Roundup: Giants tip Pats in finale

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- Adewale Ojomo took another step toward making an NFL roster and helped the New York Giants and New England Patriots avoid a coach's worst nightmare in the preseason finale -- overtime.

Ojomo's sack and forced fumble set up a 32-yard field goal by Lawrence Tynes with 1:03 to play and the Giants defeated the Patriots 6-3 on Wednesday night in the final warmup for the regular season for the teams that met in the Super Bowl in early February.

This one was hardly as interesting as the title game, but the Giants (2-2) once again scored late to win. Defensive tackle Marcus Thomas rumbled 12 yards with the fumble following Ojomo's strip-sack against Brian Hoyer, giving New York the ball at the Patriots 17.

It set up Tynes' second field goal and it will force the coaching staff to once again think about. Ojomo, a rookie free agent out of Miami, who has caught their attention with a team-high four sacks.

"The coaches have got to evaluate the film," Ojomo said. "I think the (strip-sack) will work in my favor, but there's a lot of different phases of the game they have to evaluate."

Ojomo plans to be confident heading into Friday's final cut to the 54-man roster.

"It would be a great honor to be a Giant," Ojomo said. "They're a first-class organization. Aside from the high taxes and high rent, it would be great to be a Giant. I'll be confident Friday, I won't be nervous. They have to make tough decisions, so you have to go out and do what you need to do to make it not so tough for them."

Steve Gostkowski kicked a 20-yard field goal in the second quarter for the Patriots (1-3), who rested almost every starter.

"Everybody who played got an opportunity to show us what they could do," New England coach Bill Belichick said.

The Super Bowl champion Giants will kick off the NFL season next Wednesday at home against Dallas. The Patriots will open on the road at Tennessee on Sept. 9.

The Giants iced the game with 13 seconds to play on an interception by Laron Scott.

Redskins 30, Bucs 3

LANDOVER, Md. (AP) -- On his first full day on the job as the kicker for the Washington Redskins, Billy Cundiff made three of four field goal attempts -- and was booed for the one he missed -- making him the only first-stringer to do something noteworthy in Wednesday night's 30-3 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers .

Cundiff, signed Tuesday after the Redskins cut Graham Gano , converted from 39, 27 and 22 yards and got some grief from the crowd when he sliced one wide right from 46. The 2010 All-Pro, who joined Washington just two days after being released by the Baltimore Ravens, launched five of his six kickoffs for touchbacks.

With head coaches Mike Shanahan and Greg Schiano resting nearly all of their offensive and defensive starters, the teams gathered before a modest crowd and proved that the backups from one consensus last-place team can beat the backups from another consensus last-place team, for whatever that's worth.

The second-, third- and fourth-teamers were vying for roster spots ahead of Friday's mandatory cuts, while the starters are already looking ahead to the regular season openers on Sept. 9.

Roy Helu Jr. and Evan Royster, who both might have a shot as the Redskins' starting running back job because of injuries, returned from ailments of their own to account for all three of Washington's touchdowns. Helu ran for 90 yards and two scores after missing two games with sore Achilles, while Royster ran for 44 yards and a TD after missing last week's game with a sore right knee.

No. 2 overall draft pick Robert Griffin III was declared the Redskins starting quarterback before training camp, so the Heisman Trophy-winner ran with the other first-teamers on the field before the game. He then watched fourth-round selection Kirk Cousins play into the third quarter and complete 15 of 27 passes for 222 yards and an interception. Jonathan Crompton , signed earlier in the day after being cut Monday, finished the game.

Brett Ratliff, third on the depth chart behind Josh Freeman and Dan Orlovsky, played the entire game for the Buccaneers and was sacked five times. He completed 14 of 30 passes for 164 yards and three interceptions.

Cowboys 30, Dolphins 13

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Orie Lemon returned an interception 26 yards for a touchdown, No. 3 running back Phillip Tanner had a 1-yard score and the Dallas Cowboys finished their preseason with a win over the Miami Dolphins.

A week before playing in the NFL's kickoff game against the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants, the Cowboys (3-1) kept quarterback Tony Romo and most of their front-line starters standing on the sideline.

Rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill, the first-round draft pick from Texas A&M already tabbed Miami's starter, was 5-of-7 passing for 35 yards playing the first two series. The Dolphins led 3-0 when he was done.

Miami (0-4) finished its preseason winless under new coach Joe Philbin. The season opener is Sept. 9 at Houston.

Undrafted rookie running back Lance Dunbar had 15 carries for 105 yards, including a 58-yard TD run, for Dallas in the third quarter. Tanner started with DeMarco Murray and Felix Jones sitting, and finished with nine carries for 48 yards.

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