Ohio Wins The Night: Bengals, Browns Successful In Exhibition Football Games

The Green Bay Packers Have A Problem

All the sunny optimism in the world cannot change the fact that the Green Bay Packers need a better backup quarterback.

NFL Preseason Scores: Bengals Outlast Falcons, Browns Surprise Packers

The Atlanta Falcons passed the ball 60 times in a losing effort to the Cincinnati Bengals , 24-19, and the Cleveland Browns offense blew up for a 35-10 victory over the Green Bay Packers in the first set of games for the second week of the preseason.

Matt Ryan was efficient for the Falcons throughout the night, completing 18-of-21 passes while his backups, Dominique Davis and Chris Redman, combined for 21-of-36 passing for 227 yards. Unfortunately for Falcons fans, it wasn't enough as the Bengals held on for a 24-19 victory. Highlights of the game from Atlanta's side include this picture perfect touchdown reception from Andy Dalton to A.J. Green. From the Bengals side, the notable part of the game came in the form of injuries to Jermaine Gresham and Vontaze Burfict.

As expected the Packers didn't keep Aaron Rodgers in very long but he was played long enough to throw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Jordy Nelson. Rodgers' backup, Graham Harrell, struggled throughout the night completing 50 percent of his passes for just 100 yards. The Packers are quickly learning that moving into the regular season with Harrell as Rodgers' backup may not be the best decision. On the Browns' side, Brandon Weeden completed 12-of-20 passes and looked sharp throughout the night, save a pair of dropped interceptions from the Packers defense. Trent Richardson didn't play as he continues to rehab from knee surgery but his replacement, Montario Hardesty, played well averaging nearly four yards per carry on the night.

It's just the preseason but all four teams were able to give their young players valuable experience as they finish off the first half of a month long preseason.

Check out SB Nation's StoryStream from Thursday night's games for more highlights.

For more on the Bengals and Falcons game, visit Cincy Jungle and The Falcoholic. For more on the Browns and Packers game, visit Dawgs By Nature and Acme Packing Company.

Browns Vs. Packers: Green Bay Depth Questioned Following Preseason Loss

The Green Bay Packers hosted the Cleveland Browns in the second week of the preseason Thursday night. Neither team seemed overly impressed with the exhibition but, because the Packers came out on the wrong end of the scoreboard, their fans are a bit more perturbed.

Green Bay lost 35-10 to the Browns, giving up at least five points each quarter while mustering only a first-quarter touchdown and fourth-quarter field goal for themselves. That output left the experts over at Acme Packing Company, SB Nation's Packers blog, pretty disappointed.

After the first game against the Chargers I was disappointed. This game left me sick. It's only the preseason; it doesn't count; it's there for player evaluation....I get all that. However, it's tough to deny the fact that the Packers didn't look very good tonight.

If one is looking on the bright side, though, it was that the backups were much more disappointing than the starters. Due to various injuries, non-starters were on the field quite a bit ... and Acme Packing Company ripped them for it.

There is a lot to be unhappy with here. The backups on offense were flat out terrible. It doesn't matter if you are talking the line, the running back, the receivers (except maybe Cobb and Jarrett Boykin), or the quarterback (Graham Harrell). It was full team effort of awful. The second team defense looked soft. Not much pressure, not much energy, and not much pride put forward by those units.

Reaction on the other side of the field was predictably a bit better, as Dawgs By Nature began its recap with the following line:

Now that's how you like to see it done.

It's only the preseason, but the Cleveland and Green Bay fanbases obviously feel pretty strongly about Thursday night's action.

For more on the Browns, head over to Dawgs by Nature. For all things Packers, Acme Packing Company has you covered.

Bengals Vs. Falcons: Fans On Both Sides Pleased With Preseason Performance

One of the great things about preseason football is that, sometimes, both teams walk away from a game happy. For example, after Cincinnati's 24-19 win over Atlanta Thursday night, Bengals fans can be glad their team won, and Falcons fans can be excited about the performance of their first-stringers -- you know, the guys actually likely to play in games where losses are actually disappointing.

