Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Elijah Cooks (86) pulls in a reception near the goal line 0ver New York Jets cornerback Qwan'tez Stiggers (37) in the second half of a preseason NFL football game in East Rutherford, N.J., Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
August 22, 2025 - 9:06 PM
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Kyle McCord led Philadelphia on five scoring drives, Montrell Johnson had a 15-yard touchdown run and the Eagles held on for a 19-17 victory over the New York Jets in a mostly sluggish preseason matchup of backups Friday night.
Well, at least until the final quarter. And then things finally got a bit entertaining.
With the Jets trailing 19-3, Adrian Martinez directed New York to touchdowns on consecutive drives, including Donovan Edwards’ 1-yard run with 3:07 left that made it 19-17.
Looking to tie, first-year head coach Aaron Glenn went for a 2-point conversion for the second straight score, but Edwards was stood up at the goal line — the play was reviewed and the call on the field was upheld.
Martinez, the 2024 UFL MVP, and the Jets got the ball back with 2:31 left and a chance for the win. On fourth-and-10 from the Eagles 42, Martinez completed a long pass to Quentin Skinner for what would’ve been a first down — but offsetting penalties negated the play.
Given one more chance, Martinez’s throw fell just incomplete to a diving Jamaal Pritchett.
The defending Super Bowl champion Eagles (2-1) sat big-name players such as Saquon Barkley, Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, while Justin Fields, Garrett Wilson, Breece Hall and Sauce Gardner were among those on the sideline for the Jets (1-2).
COWBOYS 31, FALCONS 13
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Joe Milton ran for a touchdown and threw for a score to help Dallas beat Atlanta in the preseason finale for both teams.
Slow starts in the first two exhibition games left questions about whether Milton was the answer as the backup to star quarterback Dak Prescott after the Cowboys let Cooper Rush go in free agency and acquired Milton in a trade with New England.
Milton might have eased some concerns for first-year coach Brian Schottenheimer, who is also the play-caller, by leading touchdown drives on Dallas’ first two possessions. The first was capped by his 1-yard scoring run, the second by a 1-yard plunge from rookie running back Jaydon Blue in his first preseason action.
On the first drive of the second half, Milton converted a fourth-and-1 by going 18 yards on a designed run, then threw a 29-yard touchdown to Jalen Brooks two plays later for a 24-10 Dallas lead. Will Grier took over from there as Milton finished 10 of 18 for 132 yards.
Both teams sat nearly every starter, and the Falcons once again didn’t play Michael Penix Jr. or backup Kirk Cousins. Easton Stick threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to tight end Feleipe Franks, who was wide open underneath because of a blown coverage and went head-first over the goal line near the pylon.
TITANS 23, VIKINGS 13
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Cam Ward’s first NFL touchdown of any kind will have to wait for the regular season after the No. 1 overall pick helped Tennessee wrap up the preseason by beating Minnesota.
Ward finished his preseason 10 of 19 for 145 yards while playing into the second quarter of all three games. Against the Vikings, Ward didn’t complete his first pass. In his second series, he was 3 of 3 for 36 yards, driving the Titans 13 plays for 90 yards over 8:33.
Julius Chestnut capped the drive with a 1-yard run that put the Titans (2-1) up 7-3.
Minnesota (1-2) started rookie Max Brosmer at quarterback with J.J. McCarthy among the starters watching. Brosmer left after two series with the Vikings up 3-0 and returned in the final 30 seconds of the first half.
The quarterback who played his last college season at Minnesota in 2024 did nothing to hurt his chances at being the No. 3 behind McCarthy. Brosmer pulled the Vikings within 17-10 with a 21-yard TD pass to Bryson Nesbit in the third quarter and finished 15 of 23 for 161 yards.
BEARS 29, CHIEFS 27
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes and the first-team Kansas City offense were in midseason form in their preseason finale, scoring on each of their three opportunities with the ball before Chicago rallied for a victory.
Mahomes was 8 of 13 for 143 yards and a touchdown in just over a quarter of work, and he’d have had another TD pass had running back Kareem Hunt not dropped a wide-open throw in the end zone. Isiah Pacheco had a touchdown run and Rashee Rice a scoring catch as the reigning AFC champs built a 20-3 lead before pulling most of their starters.
Kansas City plays its opener in two weeks against the Chargers in Sao Paulo.
The Chiefs had struggled through preseason losses to Arizona and Seattle, where they were dominated up front on both sides of the ball. But they fared better against the Bears, who had played the Dolphins to a draw before routing Buffalo last week.
News from © The Associated Press, 2025