DOLPHINS 25, COWBOYS 20
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- Tony Romo played one half and got sacked three times. Ryan Tannehill's final throw was an interception on a play he forced.
Neither quarterback got everything to his liking Saturday night.
At least Tannehill's side left with a victory.
Orleans Darkwa ran in from 1 yard with 1:45 left, and the Miami Dolphins rallied from two scores down in the final minutes to beat the Dallas Cowboys 25-20.
All five of the game's touchdowns came with most of the starters already done for the evening.
Tannehill played into the third quarter, completing 13 of 21 passes for 119 yards. His only big mistake was his final throw, an interception inside the Dallas 10 on Miami's opening possession of the third quarter.
It was the first interception in 41 preseason throws for Tannehill, who is one of the biggest reasons why Miami thinks this could be a breakthrough season.
"You can see the things that we're doing," Dolphins owner Stephen Ross said on the game broadcast. "I'm expecting much better things."
Romo completed 10 of 18 passes for 87 yards for the Cowboys, and his surgically repaired back got tested plenty of times by the Dolphins' defense -- twice on sacks by Cameron Wake.
"It was good to see Tony out there playing," Dallas coach Jason Garrett said at halftime. "He got knocked around a little bit, and that could be good and bad. . It's good to have him feel the physical part of the game."
Romo noted there are some things Dallas has to clean up.
"It felt good to get through a half," Romo said. "We want to put more points on the board, but we hurt ourselves with penalties. The game is always going to be hard if you keep putting yourself behind."
SAINTS 23, COLTS 17
INDIANAPOLIS -- Six days after returning to practice, Drew Brees threw two touchdown passes in the first quarter and led the unbeaten Saints to a victory over Indianapolis.
Brees was eager to return after missing more than two weeks and skipping both of New Orleans' two preseason games.
But he did not show a hint of rustiness against the winless Colts. He went 9 of 15 for 128 yards with two touchdown passes, no interceptions and no sacks against a starting defense that had only allowed 91 yards in roughly 2 1/2 quarters during the first two preseason games. And Brees played so well that coach Sean Payton pulled him out before the end of the first quarter.
TEXANS 18, BRONCOS 17
DENVER -- Peyton Manning and Emmanuel Sanders found their rhythm after an early miscue, connecting for two long touchdowns in the final 67 seconds of the first half of the Denver Broncos' loss to the Houston Texans.
Manning was whistled for taunting following his second TD toss to Sanders. The Broncos said that was apparently the first such penalty in the five-time MVP's career.
Both teams treated this third preseason game more like a second exhibition, with many stars getting cameos at best.
BUCCANEERS 27, BILLS 14
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Buccaneers first-stringers on offense and defense were far too much for the slow-starting Buffalo Bills in rolling to a 27-14 preseason victory on Saturday evening.
Defensive tackle Clinton McDonald returned a fumble 17 yards for a touchdown, and receiver Mike Evans and quarterback Josh McCown hooked up for a 24-yard touchdown. Running back Doug Martin scored on a 1-yard plunge as the Buccaneers (1-2) broke the game open by building a 24-0 first-half lead over the Bills (1-3).
The EJ Manuel-led offense struggled. He completed nine of his first 18 attempts for 67 yards, with two turnovers. Buffalo managed just 82 yards and six first downs through eight first-half possessions, and never got beyond the Bucs 43.
TITANS 24, FALCONS 17
ATLANTA -- A healthy Julio Jones made a big difference for Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons' offense.
Jones broke two tackles on a 52-yard touchdown pass from Ryan as the Falcons built a big early lead before rookie Bishop Sankey's late scoring run lifted the Tennessee Titans to a preseason victory.
Atlanta (1-2) led 17-3 late in the first half and 17-10 at halftime.
Tennessee (2-1) took its first lead on the 3-yard touchdown run by Sankey, the second-round pick from Washington, with 5:45 remaining. Sankey got the call again, running off right guard for the 2-point conversion.
RAVENS 23, REDSKINS 17
BALTIMORE -- Joe Flacco's final throw was a touchdown pass, providing a positive ending to an uneven performance by the Baltimore Ravens' first-team offense in its victory over the Washington Redskins.
Robert Griffin III concluded his horrid outing with an interception, leaving Washington much to consider in the wake of a defeat.
Flacco went 16 for 23 for 180 yards, including a 24-yard touchdown throw to Steve Smith with 25 seconds left in the first half.
VIKINGS 30, CHIEFS 12
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Vikings' Matt Cassel threw for 152 yards and a touchdown in his return to Kansas City, and Minnesota rolled to a victory over the Chiefs.
Cassel, benched and then released by the Chiefs two years ago, found Cordarrelle Patterson for a 53-yard scoring strike on the Vikings' first offensive series.
Teddy Bridgewater threw two TD passes to tight end Allen Reisner later in the game.
RAMS 33, BROWNS 14
CLEVELAND -- St. Louis quarterback Sam Bradford reinjured the left knee he had surgery on last season and the Rams had four other starters hurt in a victory over the Cleveland Browns.
Bradford went down after being hit by Browns defensive lineman Armonty Bryant in the first quarter. Bradford was examined on the bench and then escorted to the locker room for further medical tests. He did not return.
Browns starting quarterback Brian Hoyer threw a touchdown pass and celebrated rookie backup Johnny Manziel had a 7-yard TD run. Manziel was also sacked twice by Rams rookie Michael Sam, who punctuated the first takedown by mimicking Manziel's "money" sign.
Sports on 08/24/2014