NU’s bad second quarter fatal in 21-7 loss to Duke

Northwestern Wildcats (1981 - Pres)

EVANSTON—Daniel Jones threw for three touchdowns before leaving the game with an apparent injury, and Duke beat Northwestern 21-7 on Saturday.Jones passed for three TDs in the second quarter, propelling the Blue Devils (2-0) to another victory over the Wildcats (1-1) after pounding them at home last year. But he got driven to the turf on a sack by Joe Gaziano at the end of the third and was replaced by Quentin Harris early in the fourth.Jones completed 16 of 22 passes for 192 yards in another big game against Northwestern. He accounted for 413 total yards and four touchdowns in last year’s 41-17 romp.Jonathan Lloyd had 94 yards receiving, including a 52-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter. Davis Koppenhaver had a one-handed TD grab late in the first half, and the Blue Devils won for the 21st time in 24 non-conference games.NU’s Clayton Thorson was 22 of 38 for 198 yards and an interception in his second game back from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. He again shared time with TJ Green, who went 9 for 18 for 84 yards and an interception.Jeremy Larkin ran for 121 yards and a Northwestern touchdown after going for a career-high 143 in the opener against Purdue. Flynn Nagel had 12 catches for 133 yards both career bests. But the Wildcats lost for the first time since Penn State beat them last Oct. 7.Jones threw for 159 yards and three touchdowns in the first half to help the Blue Devils grab a 21-7 lead.Larkin broke off a 40-yard run to the 4 and carried it in from the 2 for Northwestern on the game’s first possession. But three TD passes by Jones in the second quarter gave Duke a 14-point lead.He connected with T.J. Rahming on a 9-yarder just over a minute in and the Blue Devils scored on back-to-back possessions to go up 21-7.Marquis Waters intercepted Thorson in double coverage, leading to the Wildcats’ Cameron Green getting ejected for a helmet-to-helmet hit on him. Jones connected with Lloyd deep down the middle on the next play for a 52-yard touchdown to put Duke on top. An open Koppenhaver made it a 14-point game with 2:18 left in the half when he reached up with his right hand and hauled in a 9-yard touchdown in the back of the end zone.NU had a first down at the Duke 9 early in the third. But the drive stalled, with Thorson getting sacked on fourth down at the 4.The Blue Devils could be in trouble if they have to get by without Jones.The Wildcats clearly need a healthier Thorson if they’re going to make a run in the Big Ten. Larkin, meanwhile, showed again he’s ready to become the workhorse running back with career rushing leader Justin Jackson in the NFL.

GROBBER’S NFL WEEK ONE PICKS.

AFC GAMES: Pitt over CLEVE, Tenn over MIAMI, Cin over IND, BALT over Buff, N.ENG over Houst, LACHARGERS over K.City
NFC GAMES: N.ORL over T.Bay, CAR over Dal, Wash over ARIZ
INT CONF: Jax over NYG, DEN over Seat
THUR NIGHT: PHIL over Atl
MON NIGHT: LARams over OAK
NFC NORTH: DET over NY Jets, MINN over S.Fran, GB over Bears
HOME TEAMS in ALL CAPS.

Irish hold off Michigan is resumption of rivalry

SOUTH BEND—The Michigan-Notre Dame series returned after a three-year hiatus and the 12th-ranked Fighting Irish became the latest rival to get the best of Jim Harbaugh’s Wolverines.Brandon Wimbush connected on a long touchdown pass to help Notre Dame jump out to a big first-half lead, Te’von Coney and the defense made it stand with a late takeaway, and the Fighting Irish beat No. 14 Michigan 24-17 on Saturday night.The Wolverines fell to 1-6 under Harbaugh against the school’s biggest rivals, Ohio State, Michigan State and Notre Dame.A green-out crowd welcomed Michigan back to Notre Dame Stadium and the Fighting Irish scored on their first two drives against a defense loaded with future NFL draft picks. Chris Finke hauled in a deep throw from Wimbush that went through a defender’s hands in traffic for a 43-yard score to put Notre Dame up 14-0 midway through the first half.Wimbush, who had to re-establish himself as the starter in the offseason after a rough end to 2017, was 12 for 22 for 170 yards and an interception and ran for 59 yards.

”It just feels like playing football again,” said Wimbush, who got a game ball from coach Brian Kelly. ”I just had so much fun out there, playing ball and just not worrying about anything else.”

Kelly said of his senior quarterback: ”I thought he played with an edge to him, a confidence.”

