Orchard Park, NY (Sports Network) - Robert Griffin III made his debut on Thursday and didn't disappoint as he helped the Washington Redskins take a 7-6 win over the Buffalo Bills in the preseason opener for both teams. The second overall pick of the 2012 draft, Griffin won the Heisman Trophy last season and Washington traded up to get the Baylor product. Named the starter of the team immediately, he played three series on Thursday and went 4-for-6 with 70 yards and a touchdown, but also lost a fumble. Washington is coming off a 5-11 campaign that saw the team finish dead last in the NFC East. Washington hasn't had a winning season since a 9-7 mark in 2007. The Bills, who finished 6-10 last season after starting 3-0, did a lot to improve their defense in the offseason as they landed All-Pro defensive end Mario Williams and pass-rushing specialist Mark Anderson. Also, the team drafted cornerback Stephon Gilmore with the 10th overall pick in this year's draft. Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for 61 yards on 6-of-14 passing and led Buffalo to one of its two field goals in the game, but that was thanks to a recovered fumble by the defense.

Final Score: Baltimore 31, Atlanta 17

Atlanta, GA (Sports Network) - Joe Flacco threw for 88 yards and a touchdown and backup Curtis Painter tossed three second-half scores as the Baltimore Ravens downed the Atlanta Falcons, 31-17, in preseason action. Flacco completed 9-of-12 passes and fired a nine-yard touchdown strike to Ed Dickson midway through the second quarter. Fresh off his new five-year deal, Ray Rice carried the ball just three times for four yards for Baltimore, which went 12-4 a year ago and lost to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game. Matt Ryan passed for 155 yards with a touchdown and interception on 9-of-13 efficiency. All nine of his completions went to Julio Jones and Roddy White. Jones caught six passes for 109 yards and a touchdown, while White hauled in three balls for 46 yards for the Falcons, who lost to the New York Giants in last year's wild-card round.

Final Score: New England 7, New Orleans 6

Foxboro, MA (Sports Network) - Backup Brian Hoyer threw for a touchdown and the Patriots won their preseason opener, 7-6, over the New Orleans Saints. Tom Brady played the first two offensive series for the Patriots and completed 4- of-7 passes for 30 yards, but he was also flattened on a sack and fumbled the ball away. Drew Brees threw just four passes and played the first two series for the Saints, who were coming off a 17-10 win over Arizona at the Hall of Fame Game Sunday night. Chase Daniel backed up Brees and went 4- of-6 through the air for 62 yards with an interception. Luke McCown went 9- of-16 for 86 yards passing. Hoyer connected on 8-of-15 throws for 45 yards, including his three-yard TD pass to Britt Davis in the third quarter to cap a 14-play, 97-yard drive. Patriots star tight end Rob Gronkowski played despite having ankle surgery shortly after the team's loss to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI. He caught a pair of passes for 20 yards.

Final Score: Philadelphia 24, Pittsburgh 23

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Just two days after burying his oldest son, Andy Reid was on the sideline Thursday night coaching his Philadelphia Eagles against the Pittsburgh Steelers in preseason action. Alex Henery's 51- yard field goal with 12 seconds remaining lifted the Eagles over the Steelers, 24-23. Tragedy struck the Eagles family this past weekend when Reid's son, Garrett, was found dead in his dormitory room Sunday morning at the club's training camp facility at Lehigh University. Reid and his family laid their eldest son to rest on Tuesday, and the coach returned to the practice field the next day. The Eagles received a scare early in the second quarter when Michael Vick banged his left thumb off the helmet of center Jason Kelce. X-rays taken at halftime came back negative. He completed 3-of-4 passes before exiting. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who's been bothered by a minor rotator cuff tear in his throwing shoulder, completed 7-of-8 passes for 49 yards during his lone series of the game. Byron Leftwich and Jerrod Johnson each threw a touchdown pass.

Final Score: Denver 31, Chicago 3

Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - Peyton Manning played in a football game for the first time in 19 months, but in a different uniform than fans are used to seeing. After spending the entire 2011 season on the sidelines recovering from multiple neck surgeries, Manning saw his 14-year run with the Indianapolis Colts come to an end and he signed with the Denver Broncos. He wasn't very sharp in his one and only drive, which ended with an interception, but the rest of his squad carried the load as Denver took a 31-3 win over Chicago in the preseason opener for both teams. Xavier Omon and Lance Ball each had a score on the ground while Jason Hill and Cornelius Ingram each caught one for the Broncos, who went 8-8 last season to win the AFC West and lost to New England in the playoffs after beating Pittsburgh. Chicago starting quarterback Jay Cutler did not appear in the game. He missed the final six games of last season after fracturing his right thumb. That sent the Bears into a spiral, as they lost their next five games before winning the season finale to finish the season 8-8. Jason Campbell started the game under center for Chicago and played three series, going just 4-for-5 for 13 yards.

Final Score: San Diego 21, Green Bay 13

San Diego, CA (Sports Network) - Shannon Eastin became the first woman to officiate an NFL game Thursday in the San Diego Chargers' 21-13 preseason win over the Green Bay Packers. Serving as the line judge, Eastin will have her hat and whistle put into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Chargers starting running back Ryan Mathews suffered a broken clavicle in the opening quarter following his only carry of the contest, a five-yard run. He will have surgery Friday and is expected to miss 4-to-6 weeks. The third-year Fresno State product rushed for 1,091 yards and six touchdowns a year ago. Philip Rivers, who saw limited action, completed 3-of-5 passes for 37 yards with a touchdown and interception for San Diego, which has missed out on the postseason in each of the last two years. Also playing three series, Aaron Rodgers was just 2-for-8 for 16 yards and an interception for Green Bay, which went 15-1 last season but lost to the New York Giants in the NFL Divisional playoffs. The Packers entered the contest with 18 players not in uniform, including wide receiver Greg Jennings.

The Sports Network