NFL preseason Week 2: Johnny Manziel tosses his first NFL touchdown

Pettine’s plan coming into the week was to have a decision made by Tuesday. It’s hard to imagine that he gleaned enough from Monday’s garbage fire to stay on schedule, and he suggested after the game he’s open to pushing the competition through the third preseason game.

“All options are still on the table,” Pettine told Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland.com. “(Deciding Tuesday) is still something we’d like to do. We’ll see.”

Hoyer started the game and completed only 2-of-6 passes for 16 yards while taking a sack. Hoyer left the contest in the second quarter in favor of Manziel, who fared no better. The former Heisman Trophy winner looked unsettled and tentative while playing the second and third quarters, hitting on 7-of-16 passes for 65 yards and a touchdown. Manziel was also sacked three times.

There was also this gem from Manziel during a frustrating third quarter:

Johnny Manziel has had a rough night in the Browns’ second preseason game against Washington. First he got sacked, and Brian Orakpo made fun of his hand sign. Then he, uh, didn’t play football well.

So, yes, when some players on Washington did something he didn’t like, he flipped them the bird:

Who will win the right to be the opening day starting QB for the Cleveland Browns? The hotshot youngster, Johnny Manziel, the most talked about player in the football universe? Or the more dependable veteran, Brian Hoyer, who played the best season of his NFL career last year?

A third option enters the race: existential ennui:

Robert Griffin III has already taken one big hit on a scramble for the Redskins. He also threw this interception. At least Browns stud cornerback Joe Haden looks like he’s poised for another big season.

Week 2 of the 2014 NFL preseason concludes with a Monday night showdown between Cleveland and Washington, the only game of the day. We have the time, TV schedule and background info.

8 p.m. ET, ESPN

At this pace, Manziel could end the suspense with a big game against Washington on Monday night.

We should know either way soon enough. Pettine confirmed last week that he’s hoping to have a starter named by Tuesday. While there’s still a lot of uncertainty -- one recent rumor claims Cleveland brass doesn’t want to expose their golden boy to the hard-hitting Pittsburgh Steelers defense in the regular season opener -- it seems that Monday will be the decisive showdown between Hoyer and Manziel.

Denver tight end Gerell Robinson, who is fighting an uphill battle to make the roster, exited in the second half after hurting his right knee.

Things started off slowly for the Panthers offense, but they hit their stride in the second quarter and outpaced the Chiefs from there on.

Randy Moss is serving as an analyst for the Sunday night game between the Carolina Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs. He’s great not only as a voice in the booth, but because we get amazing ads like this one for “The Big Catch” football preview show.

Sir Purr is the portly mascot of the Carolina Panthers and on Sunday night two interesting things happened. Firstly we learned there’s a Mrs. Sir Purr, secondly we saw them do the Nae Nae.

Jordan Gay is the backup punter for the Carolina Panthers, which is to say Jordan Gay probably wont be in the NFL long.

He missed an extra point in the Panthers first preseason game against Buffalo, but on Sunday night he outdid himself with a wholly remarkable eight-yard punt. Yes, this is a punt that went EIGHT YARDS.

Beyond the quarterbacks, both teams boast two of the NFL’s most talented rosters, but also have some question marks heading into 2014.

The 49ers hope to get over the hump after three straight trips to the NFC Championship under Jim Harbaugh saw them miss prime opportunities to win it all. The window for Harbaugh to finish the job and lift the Lombardi Trophy won’t get much bigger than it is now.

Catch up with the scores, highlights and injuries from Saturday’s action.

The much-heralded addition of defensive coordinator Gregg Williams didn’t help much in the first quarter. St. Louis had no answers for the Packers’ no huddle, and the pass rush was nowhere to be seen, even with the firepower boasted by the Rams’ front four.

One beard to rule them all, one beard to find them, one beard to bring them all, and at Paul Brown Stadium, bind them.

Apparently, this isn’t his first foray into sports related beards.

Game Date/Time and Location: Saturday, Aug. 16, 4 p.m. ET, Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, Mo.

TV schedule and distribution map: NFL Network; 506 Sports

Here’s more on what to watch from SB Nation’s Cowboys blog, Blogging the Boys.

For more on the Ravens, visit Baltimore Beatdown.

Webster came around the left tackle and caught up to Carr as the quarterback rolled to his right to make a throw. Before Carr could get the ball out of his hands, Webster brought him down from behind. Here’s the play:

Carr came up holding his ribs. He was pulled from the game and replaced by Matt McGloin. It was initially reported as a rib injury, but head coach Dennis Allen revealed after the game that Carr had also sustained a concussion on the hit.

Preseason football gets a bad rap sometimes. It’s not “sexy” football, however you define the term, but it is a good look at the guts of an NFL organization. Fourth- and fifth-stringers get trotted out in the second half, and in an order that means something to them and coaches. It’s a chance to see the evaluation process in motion, and in all of its inexactitude.

More pivotal position battles will take place, too, though you won’t see enough of the players you want to see to be truly satisfied. For those brief glimpses, however, Saturday’s preseason schedule offers some meaty bits.

The Raiders pulled off the thriller of the night, beating the Lion on a 19-yard touchdown pass from Matt McGloin to Brice Butler with six seconds left in the fourth quarter. McGloin went just 7-for-15 passing, but made the most of his completions, piling up a team-high 114 yards passing.

The one point difference is notable. Lions kicker Nate Freese missed an extra point in the first quarter, in another bit of evidence that the NFL’s experiment with longer point-after tries is having an effect. It was an odd night for Freese, who later made up for his gaffe with 55-yard field goal. It was a weird night for the kicker:

The Twitter reaction was harsh.

SI’s Doug Farrar HATED it.

Sometimes that good vapor gets to you and you just want to dance. And you want everyone on your lap to dance as well:

Oh yeah, we set that to “Pony.” I guess I could have let you know that in advance, but at this point, you should assume it. The R Kelly reference in the headline was to throw you off.

Jim Harbaugh is not a human being. He is a robot. I have proof, from footage of the 49ers’ Ice Bucket Challenge for ALS support on Friday (via Niners Nation):

Water is cold and wet. These qualities cause sensations. Sensations cause feelings, which cause reactions. A human shuts his eyes, winces, maybe even runs away. Harbaugh bats his eyelashes for a fraction of a second, but keeps his lids open for the duration of the actual splash. Not only does he keep his smile wide, he actually engages the “open” function mid-pour to affect “EXPRESSION > DELIGHTED.” We must not tolerate this.

Problem: You have a sweet Seahawks mask, but it doesn’t work with your bushy Yosemite-Sam-like beard. Solution:

That looks like a homemade mask, too; he didn’t just find that. And it’s not like he the mask wouldn’t fit-- his beard would just stick out from beneath it. So, instead of simply shaving, this guy’s plan ALL ALONG was, “when it comes time to wear the mask, I’ll just stuff my whole beard in my mouth.” I don’t know if this is dedication, a lack of foresight or some beautiful combination of the two.