After slopping their way through a 23-6 loss Friday in Las Vegas, the New England Patriots described their problems as being fundamental.

From Coach Bill Belichick to center David Andrews to quarterback Mac Jones, the Patriots knew they fumbled the basics in their preseason finale.

For Jones, who was 9 of 13 for 71 yards and an interception, that meant he needs to improve in an area in which he excelled as a rookie.

“With this year, tonight specifically, I’ve gotta do a better job of stepping up and delivering the throws,” Jones said postgame.

Over four drives, Jones was sacked twice. The first sack capped a game-opening three-and-out and fell entirely at the quarterback’s feet. After working past his first read, Jones drifted toward the right edge of the pocket, a place his offensive linemen don’t expect him to be. Right guard Mike Onwenu knocked Raiders edge rusher Malcolm Koonce off to the side, but Koonce collided with the wayward Jones for an easy takedown.

Later, on his final snap, Jones threw the ball away after bailing left at the first sign of pressure. As a rookie, Jones was praised for routinely standing in against pressure and taking a hit, if necessary. During this preseason, though, Jones has been ducking out of the pocket as the offensive line tries to fix itself, with the season opener against the Dolphins looming on Sept. 11.

Part of Friday’s struggles, Jones indicated, was caused by the Patriots not game-planning specific plays against a Las Vegas defense that grew familiar with them over two joint practices. He admitted, though, that it wasn’t a good enough excuse.

“At the end of the day, we need to be able to execute base plays, scheme plays, all that stuff. It definitely needs to look better, and I’ve gotta do a better job of just getting the ball out and stepping up in the pocket,” he said, “instead of running around and putting my line in a bad position.”

For the preseason, Jones finished 13 of 21 for 132 yards and one interception. He was hit on 21% of his dropbacks.

BILLS: In the face of a major public backlash and internal questions over the decision to award Matt Araiza the punting job, Buffalo reversed course by cutting the rookie, two days after a lawsuit was filed alleging the player and two college teammates gang-raped a teenager last fall.

Bills General Manager Brandon Beane said the team was not aware of the allegations against Araiza at the time he was drafted. Had they known, Beane said, they would have removed him from consideration.

The decision to cut ties with their sixth-round draft pick out of San Diego State comes after the Bills cleared the way for Araiza to take over the punting duties by releasing returning veteran Matt Haack on Monday.

The Bills opted then to keep Araiza even while being aware of the allegations made against him since late July. The team then stood by the player by announcing it “conducted a thorough examination” into the matter a day after the lawsuit was filed.

SEAHAWKS: Geno Smith is the choice as the first replacement for Russell Wilson at quarterback for Seattle.

Coach Pete Carroll made the announcement Friday night after a 27-26 preseason loss to the Dallas Cowboys that included three interceptions from Drew Lock.

It seemed clear Lock’s rough night, which did include a touchdown pass, wasn’t the deciding factor. Smith played one series before Lock played into the fourth quarter.

PANTHERS: Coach Matt Rhule said backup quarterback Sam Darnold and kicker Zane Gonzalez both suffered “significant” injuries in the 21-0 win over the Buffalo Bills on Friday night.

Darnold has a high ankle sprain, which is normally a 4-to-6 week injury. But Rhule said doctors haven’t determined how much time Darnold will miss, adding that putting him on short-term injured reserve is a possibility.

The Panthers will enter the season with Baker Mayfield as their starter and P.J. Walker as his backup.

Gonzalez’s groin injury appears even worse, and there is a possibility it could be season-ending. He will see a specialist to determine the degree of injury.

PACKERS: Green Bay remains unsure about the status of its top two offensive linemen for its Sept. 11 season opener against the Minnesota Vikings.

David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins were both removed from the physically unable to perform list over the last two weeks as they recover from knee injuries. Packers Coach Matt LaFleur said he still doesn’t know whether either will play at Minnesota.

Bakhtiari has played in only one game since tearing his left anterior cruciate ligament on Dec. 31, 2020. He returned for the Packers’ 2021 regular-season finale, but had a setback and wasn’t available for their NFC divisional playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

Jenkins hasn’t played since tearing his left ACL on Nov. 21 at Minnesota.

SATURDAY’S GAMES

FALCONS 28, JAGUARS 12: Desmond Ridder shook off an interception on his very first throw to lead Atlanta to its first home preseason win since 2016.

Both teams relied mainly on backups and roster wannabes in their preseason finale, with the Falcons (2-1) prevailing behind their third-round draft pick out of Cincinnati.

Playing into the fourth quarter, Ridder completed 14 of 25 passes for 185 yards, including a 2-yard touchdown throw to fellow rookie Tyler Allgeier in the first quarter.

BENGALS 16, RAMS 7: Jake Browning came off the bench to go 19 of 24 for 173 yards and a touchdown, leading Cincinnati to a win at home in a preseason game contested mostly by backups.

Tight end Justin Rigg caught a 3-yard touchdown pass from Browning with 4:34 remaining to secure the win in a rematch of last season’s Super Bowl, which Los Angeles won, 23-20.

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