Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, right, greets Joshua Dobbs before Cleveland’s preseason game against the Eagles on Sunday in Cleveland. Ron Schwane/Associated Press
CLEVELAND — Joshua Dobbs ran for a touchdown and looked good directing Cleveland’s backups during a 21-20 loss to Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday in an exhibition watched by both team’s starters, along with soon-to-be-suspended Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Dobbs scored on a 3-yard run in the first quarter and had his second strong performance of the preseason for the Browns (1-1), who are hoping he can be their No. 2 QB behind Jacoby Brissett while Watson serves an 11-game suspension.
Dobbs finished 14 of 20 for 141 yards before Josh Rosen replaced him in the third quarter. Dobbs, who signed with Cleveland in April, has been ahead of Rosen throughout camp and probably will stay there.
Eagles’ second-string QB Gardner Minshew was equally effective, leading Philadelphia’s offense on two long touchdown drives in the first half.
GIANTS 25, BENGALS 22: Davis Webb threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Alex Bachman with 35 seconds to play to rally New York to a preseason victory over Cincinnati in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Webb’s second touchdown pass of the half to Bachman capped a nine-play, 75-yard march that started after Jacques Patrick scored on a 3-yard run with 3:05 to play to put the Bengals ahead 22-18.
Webb, who is the Giants’ third quarterback behind Daniel Jones and Tyrod Taylor, finished 22 of 27 for 204 yards, including a 22-yard TD to Bachman earlier in the quarter that gave New York an 18-16 lead. Bachman finished with 11 catches for 122 yards in a bid to make the team’s crowded receiver group.
The Giants (2-0) remained perfect in the preseason under Brian Daboll but this was a seemingly costly win against the Bengals (0-2), who did not play their starters for the second straight week.
NOTES
PACKERS: Offensive tackle David Bakhtiari has moved a step closer to returning from the knee injury that caused him to play only one game last season.
Bakhtiari participated in individual drills at Sunday’s practice after getting removed from the physically unable to perform list.
“We’ll see how I respond tomorrow, but as of right now, it’s a good checkmark on the day,” said Bakhtiari, a first-team All-Pro selection in 2018 and 2020. “I felt good. I was happy where I was at.”
Packers Coach Matt LaFleur cautioned it’s just the next step in Bakhtiari’s recovery, and that the team doesn’t have clarity on when the star left tackle could be playing again.
TITANS: Finding Treylon Burks through two games is more a case of Where’s Waldo with the preseason numbers for the Tennessee Titans’ first-round pick downright anemic.
Burks has exactly one catch for four yards with a combined four targets this preseason. Because Burks was drafted at No. 18 overall with the selection acquired in the trade sending wide receiver A.J. Brown to Philadelphia, it’s very easy to panic after the rookie missed much of the offseason program dealing with asthma and conditioning issues.
Titans coach Mike Vrabel said that receivers can’t control when they get the ball and can only control getting open.
“I don’t want to tell quarterbacks, ‘Hey, throw it to this guy,’” Vrabel said. “That’s that’s not the direction that we really want to head.”
Burks played 35 snaps in Tennessee’s 13-3 win over Tampa Bay on Saturday night — most among wide receivers with veteran Robert Woods not playing. Vrabel said he was encouraged by how Burks worked without the ball blocking and was open at times. The rookie who was an All-Southeastern Conference receiver last year at Arkansas also can run better routes at times.
SEAHAWKS: Drew Lock returned to practice for the Seattle Seahawks after testing positive for COVID-19 this past week and missing the team’s second preseason game.
Seattle Coach Pete Carroll said Lock reacted well to being back out on the field and had a normal amount of work. Carroll remained noncommittal to what that means for Seattle’s preseason finale next Friday at Dallas and whether Lock would get a chance to be the starter.
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