ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Greeted by elongated chants of his first name, Drew Bledsoe quickly established himself in his Bills' preseason debut, a 24-17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Friday night.

The Bengals won the game in the second half with the second- and third-stringers on the field. Akili Smith hit Sean Brewer with a strike in traffic for the go-ahead, 8-yard touchdown with 2:42 left in the third quarter, and kicker Neil Rackers added a 34-yard field goal as the Bengals overcame a 17-7 deficit.

Bledsoe's was the more significant performance after he spent the previous nine years in New England.

In a little more than one quarter, Bledsoe went 9-of-11 for 136 yards, threw two touchdowns and was intercepted. It was an effort that began erasing the dreadful memories of his predecessor, Johnson, who was released in February and is now in Tampa Bay.

Unlike Johnson, who earned a reputation for being hesitant in the pocket, Bledsoe was unfazed by the two sacks — the first on the opening play from scrimmage — he endured, or the interception — a lazy pass picked off by Jeff Burris. Both times, Bledsoe bounced back to produce scoring drives.

FALCONS 23, JAGUARS 13: At Atlanta, Michael Vick led two scoring drives, first-round draft pick T.J. Duckett got off to a promising start and Atlanta opened the preseason with a victory over Jacksonville.

Vick was solid in his first outing as the No. 1 quarterback. He was 7-of-12 for 58 yards and guided the Falcons to two field goals in the first half.

Vick, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2001 draft, spent most of his rookie season on the bench. The Falcons cut Chris Chandler during the offseason and handed the ball to the 22-year-old left-hander.

RAVENS 12, LIONS 6: At Baltimore, Will Demps ruined Joey Harrington's debut by returning an interception 18 yards for a touchdown with 1:55 left, giving Baltimore a win over Detroit.

Both teams struggled on offense. The Lions allowed eight sacks and managed only two field goals by Jason Hanson, one of which was set up by a 51-yard interception return by newcomer Brian Walker.

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The Ravens did virtually nothing against Detroit's overhauled defense. Quarterback Chris Redman went 10-of-20 for 93 yards with an interception in his starting debut, and backup Jeff Blake was 8-of-15 for 75 yards.

With the score 6-6, Demps grabbed Harrington's errant pass and sprinted into the end zone for the game's lone touchdown. Demps, a free agent signee out of San Diego State, is vying to make the team as a reserve strong safety.

COWBOYS 20, RAIDERS 6: At Irving, Texas, Quincy Carter directed Dallas to scores on its first three possessions and the Cowboys spoiled the coaching debut of Bill Callahan with a 20-6 victory over Oakland.

Carter, who started eight games in an injury-plagued rookie season last year, had a promising debut in new offensive coordinator Bruce Coslet's West Coast-style offense. He played the entire first half, completing 10 of 13 passes for 96 yards and one touchdown and also rushing twice for 24 yards.

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