're getting better as well.”

But for Moore, three-time All-Pro linebacker Shaquille Leonard and two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle DeForest Buckner among others, it's hard to avoid the connection with Eberflus and the role he played in their development this week, even as they spend time in meetings, studying film and game prep.

For Eberflus, too.

“There's a lot of people here (with Indy) that I love that I really support from the players to the GM to really everybody,” he said. “Shane and I have been friends the last couple of years, so I certainly support him. And so great to see the players, I saw probably 25 guys that I'm close to. Got to see Shaq and his wife and his family today, so really great.”

Patriots, Packers scuffle in joint practice

Green Bay, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots apparently have seen a little too much of one another over the past couple of days.

About five minutes into their second joint practice session Thursday, three skirmishes already had broken out between Green Bay’s offense and New England’s defense. The coaching staffs gathered the teams in separate circles at one point to try to calm things down.

“We’re competitive,” Patriots defensive back Jalen Mills said. “They’re competitive. It’s going to get chippy. It’s a joint practice. Guys out here trying to win jobs and show what they’ve got to the coaching staff. You know that. Coaches know that. That’s why (Patriots coach) Bill (Belichick) is who he is. He brought us together, calmed us down and we got back to work.”

First, a couple of more fights broke out.

One scuffle caused Patriots linebacker Anfernee Jennings and Packers linebacker Keshawn Banks to get removed from practice. Another confrontation resulted in someone tossing the helmet of Packers linebacker Isaiah McDuffie.

This represented a major contrast from Wednesday’s joint practice, which had no major incidents. Packers cornerback Rasul Douglas was asked whether perhaps it’s better for two teams to have just one joint practice to avoid the risk of multiple fights the second day.

“It could be two as long as the rules are the rules and everybody’s on the same page,” Douglas said. “But one team can’t be on something and the other team can’t be on something else. We’re not no pushovers.”

The incident that led to the two ejections came on a punt drill. McDuffie delivered a vicious hit on Banks that resulted in McDuffie’s removal. Banks also was taken out of practice after he revealed to Packers coach Matt LaFleur that he’d taken a swing at someone.

“Matt came up to me and said, ‘Did you throw a punch?’" Banks said. “And I’m just an honest, truthful person. That’s the way I was raised. And I said, ‘Yes sir.’ Sure enough, I left practice shortly after.”

Although the scuffles started virtually as soon as the two teams were on the same field, Patriots linebacker Matthew Judon said he didn’t know beforehand this practice would have so much pushing and shoving.

“We don’t put gloves on for a living,” Judon said. “We’re no boxers. We’re no fighters. We came out here to get better and improve in our craft.

“If any of that would’ve happened during a game, we all would’ve been kicked out. We’d been playing with like 17 players. That stuff can’t happen. You’ve got to be a professional about it.”

The two teams will be seeing each other one more time this week. The Packers host the Patriots in a preseason game Saturday night.