NFL | Dallas looks sharp in 23-22 victory over Bears

IRVING, Texas — Take away a couple of bad throws by Tony Romo, and the Dallas Cowboys finally resembled the team many are expecting to see this season.

At least when Romo and receiver Terrell Owens played in the first half of a 23-22 exhibition victory over the Houston Texans on Friday night.

Romo made up for overthrowing T.O. on a certain touchdown and later getting intercepted in the end zone, completing 15 of 19 passes for 166 yards and a touchdown.

Houston backup quarterback Sage Rosenfels ran 8 yards for a touchdown with 2:05 left. Instead of a tying extra point, the Texans went for a two-point conversion. But Jacoby Jones failed to handle a pass in the end zone.

Texans receiver Harry Williams was taken off the field on a stretcher with a neck injury after being hit in the head during a collision with teammate Nick Ferguson while they were covering on a kickoff. They were trying to tackle Isaiah Stanback, a former Washington Huskies quarterback who gained 44 yards on the return and set up a Dallas touchdown.

Williams was kept in the hospital and was expected to have surgery this weekend to fuse two vertebrae.

Stanback returned the second-half kickoff 32 yards, but was stripped from behind, the fumble recovered by Ferguson. Stanback went to the locker room a few minutes later with an injured left shoulder.

The Cowboys, considered Super Bowl contenders by many, had lost their first two exhibition games. Romo and others on the first-team offense were ineffective in two mistake-filled and penalty-plagued drives last week against Denver, after scoring on their lone possession against San Diego.

Things went so well against the Texans that Romo and Owens, who had four catches for 43 yards, didn't play after halftime. Coach Wade Phillips said he had planned to play the starters deep into the third quarter, partly so the offense could get its timing down in the passing game.

Matt Schaub and other starters for the Texans (2-1) played into the opening minute of the fourth quarter. Schaub was 15 of 27 passing for 166 yards, with an 11-yard TD to Kevin Walter.

Other exhibition games

Packers 27, at Broncos 24

Aaron Rodgers went from pathetic one week to almost perfect the next.

Brett Favre's replacement as Green Bay quarterback bounced back from a bad game in San Francisco to complete 18 of 22 passes for 193 yards and a touchdown as the Packers (1-2) beat Denver (1-2).

Rodgers led four scoring drives in his five possessions and was 16 of 19 for 178 yards against the Broncos' starters, including a 10-yard touchdown to Donald Driver.

Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler was 6 of 13 for 115 yards and led Denver to scores on each of its three first-half possessions. One drive was 99 yards, another was 80 yards.

Eagles 27, at Patriots 17

Tom Brady has yet to play in an exhibition game while nursing an injured right foot, and New England (0-3) has played poorly without him.

Philadelphia (2-1) returned two kicks for touchdowns in the last 1:35 of the first half and starting quarterback Donovan McNabb led three long drives. McNabb finished 13 of 17 for 180 yards and a touchdown.

Brady's backup, Matt Cassel, completed 8 of 14 passes for 60 yards. He hasn't led a TD drive on any of his 15 series in the exhibition season.

At Falcons 17, Titans 3

Rookie Matt Ryan, who played college ball at Boston College and was the third player drafted this year, opened the second half with a go-ahead touchdown pass to Harry Douglas as Atlanta (1-2) beat Tennessee (2-1).

Ryan completed 15 of 21 passes for 102 yards.

Tennessee starter Vince Young, the No. 3 pick in 2006, was 9 of 18 for 102 yards and an interception.

Note

• The Detroit Lions have signed quarterback Drew Henson, 28, a college standout at Michigan who has struggled at the professional level in baseball and football. Henson shared QB duty at Michigan with Brady.