Jafar Armstrong’s second touchdown, a 4-yard run with 3:55 left in the second quarter made it 21-3. Ambry Thomas gave the Wolverines a much-needed jolted with a 99-yard touchdown on the ensuing kickoff, but otherwise the Michigan debut of quarterback Shea Patterson was mostly disappointing.Michigan’s only offensive touchdown came with 2:18 left in the fourth quarter, when Karan Higdon rushed in from 3 yards to cut the lead to seven.Patterson, the touted transfer from Mississippi, went 20 for 30 for 227 yards and an interception. He spent a lot of time eluding pass rushers.

”They got us on the inside blitzes. They brought great pressure all night long,” Harbaugh said.

Michigan got a final opportunity with 1:48 and got as far as its 45. Patterson was flushed out of the pocket and stripped by Jerry Tillery. Coney recovered the ball with 46 seconds and sealed Notre Dame’s second straight win against the Wolverines.When they last met in 2014, Notre Dame snapped Michigan’s streak of 365 consecutive games without being shut out with a 31-0 win in South Bend. That loss also marked the beginning of the end of Brady Hoke’s tenure as Michigan coach.

NU takes opener on the road at Purdue

Northwestern Wildcats (1981 - Pres)
WEST LAFAYETTE—Jeremy Larkin proved he could be Northwestern’s workhorse Thursday night.He also showed he’s more than capable of replacing career rushing leader Justin Jackson.In his first game as the Wildcats’ feature back, the sophomore carried 26 times for a career-high 143 yards, scored two touchdowns and helped close out a season-opening 31-27 victory at Purdue with a final drive that consumed more than 7 1/2 minutes.

”I thought he (Larkin) managed the end of the game,” Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald said. ”All the little things, goes down and keeps the clock running. All those seconds count. That’s a veteran guy even though he’s still young.”

It was a much needed change in direction for Northwestern, which opened last season 2-3.Since then, it has won nine straight overall and nine straight over Big Ten foes – the Wildcats’ longest streaks since their 1995 Rose Bowl. And, for now, they still have the longest winning streak among Power Five schools.The game also marked the return of quarterback Clayton Thorson, who tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in December. Team doctors advised Fitzgerald to play Thorson and backup TJ Green played in a rotation and both played solid.Thorson wound up 16 of 26 with 172 yards passing in his 40th consecutive start but must to wait at least one more week to break a tie with Brett Basanez and Len Williams to become the school’s career leader in TD passes.Green was 7 of 11 for 63 yards and scored on a 1-yard run to make it 24-14 midway through the second quarter.For Purdue, it was frustrating.Elijah Sindelar was benched after throwing three interceptions in the first half – each leading to a touchdown. He wound up 18 of 30 with 196 yards and connected with freshman Rondale Moore on a 32-yard score late in the first quarter.

”We can take a sack, it’s not a complete killer but we just tossed it to the other team too many times and that’s disappointing,” Purdue coach Jeff Brohm said. ”I know he (Sindelar) is disappointed. It will get better.”

Moore had a huge college debut, catching 11 passes for 109 yards, running two times for 79 yards including a nifty 76-yard run to tie the score at 14 and broke Otis Armstrong’s single-game record for all-purpose yards. Armstrong had 312 yards against Indiana in 1972. Moore had 302 at halftime and wound up with 313.The difference, as usual, was turnovers.Sindelar’s first interception led to Larkin’s 1-yard run , and John Moten IV capped the Wildcats’ second possession with a 2-yard TD run.After Moore tied the score, NU kicker Charlie Kuhbander made it 17-14 with a 34-yard field goal.Sindelar was picked off two more times before halftime and the Wildcats cashed in with Green’s TD plunge and Larkin’s 4-yard scoring run to make it 31-17 at halftime.Things slowed down in the second half after D.J. Knox broke free for a 45-yard run on Purdue’s first play. Knox made it 31-24 with a 2-yard TD run and Evans made a 27-yard field goal just 4 seconds into the fourth quarter.But Thorson and Larkin played keep away for the final 7:57, closing it out after Purdue’s Lorenzo Neal was called for a personal foul on third-and-11 with 2:31 to go and the Boilermakers out of timeouts.
”He did an awesome job,” Thorson said, referring to Larkin. ”It’s a credit to how he worked in the offseason and we’ll be behind him all season.”
The Wildcats needed a change after slow starts the past two seasons. This key road win could help them challenge for the Big Ten West crown.

Khalil Mack a Bear, Raiders get a pair of #1 Picks.

