Buffalo comes from behind; late drive defeats Pittsburgh

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Ian Wheeler scored on a 2-yard run with 1:06 left, Steve Buechele completed an off-balance pass to Dante Pettis for a two-point conversion and the Buffalo Bills beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 28-27 in the preseason finale for each team Thursday night.

The Steelers’ last chance to pull ahead ended with Drew Allar’s pass sailing behind tight end Lake McRee on fourth-and-7 with 44 seconds remaining. It was a disappointing finish for Allar in an outing the rookie was attempting to separate himself from Will Howard in the competition for the Steelers’ third-string job.

The Steelers squandered a 10-point lead over the final seven minutes.

With Kyle Allen appearing to have locked up the primary backup job behind Josh Allen, Buechele handled the quarterback duties in finishing 26 for 38 for 196 yards. The go-ahead score was set up by a 42-yard pass interference penalty against Tamon Lymum on Pettis that gave the Bills the ball at the 7.

After Wheeler scored on third down, the Bills elected for the two-point conversion. Buechele was back-pedaling in the face of pressure before getting off a pass to Pettis, who was open along the left side of the goal line.

Frank Gore Jr. scored on a 1-yard run for Buffalo, and receiver Skyler Bell also found the end zone on a 28-yard scamper off a reverse. Bell, a rookie fourth-round draft pick, also had seven catches for 49 yards.

The only major concern to come out of the game was Pittsburgh special teams ace Ben Skowronek appearing to hurt his head while tackling Mecole Hardman on a kickoff return in the first half. Skowronek was escorted up the tunnel and did not return.

The outing featured mostly backups in what was regarded as the final chance for players to showcase themselves before NFL teams begin making cuts to establish their 53-player rosters by Sunday evening.

Allar finished 9 of 18 for 88 yards and oversaw one touchdown drive that was capped by Elie Heidenreich scoring on a 9-yard run to open the second half. On the drive, Allar completed three of four attempts for 34 yards — including a 25-yarder Heidenreich.

Kaden Wetjen also scored on a 45-yard punt return that put the Steelers ahead 27-17 four minutes into the fourth quarter.

BROWNS 37, PATRIOTS 13

CLEVELAND — Dillon Gabriel threw three touchdown passes — two to Luke Floriea — and Taylen Green directed a 98-yard touchdown drive to help Cleveland beat New England in the final preseason game for both teams.

Gabriel and Green got extended looks as they vie for the Browns’ third quarterback spot. Gabriel got the start and played the first half while Green saw the second-half snaps.

Gabriel, in his second year after being a third-round pick in the 2025 draft, completed 12 of 15 passes for 186 yards and a 157.9 passer rating as he led the Browns to points on the first five drives.

Green showed off his dual-threat ability during his four possessions. He was 5 of 7 passing for 27 yards along with eight rushing attempts for 66 yards.

Tommy DeVito started for New England and was in for two drives and was 2 of 4 for 55 yards. He led the Patriots to their only touchdown on their opening possession, connecting with Kyle Williams for a 45-yard score in the first quarter to tie it at 7.

Behren Morton played the rest of the game and led the Patriots on two scoring drives that ended with field goals by Andy Borregales. Morton completed 18 of 28 passes for 123 yards with two interceptions.

Gabriel started six games as a rookie last season with seven touchdowns and two interceptions He did not factor in the starting quarterback competition where Deshaun Watson beat out Shedeur Sanders.

Gabriel saw spot action in the fourth quarter in the first two preseason games, but looked more comfortable on Thursday night. He connected with Luke Floriea for 6- and 14-yard touchdown receptions in the first quarter, and Ahmani Marshall had a 7-yard score on a screen pass late in the second quarter to extend Cleveland’s lead to 27-10.

Gabriel also had a nice 52-yard completion to Ben Patterson up the left sideline to the Patriots’ 21 on the first play of the third drive, which resulted in the first of Andre Szmyt’s three field goals. There was also a 29-yard throw to Kole Wilson midway through the second quarter to get the Browns back in the red zone.

49ERS 18, RAIDERS 12

LAS VEGAS — Las Vegas rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza saw what it was like to face a strong NFL pass rush, even against a San Francisco defense comprised of reserves, and he was sacked twice and threw an interception in the 49ers’ preseason victory over the Raiders.

Eddy Pineiro made all six field goal attempts, including 51- and 54-yarders in the final 1:51 for the 49ers. Las Vegas’ Matt Gay, who played briefly for San Francisco last season, made 4 of 5 field goals, his miss coming from 54 yards in the third quarter.

Mendoza completed 7 of 14 passes for 57 yards, making him 25 of 40 for 240 yards with a touchdown, two interceptions and four sacks for the three preseason games. He led five drives against the 49ers, one ending in a field goal and another in the missed attempt.

It wasn’t quite the exclamation point the top overall draft pick wanted to put on the preseason, and now he will have to search for practice repetitions with Kirk Cousins expected to be the starter when the season begins. Cousins took the vast majority of snaps in training camp, and his workload figures to go only increase as the Raiders (1-2) go full time into game planning.

Both coaches took notably different approaches to this preseason finale, with the Raiders’ Klint Kubiak playing almost his entire starting offense and defense for two series and the Niners’ Kyle Shanahan going with backups the entire game.

Cousins directed two drives, both ending in field goals. He completed 8 of 11 passes for 51 yards.

Mike Washington Jr., who could open the season as the starting running back with Ashton Jeanty out with an undisclosed injury. rushed for 49 yards on eight carries. Washington rushed for 168 yards in the preseason, averaging 7.3 per carry.

49ers backup quarterback Mac Jones and what was mostly the second-team offense was held to one first down and 20 yards on two drives against the Raiders’ starting defense, minus pass rusher Maxx Crosby who didn’t play in any preseason games. Jones finished 1 of 5 for 7 yards.

The Raiders went with Mendoza for the third period and gave him the starting offense, except for rookie Trey Zuhn III taking over for Tyler Linderbaum at center. Mendoza threw high to Jalen Nailor on his second play, and the ball popped into the air into the hands of San Francisco linebacker Tatum Bethune for an interception.

Cleveland Browns’ Easton Mascarenas-Arnold intercepts a pass against the New England Patriots during the first half of a preseason NFL football game Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)New England Patriots wide receiver Kyle Williams (18) catches a pass for a touchdown as Cleveland Browns defensive back D’Angelo Ross (20) defends during the first half of a preseason NFL football game Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)Cleveland Browns wide receiver Luke Floriea (81) celebrates with Raheim Sanders (35) after scoring a touchdown during the first half of a preseason NFL football game against the New England Patriots Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)Cleveland Browns quarterback Taylen Green runs for a gain against the New England Patriots during the second half of a preseason NFL football game Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)