From SB Nation's Bengals blog, Cincy Jungle, in their game recap:

Five different Bengals generated a play with 20 yards receiving or more, including A.J. Green's 50-yard touchdown reception that gave Cincinnati a 10-3 lead early in the second quarter. Though the highlight of the evening, it was a typical launch and catch from one of the league's more promising quarterback-receiver combinations, which was perfect for a national television audience obsessed with questioning Dalton's arm strength.

Atlanta's The Falcoholic also had an upbeat view on the game, saying they were "overly excited way too early."

Considering what really matters is the performance of the first team, this has to be considered an encouraging game. Matt Ryan was truly excellent, and the team didn't make it easy for Andy Dalton in the pocket. I'm more excited by the week about how this team's going to look come the season.

Matt Ryan is going to be a monster this season. With the offensive line barely protecting him, he nonetheless threw lasers all over the field, completing 18 of 21 passes for 174 yards and a touchdown. His supporting cast is going to get a lot of justifiable hype, but it's Ryan who makes the whole thing tick.

For more on the Falcons, check out The Falcoholic as well as SB Nation Atlanta. For more on the Bengals, Cincy Jungle is your destination.

FOX Has Lost Control Of Tony Siragusa

I'm not really sure what FOX was doing on Thursday night. I guess it was a preseason game, but it was pretty hard to tell from watching the broadcast. From the frequent Tony Siragusa pop-ins to the odd banter in the booth, it was really a big game of "look at me!" with some football in the background.

Whatever, it's just the preseason, so nobody is taking things too seriously. But boy was it painful to watch.

On the plus side, there are GIFs. For basically an entire series, Siragusa and Mike Pereira stood in the end zone and discussed ... things. I guess it was about hands to the face. But the two just ended up slapping and grabbing each other.

So, umm ...

Just ...

I ...

Can we just ...

Well, I guess this is just ...

I mean ... yeah.

Oh forget it. Just ... forget it. We probably deserved this, whatever it was. If you were watching live: Sorry. These were the best, most GIFable parts of the painful, odd segment.

I Give Up

No idea what FOX is doing anymore. At this point, Thursday night is all about Tony Siragusa. FOX is spending more time on Goose than the game, which is kind of understandable. Except it's all so weird.

This is Tony Siragusa and Mike Pereira.

I've ... I've got nothing. That is all.

Jermaine Gresham Injury: Bengals TE Leaves With Knee Problems

Bengals tight end Jermaine Gresham left Thursday night's preseason game with the Falcons with what appears to be a hyperextended right knee.

After catching an impressive 25-yard pass from quarterback Andy Dalton that involved a spin move, Gresham appeared to limp to the sidelines after being taken down by the leg. The third-year tight end has not returned to the game since that play, and is not expected to return to action tonight.

via assets.sbnation.com

The third-year Bengal tight end is coming off an impressive 2011 season, during which he hauled in 56 receptions for 596 yards and six touchdowns.

Gresham's injury comes on top of tonight's injury to Bengal linebacker Vontaze Burfict -- who suffered an apparent head injury on a hit applied from teammate safety Taylor Mays on a tackle. The Bengals are also recovering from lingering injuries sustained during last week's preseason victory over the Jets, during which four players left the game with injury.

For more Cincinnati Bengal coverage, visit Cincy Jungle.

Vontaze Burfict Injured During Falcons-Bengals Game

Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict has left Thursday night's preseason game against the Falcons after sustaining a hit to the head from teammate safety Taylor Mays.

Take a look at the hit here:

via assets.sbnation.com

Burfict was in pursuit of Falcons tight end Michael Palmer when Mays attempted to help bring the tight end down.

Burfict's return to the preseason game is reported as being questionable, and of course the team will be sure to be extra careful around the potential for head injury to the first-year linebacker.

The Bengals took a flyer on Burfict after the Arizona State linebacker went undrafted in the 2012 draft because of concerns about his character. The Bengals took the opportunity to sign the linebacker, and have shown a willingness to give him a fair shake during preseason.

The injury puts a fly in the ointment for the Bengals, who trail the Falcons 13-10 at the half in Thursday night preseason NFL action.

