The Miami Dolphins showed exactly why coaches and players typically don’t care about final scores or wins and losses in the preseason.
Though the host Washington Commanders won the game 20-7 on Friday, the biggest moments of the game may have come on the first drive of the night. Playing their starters and treating the first drive very much like a regular-season game, the Dolphins drove 93 yards for a touchdown on their first march with their new quarterback.
Malik Willis, who joined Miami after excelling as the backup in Green Bay, went 4-for-5 for 43 yards on his only drive of the game, which ended with a 1-yard touchdown run by De’Von Achane — on his seventh carry of the drive.
While the Commanders kept their starters out of the game, the battle for Washington’s No. 3 running back spot took center stage, and both rookies angling for the job made big opening statements. Sixth-round pick Kaytron Allen out of Penn State ran for 85 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries while undrafted Robert Henry Jr. from UTSA posted 75 yards on 12 carries with another score.MLB news
Broncos 27, Falcons 7
The guy Willis is replacing in Miami, Tua Tagovailoa, had an underwhelming debut with Atlanta, throwing for just 22 yards and fumbling a snap across two drives that totaled 19 yards in a loss to visiting Denver.
Tagovailoa is expected to compete with Michael Penix Jr. for the starting job with the Falcons, but Penix is still recovering from knee surgery. The Broncos rested starter Bo Nix, and backup Jarrett Stidham — who started in place of an injured Nix in last season’s AFC title game — threw for 131 yards and a score.
Denver receiver Courtland Sutton gained 60 yards on three catches, including a dazzling 40-yard grab to the 1-yard line on the game’s opening drive. Adam Prentice ran for a touchdown on the next play.
Buccaneers 24, Jets 16
Getting the surprise start after Geno Smith was a late scratch with an ankle injury, rookie Cade Klubnik led New York to scores on both of his drives, but Tampa Bay outscored the Jets 24-6 the rest of the way to win in East Rutherford, N.J.
Klubnik, a fourth-round pick out of Clemson, completed 5 of 7 passes for 56 yards and led the Jets to 10 points, capped by a 31-yard scoring run by Braelon Allen.
Tampa Bay, which sat all of its starters, had the play of the game when rookie cornerback Ayden Garnes intercepted a Bailey Zappe pass and returned it 47 yards to tie the game at 10-10 in the second quarter. Zappe threw two interceptions on the night.
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TEXANS FEAR TORN ACL FOR BACKUP QB GRAHAM MERTZ
Texans second-year quarterback Graham Mertz likely tore his ACL during Thursday’s preseason opener, ESPN reported.
A sixth-round draft pick in 2025, Mertz sustained a knee injury during a scramble late in the second quarter. Before leaving, he completed 4 of 7 passes for 23 yards in the 27-7 loss to the visiting Los Angeles Chargers.
Mertz, 25, is No. 3 on the depth chart behind starter C.J. Stroud and veteran backup Davis Mills. He is expected to undergo additional testing Friday to confirm the ACL tear, which would be a season-ending injury.
Mertz spent most of his rookie season on the injured list. He dealt with a leg injury during his senior season at Florida.
Mertz, who played at Wisconsin (2019-22) and Florida (2023-24), did not appear in a regular season game in 2025.
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BILLS’ PHIDARIAN MATHIS BANNED 3 GAMES FOR SUBSTANCE VIOLATION
Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis received a three-game suspension on Friday from the NFL, which cited a violation of its substances of abuse policy.
According to ESPN, the punishment was in response to “an alcohol-related incident” from the spring of 2025 when Mathis was on the New York Jets’ roster. The Jets released him in the summer of 2025, and he signed with the Bills last fall.
Mathis, 28, came off the Buffalo bench to appear in six games last season, recording 13 tackles. He has been fighting to make the Bills’ roster this year, and he can play in the preseason until the suspension kicks in on Aug. 30 ahead of the team’s regular-season opener at the Houston Texans on Sept. 13.
A second-round pick of the Commanders in 2022, Mathis has played in 29 games, all as a reserve, for Washington (2022-24) and Buffalo (2025). He has amassed 38 tackles (two for loss), one pass defensed and one fumble recovery.
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REPORT: TROY AIKMAN FACES BRADY-LIKE RESTRICTIONS DUE TO MIAMI INVOLVEMENT
Troy Aikman, who began working with the Miami Dolphins in an advisory role this year, will face similar restrictions around the league in his broadcast role as Tom Brady does as a part-owner of the Las Vegas Raiders.