 

The Bears handed their newly-acquired defensive star a $141 million, six-year extension with $90 million guaranteed, according to multiple reports. Khalil Mack and the Bears just reached agreeement on a record-setting 6-year, $141 million extension ($23.5M per year avg) that includes $90M guaranteed and $60M at signing.Mack is the new highest-paid defensive player in NFL history.It’s been a pretty, pretty, good weekend for Mack, who went from “not talking to the team who drafted him and sitting out the start of the season” to “the highest-paid defender in NFL history on a spicy Bears that just gave up two first-round picks to get him.” There are crazy implications for both sides of the deal. Mack had been sitting out the offseason and preseason with the Raiders declining to negotiate with him and reportedly not speaking with Mack or making an offer to his camp since February. That’s wild considering Mack has 40.5 sacks in 40 years and a Defensive Player of the Year award on his resume.The former No. 5 overall pick made it clear he wanted to be on the field, but there was simply no way to find even ground in negotiations.When it was reported the Raiders wanted two first-round picks for Mack, it seemed like he might just be destined to miss some games and try and squeeze out whatever he could get for this season in order to accrue a year towards free agency. Then the Bears and GM Ryan Pace stepped in and gave Mack everything he wanted, while ensuring the Raiders were sufficiently compensated for the loss of a franchise-caliber defender. Trading Mack left Raiders players stunned, and rightfully so: the idea that Oakland would be waving a white flag on their season not long after signing Gruden to a 10-year, $100 million deal is pretty wild. But it’s also clear the Raiders think they need to save some cash — not signing Mack saves them at least $23 million in terms of cap space, obviously — and acquire some younger talent as they head towards Las Vegas in 2020. The Raiders now will have their young left tackle from the 2018 NFL Draft in Kolton Miller, along with two first-round picks in 2019 and two first-round picks in 2020. If they can hit on some players in those two drafts, they have a very good chance of putting together a nice core.But it’s a core that won’t feature Mack, who is headed to Chicago, where he will be the highest-paid defender in NFL history shortly after signing the papers from the Bears.

Illini rally past Kent State 31-24

Illinois Fighting Illini

CHAMPAIGN—As expected, Illinois showed up to play what many thought would be a nonthreatening Kent State team on Saturday. Unfortunately, its offense didn’t arrive at Memorial Stadium until midway through the third quarter.Nonetheless, the Illini rallied to hold off Kent State 31-24, avoiding an upset and extending its home-opener win streak to 21 games, the fourth-longest in the nation.But the win didn’t come easy for Lovie Smith’s Illinois team, expected to easily turn around a 2-10 season from last year.Following a lackluster first half that saw Kent State leading 17-3, Illinois quarterback AJ Bush showed the crowd of 31,898 why offensive coordinator Rod Smith called him a ”dynamic, dual threat.” Bush passed for 190 yards on 23 attempts, and rushed for 139 yards on 21 carries.

”It’s been a while since AJ played,” Lovie Smith said. ”He’s a tough guy, he’s mobile and he ran well. He also threw some good passes.”

Reggie Corbin carried 10 times for 79 yards and two touchdowns for the Illini (1-0). Mike Epstein and Ra’Von Bonner added rushing touchdowns.Woody Barrett, announced by first-year Kent State coach Sean Lewis as the starting quarterback at game time, was 28-of-41 passing for 270 yards and two touchdowns. He threw an interception late when Illinois linebacker Del’Shawn Phillips picked off a short pass into the end zone that would have tied it with less than three minutes remaining.Barrett and sophomore Dustin Crum had battled for the starting spot since spring.Barrett also was the leading rusher for the Golden Flashes with 18 carries for 117 yards and one touchdown.Lewis saw much to be happy about on Saturday.

”For year one, game one, it’s certainly something we can build on,” he said. ”Obviously, we need to finish stronger and there are going to be some things we need to look at.”

