ARLINGTON, Texas -- Dak Prescott and Dez Bryant offered a glimpse of how the Dallas Cowboys' offense could look without Ezekiel Elliott.
The Indianapolis Colts still are struggling to see what life without Andrew Luck might be like.
Prescott connected with Bryant for a 32-yard touchdown on their first series of the preseason, 2016 NFL rushing champion Elliott sat again with his six-game suspension looming, and rookie Cooper Rush threw two scoring passes in the Cowboys' 24-19 exhibition victory Saturday night.
Last year's NFL Offensive Rookie of the Yea, Prescott was 8 of 9 for 106 yards in his two possessions. The first was a 95-yard drive in seven plays that started with a 23-yard toss to Bryant.
Prescott's second series ended on a fumble inside Indianapolis' 10 by Darren McFadden (Pulaski Oak Grove, Arkansas Razorbacks), who started as the Cowboys again delayed Elliott's exhibition debut.
Elliott has appealed his suspension while disputing the NFL's findings that he caused bruises on his ex-girlfriend in several confrontations last summer in Ohio.
Bryant's 55 yards receiving held up as the most in the game for the Cowboys.
"I don't know if I can honestly put it into words just how much better of a player he is, and we were just talking about how good his body feels," Prescott said of Bryant. "He's just a much better player right now than what he was last year at this time. Our chemistry is growing, so it's fun."
Scott Tolzien played the first half for the Colts, who aren't sure whether Luck will be ready for the regular season after offseason shoulder surgery.
Indianapolis didn't record a first down until early in the second quarter, and its only touchdown before halftime was Lavar Edwards' 15-yard return of Dallas backup quarterback Kellen Moore's fumble.
Tolzien led a 60-yard drive to set up Adam Vinatieri's 33-yard field goal in the second quarter, highlighted by a 25-yard pass to Kamar Aiken. Tolzien, who is 0-2-1 as an NFL starter, finished 10 of 14 for 70 yards.
Stephen Morris, the third quarterback to play, finally got the Colts an offensive touchdown on an 18-yard throw to Fred Brown with 57 seconds remaining. Morris was 11 of 15 for 111 yards, most of it with Indianapolis down two scores in the fourth quarter.
McFadden looked like a capable fill-in for Elliott with 59 yards on nine carries, but he was stripped by Matthias Farley on his final run late in the first quarter. Alfred Morris, who also figures to see action during Elliott's suspension, had nine carries for 49 yards. Rod Smith, who has had a strong camp, had 53 yards on seven carries.
Dallas linebacker Jaylon Smith made his preseason debut in his first game since a devastating knee injury in his final college game with Notre Dame at the Fiesta Bowl two seasons ago. The Cowboys drafted him in the second round last year.
His only tackle on a short pass forced the second consecutive three-and-out to start the game for the Colts.
"From Day One, I've believed in myself, and I thank all the supporters everywhere, even everyone who doubted me," said Smith, who played 12 snaps.
CHIEFS 30, BENGALS 12
CINCINNATI -- Rookie Patrick Mahomes threw a pair of touchdown passes, solidifying his spot as the Chiefs' primary backup, and three Kansas City quarterbacks threw for a score during a victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Kansas City (1-1) got a lot to like out of its offense overall and its top pick in particular.
Mahomes moved into the role of Alex Smith's backup a week ago and was smooth against the Bengals (1-1), who chased him from the pocket but couldn't stop his accurate on-the-move throws. Mahomes, the 10th overall pick from Texas Tech, was 10 of 14 for 88 yards with touchdowns of 1 and 7 yards.
TITANS 34, PANTHERS 27
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Marcus Mariota threw a touchdown pass and the Tennessee Titans earned a victory over the Carolina Panthers.
The Titans (1-1), who were held to just three points last week against the New York Jets, scored on their first three possessions against Carolina, with help from one long drive and two Panthers turnovers.
LIONS 16, JETS 6
DETROIT -- Matthew Stafford threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Marvin Jones in the second quarter, and the Detroit Lions shut down Christian Hackenberg and the New York Jets.
After losing defensive lineman Kerry Hyder to an Achilles tendon injury in their preseason opener at Indianapolis, the Lions were still able to pressure Hackenberg early on. The Jets managed only 3 yards of offense in the first quarter and just two first downs in the first half.
Stafford went 8 of 10 for 84 yards.
PACKERS 21, REDSKINS 17
LANDOVER, Md. -- Aaron Rodgers made a surprise start and looked to be in midseason form, going 6 of 8 for 37 yards and a touchdown pass -- plus one of his trademark quick snaps to draw a penalty -- on his lone drive for Green Bay, while Kirk Cousins and the rest of Washington's first-team offense sputtered in the Packers' exhibition victory.
The Redskins did not manage to collect a single first down until the final play of the opening quarter, during their fourth possession of the evening. Their initial three resulted in a total of 13 yards.
Cousins was 2 for 6 for 9 yards in that span, while running back Rob Kelley gained 4 yards on 3 carries behind a starting offensive line that provided little push.
TEXANS 27, PATRIOTS 23
HOUSTON -- Tom Brady threw a touchdown pass in his first game since winning the Super Bowl on the same field, but the New England Patriots fell to the Houston Texans.
Brady, who sat out last week, was 6 of 9 for 67 yards while directing the offense for two possessions.
Texans rookie first-round pick Deshaun Watson, who had 179 yards passing last week, threw for 102 yards and ran for a 2-yard touchdown in about two quarters of work.
Sports on 08/20/2017