ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. – Rookie EJ Manuel took another step toward securing the Buffalo Bills’ starting job, and the defense stuffed the Minnesota Vikings in a 20-16 preseason victory Friday night.

Manuel went 10 of 12 for 92 yards and a touchdown through three series in the second half. He out-shined veteran Kevin Kolb, who went 13 of 21 for 111 yards and an interception in the first half.

Jerry Hughes had two sacks starting in place of defensive end Mario Williams (soreness). Backup linebacker Jamie Blatnick recovered a fumble for a touchdown for Buffalo (2-0).

The Vikings (0-2) struggled on offense without their star player, Adrian Peterson, who continues to be rested through the preseason. They combined for 74 yards offense and four first downs in the first half.

Minnesota made the score respectable with two touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

49ERS 15, CHIEFS 13: Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith struggled against his former team, and backup San Francisco quarterback B.J. Daniels threw a late touchdown pass to lift the 49ers at Kansas City.

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Phil Dawson hit all three of his field-goal attempts for the 49ers, two of them 55-yarders, while the Chiefs’ Quintin Demps returned a kickoff 104 yards for a touchdown.

Smith was just 7 of 16 for 62 yards while playing the full first half, but he did help Kansas City to two field goals.

Colin Kaepernick, who took over Smith’s starting job in San Francisco last season, only played the first offensive series.

SAINTS 28, RAIDERS 20: Drew Brees passed for 202 yards and a touchdown while leading five scoring drives, and the Saints survived a sloppy second half to beat Oakland at New Orleans.

Brees’ scoring strike was a 16-yarder to rookie Kenny Stills, who made the most of his second straight game playing with the first-team offense.

Brees completed 78 percent of his passes (14 of 18), including a 56-yarder to Nick Toon, setting up Mark Ingam’s 2-yard TD run.

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NOTES

REDSKINS: General Manager Bruce Allen said he doesn’t see a controversy between quarterback Robert Griffin III and coach Mike Shanahan.

Allen said Friday that the views expressed by Griffin and Shanahan reflect “a very competitive player who’s dying to play football” and “a very experienced coach who’s doing the right thing.”

Griffin has expressed a desire to practice more and to play in preseason games as he returns from knee surgery.

Shanahan has taken a more cautious approach.

BROWNS: Rookie linebacker Barkevious Mingo remained hospitalized Friday, a day after suffering a bruised lung in the first half of an exhibition game against Detroit.

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Mingo, the No. 6 overall pick in this year’s draft, will stay at least one more night at The Cleveland Clinic, where he was taken before the end of the Browns’ 24-6 win over the Lions. Browns coach Rob Chudzinski said the team doesn’t know how Mingo sustained the injury.

“We looked at the tape,” Chudzinski said Friday. “There wasn’t a big hit that you could see. Obviously he had a number of plays with some contact, but it was hard to determine which hit it was.”

Chudzinski said the 6-foot, 240-pound Mingo was having trouble breathing before he left the field and was eventually taken to the hospital. Chudzinski said doctors are being cautious with the 22-year-old former LSU star.

“Anytime that there’s that kind of injury they just want to make sure everything is OK in terms of his health and breathing and everything else,” Chudzinski said.

Mingo was on kickoff coverage and took a few snaps at outside linebacker in the first half before he left the field and went to the locker room, escorted by a team trainer.

Chudzinski said it’s too early to determine how long Mingo could be sidelined. The first-round pick had a strong debut last week against St. Louis and Mingo had an impressive training camp.

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COLTS: Tight end Dwayne Allen got rid of the walking boot on his injured right foot Friday, the final day of practice at Anderson University.

Allen hasn’t practiced since complaining of foot pain last Wednesday.

Coach Chuck Pagano has said Allen is expected to miss a couple of weeks, but the Colts remain hopeful he will be healthy enough to return for the Sept. 8 season opener against Oakland.

Pagano said Allen would be using a combination of an orthopedic in his shoe a walking boot others as he recovers.


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