Mike Carrigan rushed for 62 yards on eight carries and a touchdown for Kent State (0-1).Before the game, Illinois announced the indefinite suspension of five players, including three starters: safety Bennett Williams, cornerback Nate Hobbs and tight end Lou Dorsey. Wideout Carmoni Green and defensive tackle Deon Pate also were suspended.The loss of defensive backs Williams and Hobbs hurt the Illini, allowing Barrett to pepper the Illini secondary with passes early in the game, throwing for 110 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. Illinois tightened up in the second half. Losing Dorsey also hurt with backup Daniel Barker a nonfactor in the game.The team said the suspensions were for ”breaking team rules.” No further information was available, nor was it certain how long the players will be out, although Lovie Smith indicated after the game it might be sooner rather than later.With 2:11 left and Illinois up 31-24, Kent State drove to the Illini 2-yard-line. After being backed up to the 6, Barrett dropped back on fourth down. Carrigan had slipped to the left and was open briefly in the back of the end zone. Barrett fired the ball and Phillips leaped and snared the interception, ending the Kent State threat and securing the Illinois victory.Illinois was expected to cruise to victory over a Kent State team picked by most to finish last in the Mid-American Conference. But Rod Smith’s offense didn’t awaken until midway through the third quarter, finally bringing the crowd to its feet as it struck twice in less than three minutes to tie the game at 24.A few minutes later, Corbin punched his way in on a 1-yard carry to cap an eight-play, 55-yard drive that put Illinois up for Illinois hosts Western Illinois on Saturday.

Big third quarter gives Bills comeback win over Bears in Final(yea) fake game.

AJ McCarron delivered in the end after struggling for most of the game, leading a fourth-quarter surge that culminated with a touchdown pass in the final minute, and the Buffalo Bills closed the preseason with a 28-27 victory over the Bears on Thursday night.With both teams holding out their starters and few key reserves playing, the focus was on McCarron. For most of the game, he made a shaky case for a roster spot let alone a starting job, but he did come through down the stretch.He ran for a touchdown and threw for three more in the fourth – including a 6-yarder to Keith Towbridge in the closing minute. That capped an 84-yard drive that was aided by two roughing-the-passer calls, including one against Isaiah Irving on a fourth down at the Buffalo 3.McCarron was 13 of 34 for 156 yards and had an interception returned for a touchdown in the early going. He could be the odd man out if the Bills opt to go with two quarterbacks rather than three, though coach Sean McDermott insisted he is ”absolutely” in the race for the starting job with first-round pick Josh Allen and returning backup Nathan Peterman.He also said he has not decided who will start the opener at Baltimore on Sept. 9.Tyler Bray made a case for the Bears to keep three quarterbacks. With Mitchell Trubisky and backup Chase Daniel not playing, Bray was 19 of 29 for 180 yards and an interception. Ryan Nall ran for 79 yards, including a 32-yard touchdown.

”I like where we’re at,” said Bears coach Matt Nagy, in his first season. ”We’ve got a lot of depth and we’re going to have some tough decisions here coming up.”

Signed to a two-year deal in free agency after spending the past four seasons as Andy Dalton’s backup in Cincinnati, McCarron was considered the initial front-runner for the Bills’ starting job because he had more experience than Allen and returning backup Peterman.But he missed a little over a week after he bruised his right shoulder while being hit several times at Cleveland on Aug. 17. That injury along with his performance seemed to knock him out of the running for the starting job. It also raised questions about whether he will make the opening roster.But McCarron said he has ”no clue” where he stands in the competition or if he’ll make the roster.McCarron got off to a brutal start, throwing for just 39 yards and getting picked off twice in the first half.His troubles really began after Cody Parkey kicked a 47-yard field goal on the Bears first possession.Moments later, McCarron threw a pass right to the Bears’ Doran Grant along the sideline, resulting in a 33-yard touchdown return . And just like that, it was 10-0.Parkey added a 23-yard field goal midway through the second quarter. Nall made it 20-0 with just under two minutes left in the half with his 32-yard TD run up the right sideline, though the Bears missed another opportunity in the closing seconds after McCarron got picked off again.Abdullah Anderson tipped a pass at the line, leading to an interception for John Timu. But Parkey’s 39-yard attempt hit the right upright.There were no protests by either team during the anthem.TE Daniel Brown suffered a shoulder injury on a 27-yard catch in the third and left the game. Nagy said he’s not sure if it’s ”day by day or week by week.” … LB Kasim Edebali was helped off the field and taken from the sideline on a cart with a bruised leg after a run by Buffalo on the first play of the fourth quarter.

Bears sit ‘everyone’, reserves beat KC 27-20

Bears coach Matt Nagy decided to rest his starters for the next-to-last preseason game rather than use it as the customary regular-season tuneup.And the backups proved that they’re also ready for the regular season. Backup quarterback Chase Daniel directed touchdown drives on the first three possessions and the Bears defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 27-20 on Saturday.The Bears played in the Hall of Fame Game and have been practicing since July 20, and Nagy liked what he’d seen in practices.So he decided Friday to keep starters out of what normally would be a dress rehearsal for the regular-season opener at Green Bay on Sept. 9.

