Prescott to Bryant money for Dallas
Dak Prescott and Dez Bryant offered a glimpse of how the Dallas Cowboys’ offense could look without Ezekiel Elliott: the second-year quarterback frequently finding his top receiver.
Prescott connected with Bryant for a 32-yard touchdown pass 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 Saturday in the host Cowboys’ 24-19 win over the Indianapolis Colts in an exhibition
Prescott was 8-for-9 for 106 yards in his two possessions. The first was a 95-yard drive in seven plays that started with a 23-yard throw to Bryant, who had 55 yards receiving.
Scott Tolzien quarterbacked the first half for the Colts, who aren’t sure if Andrew Luck will be ready for the regularseason opener after offseason shoulder surgery.
Indy didn’t record a first down until early in the second quarter, and its only touchdown during Tolzien’s watch was Lavar Edwards’ 15-yard return of Dallas quarterback Kellen Moore’s fumble.
Exhibition highlights: Tom Brady threw a touchdown pass in his first game since winning the Super Bowl but the New England Patriots fell to the host Houston Texans 27-23. Brady, who sat out last week, was 6-of-9 passing for 67 yards in two possessions. Houston quarterback Tom Savage was effective in two drives, going 8-for-9 for 98 yards with a 2-yard touchdown pass . ... Aaron Rodgers was 6-for-8 for 37 yards and a TD pass on his lone drive for Green Bay, while Kirk Cousins and the rest of Washington’s first-team offense sputtered in the visiting Packers’ 21-17 win . ... Rookie Patrick Mahomes threw two touchdown passes in a 30-12 win at Cincinnati. The Bengals had to settle for two field goals during quarterback Andy Dalton’s three possessions . ... Marcus Mariota threw a touchdown pass and the host Tennessee Titans earned a 34-27 win over the visiting Carolina Panthers — who got on the scoreboard early in the second quarter as Christian McCaffrey had a 17-yard touchdown run to make it 17-7. ... Matthew Stafford threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Marvin Jones in the second quarter, and the host Detroit Lions shut down Christian Hackenberg and the New York Jets 16-6. Hackenberg was 2 of 6 for 14 yards and was sacked twice. Stafford was 8for-10 for 84 yards . ... Deonte Thompson returned a missed field goal 109 yards for a touchdown as the first half ended and the visiting Chicago Bears held on to beat the Arizona Cardinals 24-23.
Dolphins’ move: Linebacker Rey Maualuga signed with the Dolphins, who put wide receiver Isaiah Ford on injured reserve. Maualuga played his first eight seasons in Cincinnati, which cut him in March.