LANDOVER, Md. - Tom Brady and Jason Campbell put on a regular season show in preseason, combining for 359 yards, six scoring drives and a sore throwing shoulder that isn't the best of news for New England Patriots fans.
Brady again put up strong numbers in his comeback-from-knee-injury campaign, while Campbell helped ease the doubts from a pair of disappointing August performances in the New England's 27-24 victory over the Washington on Friday night.
In the game that traditionally serves as the dress rehearsal for the real stuff that begins in two weeks, Brady played the first half and completed 12 of 19 passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns. Randy Moss had his way with the Redskins secondary, catching six passes for 90 yards and both of Brady's TDs.
While much of the preseason has centered on how Brady would respond to a hit on his surgically repaired knee, the hardest blow came when his right shoulder was crushed to the turf by massive defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth after throwing an incomplete third-down pass late in the second quarter. Brady went to the bench, where he flexed and rotated his throwing arm as the half came to a close and again after returning from the locker room after halftime.
[
]()Brady did not play the second half, even though most of the first-team offense returned for the first drive of the third quarter. He then left the sideline to return to the locker room. In the fourth quarter, the Patriots announced Brady's injury as a sore shoulder.
Campbell was feeling the heat after a 4-for-13 start to the preseason, including 1 for 7 last week, with no touchdowns in either game from the first-team offense. Against the Patriots, he played the first half and first drive of the second half, finishing a hot-and-cold 13 for 22 for 209 yards.
Campbell went 4 for 4 on the opening drive, then had three straight three-and-outs before another scoring drive that featured a 73-yard completion to tight end Chris Cooley, who kept his balance along the sideline to take the ball inside the 10. Campbell finished the drive with a 4-yard run after a nice move that faked out linebacker Paris Lenon.
"I was very pleased," coach Jim Zorn said at halftime. "He was very much into the game. He was competing hard and doing the things that you want. We missed on a couple of long ones, but he came back and was running the show."
Brady and Campbell played to an interception-free 17-17 draw while they were in the game. Then came the backups - and a trio of picks - before the game was decided by Stephen Gostkowski's 31-yard field goal with 8 seconds remaining.
New England's Kevin O'Connell, contending for the No. 2 job, was intercepted twice. Washington's Colt Brennan, trying to stay on the roster, was picked off for the third straight game, this one returned 99 yards for a touchdown by Jonathan Wilhite. Brennan helped redeemed himself with a 33-yard touchdown pass to rookie Marko Mitchell, who moved closer to securing a roster spot as the No. 5 receiver.
Running backs Kevin Faulk and Sammy Morris did not play for the Patriots, giving Laurence Maroney (seven carries for 16 yards) and Fred Taylor (seven for 20) the bulk of the work. At the competitive cornerback spot, second-round pick Darius Butler had a rough night, committing two penalties on a play that put the Redskins at the 1-yard line. Butler was injured in the final minute of the first half when he was landed hard after a block by right tackle Stephon Heyer.
One concern for the Redskins: 15 penalties for 113 yards. They were assessed three 15-yarders in the first half, including one on the Washington bench.
Notes: An unsightly breach of patriotic etiquette: Redskins FB Mike Sellers, carrying the American flag onto the field during pregame introductions, flung the Stars and Stripes onto the ground near the 50-yard line. After a few seconds, LB Robert Hanson walked over and rescued the flag off the turf. ... Redskins injuries: S Kareem Moore (hamstring) and RB Marcus Mason (bruised rib). CB Carlos Rogers (calf), KR-RB Rock Cartwright and T Mike Williams (ankle) did not dress. ... Notable inactives for the Patriots: CB Shawn Springs, WR Wes Welker and DE Richard Seymour and RBs Faulk and Morris. Springs' absence was no surprise to the Redskins, who often saw him ailing on the sideline during his five seasons in Washington.
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