”This was, for me, more of just knowing the pulse of our team,” Nagy said. ”I know this team better than anybody right now.”

Daniel replaced Mitchell Trubisky against the Chiefs, the team Nagy last year served as offensive coordinator. Nagy didn’t think Trubisky, who is in his second year as a starter, would have benefited greatly after about 2,000 preseason and training camp snaps.

”We’ve had some grueling practices against Denver, some live reps in our past couple preseason games,” Nagy said.

Playing against Chiefs defensive starters and then the backups, Daniel led the Bears to a 24-10 halftime lead.Daniel, a Chiefs backup quarterback from 2013-15, finished 15 of 18 for 198 yards and two touchdowns. The first two Bears touchdown drives came against Kansas City’s starting defense, minus injured safety Eric Berry and four other injured players.Wide-open receiver Kevin White caught Daniel’s 29-yard TD pass in the first quarter to break a 7-7 tie, and Daniel then found Javon Wims for a 7-yard TD pass in the back corner of the end zone and a 21-10 lead.Benny Cunningham ran in from 13 yards for the Bear’s first TD and Cody Parkey added a 48-yard field goal just before halftime.Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes II and the starting offense played into the third quarter against the backup Bears defense, and showed inconsistency.Mahomes flipped a short pass to the right side and Kareem Hunt turned it into a 19-yard TD for a 7-7 tie. Then he led a 49-yard drive ending in Harrison Butker’s second-quarter 47-yard field goal.Mahomes didn’t produce a big play on Saturday, and finished 18 of 24 for 196 yards. He left the game with the Chiefs down 24-10 in the third quarter.

 

NOTES—Bears wide receiver Kevin White’s 29-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter was the first touchdown he has scored since coming into the NFL as the seventh pick in the 2015 draft. White missed 2015 and much of 2016 with leg injuries, and played one game last year before suffering a shoulder injury. He is vying for a roster spot in a crowded wide receiver competition and has Nagy’s eye.

”I root for underdogs, I love underdogs,” Nagy said. ”And so when you have an underdog that fights his tail off to improve and when people don’t believe in him and he proves the people who do believe in him right, then there’s nothing better to me.”

Nagy and his mentor, Reid, shared a hug and a few moments after the game.Nagy also had a long talk after the game with Mahomes, who started a game for the Chiefs last year as a rookie.

”I told him good luck,” Mahomes said. ”He was someone that I really got to know last year and really built a great relationship with him. I’m excited for him and his future with Chicago.”

Chiefs linebacker Tanoh Kpassagnon was flagged for roughing Daniel in the second quarter, even though Daniel was tackled with the ball still in his hand. Daniel said it was because Kpassagnon drove him into the ground with the full force of his body.

”I got crushed,” Daniel said. ”I’m glad I was wearing full pads out there.”

Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers last year suffered a broken collarbone on a similar hit…..There were no protests during the anthem….Bears wide receiver Marlon Brown left in the second quarter with a possible concussion and did not return. … Bears reserve tackle Bradley Sowell was assisted from the field in the fourth quarter with a leg injury….The Chiefs close the preseason Thursday by hosting Green Bay.The Bears ene the preseason Thursday by hosting the Buffalo Bills.The Brears again will rest most starters.

Bears rally late to edge Broncos with two late TD’s.

DENVER—Mitch Trubisky and Denver QB Case Keenum feel better about their respective offenses after starting out faster and finally moving the chains Saturday night.

”Scoring points always feels better,” said Keenum, who led two scoring drives in three possessions one week after his dud of a Denver debut.

Trubisky also bounced back from a dismal debut last week by connecting with Trey Burton for his first score of the summer.

”We can find answers in this offense,” said Trubisky, who’s learning first-year coach Matt Nagy’s philosophies. ”The playmakers are going to get open. It’s my job to get them the ball.”

Keenum’s new backup Chad Kelly threw another touchdown pass after leapfrogging Paxton Lynch, but it was Bears backup Chase Daniel who had the best night of all.He led a fantastic finish by throwing for a pair of touchdowns in the final five minutes Saturday night to spark the Bears come-from-behind 24-23 win.With the Broncos in control at 23-10, Lynch entered the game to a thunderclap of boos, which only increased through three drives that went nowhere.

”Well, I feel bad for Paxton, but our fans want to win,” Broncos coach Vance Joseph said. ”That’s what it’s about, it’s about passion, I should say. But I feel bad for Paxton. But he has to ignore it and go play. It’s professional football. No one’s going to hold your hand, so he has to go out there and perform.”