The news was first reported Friday by Front Office Sports, which received a written statement from NFL chief spokesperson Brian McCarthy on the subject of broadcasters who maintain a dual role with an NFL front office or ownership group.
“There have been no issues with Tom (Brady) over the last two seasons,” McCarthy told the outlet. “It is up to the coaches and clubs what they share with him. If they share information they shouldn’t, then that’s on them. The same parameters that pertained to Tom last season will continue this year and also will apply to Troy (Aikman).Sports news aggregation
“Both may attend production meetings virtually but will have no access to practice facilities or practices. They may conduct interviews outside team facilities with football personnel and players. They could conduct the interview at the team hotel in an area separate from other football personnel. They could broadcast games involving their own club.”
That last piece won’t apply to Aikman and the Dolphins this year. Aikman is Joe Buck’s color commentary partner on ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” broadcasts, and Miami was not scheduled to play a Monday night game in 2026 as it enters a post-Tua Tagovailoa rebuild.
However, broadcast teams typically attend practices to meet with coaches and key players in the week leading up to their assigned game. When Brady started his role on Fox’s No. 1 NFL team while also pursuing a minority stake in the Raiders, the league put restrictions in place to lower the likelihood (or perceived likelihood) that Brady would use information gathered from other franchises to give the Raiders a competitive advantage.
Aikman, 59, took on a role with the Dolphins in January initially to help them hire their next general manager. Aikman said in a recent interview that he has no official title with the team.
The three-time Super Bowl champion as quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys has worked with Buck in the broadcast booth since 2002. They joined ESPN to take on “Monday Night Football” duties in 2022. They’re slated to call Super Bowl LXI next February, ESPN’s first time carrying the game.
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FALCONS DE JAMES PEARCE JR. SUSPENDED EIGHT GAMES
Atlanta Falcons edge rusher James Pearce Jr. was suspended for eight games for violating the NFL personal conduct policy and won’t be in uniform before November.
Pearce, afforded an appeal of the punishment handed down Friday according to the Collective Bargaining Agreement, declined his option to challenge the league ruling and will begin serving his suspension Aug. 30. Pearce cannot be reinstated until Nov. 2, but eligibility doesn’t guarantee he’ll be cleared to rejoin the roster.
The NFL banned Pearce due to his plea agreement and entry into a diversion program. Pearce, 22, was charged after using his vehicle to block ex-girlfriend and current WNBA player Rickea Jackson from reporting their domestic dispute to authorities, according to a police report from the incident in south Florida on Feb. 7.
Police arriving on the scene alleged Pearce had pursued Jackson in separate vehicles, intentionally struck the vehicle Jackson was driving and fled in his SUV when officers arrived.
As part of the plea agreement in Florida, Pearce faces strict probation for six months. He must pass random drug tests, attend counseling and is prohibited from contact with Jackson. Jackson told police they met at the University of Tennessee, where both were athletes, and that their relationship lasted three years.
If Pearce violates the terms of his court-approved program, he’s immediately subject to additional punishment from the NFL and faces the possible reinstatement of some or all charges related to the original incident. Those charges included misdemeanor stalking, felony aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, fleeing police and resisting arrest.
Atlanta will be in preparation for Week 9 and a game against the Cincinnati Bengals in Madrid if Pearce is reinstated to the roster Nov. 2.
A first-round pick in 2025, Pearce remains eligible for preseason games, including Friday’s opener against the Broncos, and can practice until the suspension start date. He had 10.5 sacks in 17 games last season.
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TITANS DB NAZEEH JOHNSON SUSPENDED 6 GAMES FOR PED VIOLATION
The NFL suspended Tennessee Titans defensive back Nazeeh Johnson six games on Friday for violation of the league’s policy on performance enhancing substances.
Johnson, 28, will begin his suspension when the Titans open the regular season Sept. 13 at home against the New York Jets. He will be eligible to return Oct. 25 in a home game against the Cleveland Browns.
Johnson will be allowed to participate in practices with the Titans and is eligible to play in all preseason games.
Heading into his fourth full season, and his first with the Titans, the seventh-round draft pick by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2022 has 66 tackles (three for loss) and three passed defensed in 29 career games (six starts).
Johnson won a Super Bowl ring as a rookie with the Chiefs in 2022 but did not play in 2023, when Kansas City repeated as champion, because of an ACL injury. He signed a free-agent deal with the Titans in late July.
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