NFL Recap: Cousins Struggles in Vikings’ Loss to Jaguars

NFL Recap: Cousins Struggles in Vikings’ Loss to Jaguars
Minnesota Vikings running back Latavius Murray carries the ball past Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Telvin Smith during the first quarter. (Brace Hemmelgarn/USA Today Sports)
Reuters
8/20/2018
Updated:
8/20/2018

Kirk Cousins and Latavius Murray each had their fair share of troubles as the Minnesota Vikings lost 14-10 to the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars in preseason action Aug. 18 at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Cousins, coming off a perfect debut against Denver last week, completed 3 of 8 passes for 12 yards in playing four series. Murray, meanwhile, only gained 12 yards on six rushes, fumbling twice.

Backup quarterback Trevor Siemian didn’t fare much better for Minnesota, going 5-for-10 for 46 yards. Rookie running back Mike Boone had the most impressive day on offense, rushing for 91 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries.

Blake Bortles played the first half for the Jaguars and completed 12 of 20 passes for 159 yards along with throwing a pick. Leonard Fournette gained 12 yards on eight carries and added a touchdown.

Bears 24, Broncos 23

Backup quarterback Chase Daniel threw two fourth-quarter touchdowns to lead Chicago to a come-from-behind win over Denver at Broncos Stadium at Mile High.

Daniel finished the night 19-of-28 passing for 189 yards and the two touchdowns. Mitchell Trubisky saw limited action and went 9-of-14 passing for 90 yards, with a touchdown and an interception.

Chicago Bears quarterback Chase Daniel passes under pressure from Denver Broncos defensive end DeMarcus Walker in the third quarter. (Isaiah J. Downing/USA Today Sports)
Chicago Bears quarterback Chase Daniel passes under pressure from Denver Broncos defensive end DeMarcus Walker in the third quarter. (Isaiah J. Downing/USA Today Sports)
On the Denver side of the ball, quarterback Case Keenum was 8-of-13 passing for 78 yards. Chad Kelly cemented his spot as the No. 2 quarterback on the roster, finishing 7-of-9 for 90 yards and a touchdown pass. Former first-round draft pick Paxton Lynch struggled again, completing just 5 of 11 passes for 39 yards. He was sacked twice and heard the boos from the home crowd.

Chargers 24, Seahawks 14

Russell Wilson led Seattle to the red zone three times on the road against Los Angeles, but his team couldn’t capitalize on the opportunities in a loss.

Wilson played the entire first half for the Seahawks, finishing 13-of-21 passing for 193 yards. He was sacked twice, including on a 3rd-and-3 play at the Chargers’ 13-yard line on the opening drive.

Veteran quarterback Philip Rivers made his preseason debut for the Chargers and played one quarter. He finished his night 6-of-7 passing for 62 yards. Running back Melvin Gordon carried the ball 10 times for 35 yards and a touchdown.

Texans 16, Saints 13

Deshaun Watson continued to impress in his comeback from last season’s torn ACL, throwing for 73 yards and a touchdown in limited action as Houston beat visiting San Francisco.

Watson completed 5 of 8 passes, including a 1-yard strike to wide receiver Bruce Ellington in the first quarter to cap an 11-play, 79-yard scoring drive. The Texans saw starting cornerback Kevin Johnson and receiver Sammie Coates Jr. leave early with concussions.

Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson attempts a pass during the first quarter against the San Francisco 49ers. (Troy Taormina/USA Today Sports)
Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson attempts a pass during the first quarter against the San Francisco 49ers. (Troy Taormina/USA Today Sports)
San Francisco scored the first touchdown of the game when quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo completed a 2-yard pass over the middle on 3rd-and-goal. Garoppolo finished the night with 10 of 12 completions for 136 yards. He also was intercepted once.

Buccaneers 30, Titans 14

Jameis Winston, perhaps entering a make-or-break season with Tampa Bay, threw for 226 yards and a pair of scores to lead his club in a rout at Tennessee.

Winston, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 draft, faced off against the man taken right behind him, Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota. But their nights were much, much different. While Mariota played only two series, Winston played the entire first half, leading Tampa Bay to a 20-7 lead at the break.

He completed 13 of 18 passes and compiled a 151.4 passer rating. While Mariota did not get much action, he made the most of it—4-of-7 passing for 80 yards and a 47-yard scoring strike to second-year wide receiver Taywan Taylor in the first quarter.

Rams 19, Raiders 15

Set to open the regular season against each other on Sept. 10, Los Angeles and Oakland each rested many of their offensive starters in what ended up being a win for the hosts at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Without Jared Goff, Sean Mannion received the majority of the snaps for the Rams and completed 10 of 16 passes for 84 yards. John Kelly had 56 rushing yards and a touchdown on 18 carries for Los Angeles as star back Todd Gurley was held out.

Derek Carr didn’t see the field for the Raiders, but EJ Manuel went 10-for-16 for 89 yards and a touchdown. Connor Cook, competing with Manuel for the backup quarterback job, was 6-of-12 for 49 yards. Undrafted rookie Chris Warren led Oakland’s offense with 110 rushing yards and a score on 18 carries.

Bengals 21, Cowboys 13

Quarterback Jeff Driskel helped Cincinnati rally from a 10-0 halftime deficit to claim victory at Dallas.

Driskel completed 10 of 16 passes for 119 yards for Cincinnati. He led the team to two scoring drives in the third quarter.

Quarterback Dak Prescott went 10-of-15 for 86 yards and a score for the Cowboys, who saw Pro Bowl right guard Zack Martin depart in the second quarter with a knee injury.