Lynch played poorly again.A week after his 24-yard performance led to his demotion, he threw for just 39 yards on 5-of-11 passing with a pair of sacks.He nevertheless had the Broncos (0-2) in field goal range when he hit Isaiah McKenzie on a short slant route and the speedy receiver who fumbled six times as a rookie, coughed up the football on second effort at the Bears 37 and linebacker Isaiah Irving recovered it with 58 seconds left.Daniel threw a 2-yard TD pass to running back Taquan Mizzell with 4:38 left and then hit tight end Ben Braunecker with 1:53 remaining to tie it. Pat O’Donnell’s extra point gave the Bears (1-2) their first lead.After a pair of three-and-outs last week, Keenum rebounded from another three-and-out to lead two scoring drives on his final two possessions, finishing 8 for 13 for 78 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.Kelly had his second straight strong showing, this one just 48 hours after general manager John Elway indicated he might have to go in search of a veteran backup quarterback if he can’t trust either Kelly or Lynch to come in and win games should Keenum get hurt.Even though Kelly’s three TDs are the only ones thrown by Denver’s quarterbacks so far, Joseph’s not ready to say he can trust him to be one play away from starting when the regular season begins.Trubisky threw for 90 yards and a touchdown on 9-of-14 passing. He also threw an interception and was tackled by first-round pick Bradley Chubb for a safety after the shotgun snap from the 1 went off his hands.Trubisky said he’s feeling more and more comfortable in the Bears new offense.Von Miller , who was held out at the last minute a week earlier, made his preseason debut for Denver and played a couple of series. Miller said he wasn’t upset by the decision last week to sit him against the Vikings but said he did want to play.

Bears fall short to Bengals, 0-2 in Exhibitions

CINCINNATI—Andy Dalton made the Bengals’ new offense look like a comfortable fit.Working out of Cincinnati’s reconfigured playbook, Dalton threw a pair of touchdown passes during a 30-27 victory over the Bears on Thursday night at half-empty Paul Brown Stadium.The Bengals (1-0) were last in the league on offense last season, the worst finish in franchise history. They overhauled their leaky offensive line, and coordinator Bill Lazor injected more diversity into the playbook. It showed the first time out.

”That’s what we wanted to do,” Dalton said. ”If we go out and play like we’re supposed to play, it can look like that.”

Dalton went 6 of 8 for 103 yards, completing four passes of at least 20 yards. He also had an interception that wasn’t his fault – John Ross fell on his route and Kyle Fuller returned the pickoff 47 yards to the end zone.The Bengals are hoping that Ross and running back Joe Mixon – their top two picks last season – emerge in the redesigned offense during their second seasons.Ross had a 20-yard catch. Mixon – moved into the starring role with Jeremy Hill gone – made the game’s most impressive play. He caught a short pass, stiff-armed one defender and spun away from another for a 24-yard touchdown .The Bears (0-2) rested most of their starters during a 17-16 loss to the Ravens in the Hall of Fame Game, including quarterback Mitchell Trubisky . His preseason debut Thursday didn’t go very well.

”We expect to be better,” Trubisky said. ”We were sloppy and that’s not how we want to play.”

Trubisky was in for two series that netted minus-1 yard on eight plays. The Bears’ only first down on those series came on Carlos Dunlap’s penalty for roughing the quarterback, a late hit on Trubisky. He missed on a deep sideline pass to Kevin White on his opening throw and finished 2 of 4 for 4 yards.

”There was nothing extraordinary, but nothing bad,” first-year coach Matt Nagy said. ”This is so early for him right now. It’ll be fun to get him more snaps and get him into a rhythm.”

Attendance was 35,633, slightly more than half-capacity at the 65,535-seat stadium. Last year, the Bengals drew 44,495 for their first home preseason game. They’re coming off two straight losing seasons.Tyler Bray had a 56-yard completion to Daniel Brown during a 92-yard touchdown drive that put the Bears ahead in the fourth quarter. Bray finished 18 of 27 for 219 yards. The Bears signed him from Kansas City, where he was familiar with Nagy’s offense.Nagy decided to try for a tying field goal with 45 seconds left. Cody Parkey missed a 52-yard try.

NOTES—There were no protests. Bears players, coaches and staff stood with arms linked for the anthem. Bengals players stood by themselves on the sideline…..Demarcus Ayers and Fejedelem drew personal fouls for lowering their heads during tackles…..The Bears play at Denver on Saturday, Aug. 18.