DETROIT — Davis Webb took advantage of his opportunity to play, throwing a go-ahead touchdown pass in the second quarter to help the New York Giants beat the Detroit Lions 30-17 in a preseason game Friday night.
Webb was 14 of 20 for 140 yards with an 8-yard TD pass to Wayne Gallman Jr., who scored for a second time later in the game. Webb showed poise in the pocket and touch down the field, connecting on a perfectly lofted 40-yard pass to Russell Shepard to set up Aldrick Rosas’ 55-yard field goal in the second quarter.
Webb, a 2017 third-round pick, bounced back from a poor performance in the preseason opener. He was 9 of 22 for 70 yards, sailing passes over open receivers against Cleveland to raise some concerns about whether he’s ready to be the team’s No. 2 quarterback.
Eli Manning, a two-time Super Bowl MVP, was a healthy scratch. The Giants sat out rookie running back Saquon Barkley because of a strained hamstring and didn’t test receiver Odell Beckham Jr.’s surgically repaired ankle.
Giants rookie quarterback Kyle Lauletta, a fourth-round pick, scrambled and scored on a 10-yard run in the third quarter to put the Giants ahead 17-3. Gallman took an inside handoff and bounced to the outside on an 11-yard run to put New York up by three TDs early in the fourth.
The Lions started Matthew Stafford after sitting him in last week’s game at Oakland, and he had a shaky game behind a porous offensive line. Stafford was 2 of 5 for 51 yards, and was sacked twice and hit once as he threw.
Jake Rudock replaced Stafford in the second quarter and finished 23 of 30 for 171 yards with a TD. Rudock came back in the fourth, reliving veteran Matt Cassel, who threw an interception.
CHIEFS 28, FALCONS 14: After a dismal showing in the first preseason game, Matt Ryan and the Falcons found their offensive rhythm.
Ryan guided the Falcons right down the field for a touchdown on their first possession, hooking up with Austin Hooper on a 4-yard scoring pass, and led another impressive drive before calling it a night in a loss to visiting Kansas City.
Ryan finished 5 of 7 for 90 yards, looking very much like the quarterback who won the MVP during the 2016 season even though two of his top weapons, receiver Julio Jones and running back Devonta Freeman, were held out for the second week in a row.
It was certainly an encouraging contrast to the preseason opener, when the Falcons (0-2) were blanked 17-0 by the New York Jets and Ryan played only one brief series.
With a resting Jones watching from the sideline, Calvin Ridley got a chance to shine for the Falcons. The first-round pick from Alabama hauled in the first touchdown of his professional career on a 7-yard pass from backup quarterback Matt Schaub.
Ridley finished with three receptions for 49 yards.
Kansas City’s new starting quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, had an up-and-down game. The second-year player was intercepted on a deep throw by Falcons safety Damontae Kazee, and caught a break when another ill-advised throw into the end zone was dropped by cornerback Blidi Wren-Wilson, allowing the Chiefs to salvage a field goal.
With just 17 seconds left in the first half, Tyreek Hill got behind three defensive backs and caught a pass from Mahomes in stride for a 69-yard touchdown.
Mahomes was 8 of 12 for 138 yards.
NOTES
SEAHAWKS: Seattle added veteran linebacker Erik Walden and terminated the contract of defensive end Marcus Smith.
Smith spent 2017 with Seattle and re-signed with the team this offseason on a one-year deal. But the former Philadelphia Eagles first-round pick had missed the last few days of practice because of a personal matter, and the Seahawks released him so he could tend to those issues.
Walden, 32, is a 10-year veteran who spent last season with the Titans and the previous four with the Colts.
49ERS: San Francisco signed defensive back Dexter McCoil to a one-year contract and placed safety Terrell Williams Jr. on injured reserve because of a leg injury.
McCoil joined the 49ers last season when he was claimed off waivers from the Chargers. He played in eight games for San Francisco and had one tackle.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.