For more coverage of the Cincinnati Bengals from SB Nation, visit Cincy Jungle.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Look, FOX, we don't need the Tony Siragusa Cam. We just don't. Never, ever do this again. Scrap the experiment. Make it go away.

Damnit.

I don't even want to know what's on the other side of this shot.

Dirty pictures? Just saw himself on TV? The possibilities are endless.

A Picture Burfict Collision

This is probably something a few of Vontaze Burfict's Arizona State teammates wanted to do for quite some time.

So this GIF is pretty much perfect (or Burfict!). That's Burfict along for the ride. That's Taylor Mays taking Burfict's head off with his shoulder. It's the most Taylor Mays thing ever: No idea what he's going to hit or whether he'll be in position to make a hit, but he's going to drill something hard. It's also the second linebacker Mays has taken out in as many weeks. Because of course it is.

Oh, and welcome to the NFL, Vontaze.

You Lost Something, Asante Samuel

Aaaaand here's A.J. Green blowing by Asante Samuel like he's standing still.

Couple things about this play, besides SamueLOL. Andy Dalton gives the defense a nice okey-doke by looking left, quickly resetting and firing to his right. Green also finds another gear as the ball is in the air to give himself a nice bit of separation. Oh, and Samuel also gives Green the T.O. Special with that tackle. This close to losing a leg there.

Tony Siragusa Has Fancy Toys, Doesn't Care

Decently Large Man With A Football!

This isn't a fat guy with a football moment. It's close, but Emmanuel Stephens doesn't quite meet the criteria. He's listed at 255, which is decently large, but not quite at the FAT GUY threshold. Still, his fumble return was quite impressive.

He stepped out of bounds, so you can chop off most of this GIF if we're tracking what counts, but look at those wheels!

Aaron Rodgers, Still Very Good At Football

Yes, Jordy Nelson went up and got this pass. And yes, it was a pretty good catch. But let's not forget about Aaron Rodgers. In case you were wondering, or worried: He's still very good at football. Particularly, throwing the football.

All covered? To hell with it. He'll just make a throw that's right on the money for a touchdown. Nothing to this game.

Mohamed Massaquoi Not Expected To Play For Browns Thursday Night

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi will miss Thursday night's preseason game against the Green Bay Packers with concussion-related issues, according to Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer.

Massaquoi was injured in the Browns' Aug. 10, 2012, victory over the Detroit Lions after catching Brandon Weeden's first pass in an NFL uniform. Browns coach Pat Shurmur said after the game that Massaquoi suffered a concussion, but Massaquoi took to Twitter shortly thereafter to state the contrary.

Just two days before the game, it looked as if Massaquoi would likely play, as he was on the practice field for the Browns on Tuesday. However, Cleveland is taking all precautionary measures in dealing with the receiver.

Massaquoi has dealt with concussion-like symptoms for the past couple of seasons. In 2010, he missed a game after taking a vicious hit from James Harrison of the Steelers. Last season, he sat out two contests.

For more on the Browns, be sure to visit Dawgs By Nature.

Condoleezza Rice Endorses The Browns

The Cleveland Browns will have some high powered allies in their corner when they take on the Green Bay Packers Thursday night. Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is a Browns fan. She announced her allegiance modeling a Browns jersey for the NFL's "It's My Team" merchandising campaign.

Rice is a long-time football fan, and once joked about becoming the NFL Commissioner one day.

The Browns were recently sold to Jimmy Haslam, who could be looking for a new management team after this season. Hmmm ...

For more on the Browns, check out Dawgs By Nature.

NFL Preseason Odds Preview: Packers, Falcons Week 2 Favorites

Browns vs. Packers: Game Time, TV Schedule, Odds And More

The Green Bay Packers host the Cleveland Browns in action from Week 2 of the 2012 NFL Preseason. Cleveland hopes to avoid a repeat of their injury-plagued Week 1 game, while the Packers' Aaron Rodgers will look to improve on his Week 1 performance.

Bengals Vs. Falcons: Game Time, TV Schedule, Odds And More

The Cincinnati Bengals and Atlanta Falcons will take the field for their second games of the NFL preseason, this time on Fox, as they continue to work out the kinks.