HOUSTON — Mike Bell made the most of Reggie Bush's absence.
Bell had 10 carries for 100 yards and a touchdown to help the New Orleans Saints to a 38-14 victory over the Houston Texans in a preseason game Saturday night.
Bell, a former starter in Denver who had just 45 yards rushing in the past two seasons, is vying to be the Saints' third running back. On Saturday, he and Pierre Thomas split time with the first team while Bush was out with a strained calf.
Drew Brees was 9 of 14 for 87 yards and a touchdown after missing three days of practice last week to attend his mother's funeral.
Houston's Andre Johnson had four receptions for 38 yards and New Orleans receiver Marques Colston had six receptions for 66 yards.
BEARS 17, GIANTS 3
CHICAGO - Playing a game with Chicago for the first time at Soldier Field, Jay Cutler was sharp from the outset in leading the Bears past the New York Giants.
Cutler completed 8 of 13 passes for 121 yards during his three series, leading touchdown drives of 80 and 92 yards as Chicago built a 17-0 lead.
Cutler outplayed Eli Manning, who left after four series. Manning completed 7 of 10 passes for 62 yards. He was sacked twice, fumbled once - the Giants recovered - and also was called for intentional grounding.
Cutler was traded to the Bears by Denver in the off-season.
BUCCANEERS 24, JAGUARS 23
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Troy Williamson is giving the Jacksonville Jaguars something they've been missing for years: a deep threat.
Williamson, a first-round bust in Minnesota who is looking to secure a roster spot in Jacksonville, caught two deep passes from David Garrard and finished with 147 yards receiving in a preseason loss to Tampa Bay.
Although Jacksonville's offense was mostly stagnant the rest of the night - the Jaguars were 3 for 14 on third down - Williamson's two plays were a positive sign for a franchise that has struggled to create big plays in the passing game since receiver Jimmy Smith retired following the 2005 season.
BROWNS 27, LIONS 10
CLEVELAND - Derek Anderson looked worthy of being a No. 1 quarterback. Rookie Matthew Stafford hardly looked like a No. 1 pick.
Anderson led Cleveland to its first offensive touchdown in seven games and stayed tight with Brady Quinn in their quarterback competition, helping the Browns beat Stafford and the Detroit Lions in their home exhibition opener.
Joshua Cribbs had an 84-yard touchdown punt return in the first half as the Browns (1-1) built a 20-0 lead. Rookie James Davis added an 81-yard touchdown run and 116 yards on 12 carries for Cleveland.
After coming off the bench last week behind Quinn in Green Bay, Anderson got the start from Coach Eric Mangini and finished 8 of 13 for 130 yards with 1 interception.
Stafford was 5 of 13 for 34 yards with an interception.
DOLPHINS 27, PANTHERS 17
MIAMI - Chad Pennington threw well from the pocket and also from the flanker position.
The Wildcat was back Saturday night, contributing to a strong showing by the Miami Dolphins' first-team offense in a victory over Carolina.
The Dolphins (2-0) scored 10 points in Pennington's three series. He went 8 for 11 for 105 yards, throwing a 28-yard touchdown pass to Ronnie Brown and hitting Patrick Cobbs for a 35-yard gain out of the Wildcat.
The Dolphins' variation of the Single-Wing also produced 18 yards in four running plays, with running back Brown taking the snap each time.
PACKERS 31, BILLS 21
GREEN BAY, Wis. - Green Bay's new look defense forced turnovers on three of Buffalo's first four possessions, powering the Packers past the Bills.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers hit seven consecutive passes to begin the game for Green Bay, finishing 8 of 9 for 98 yards and 2 touchdowns. The only potential bad news for the Packers came in the form of injuries to safety Nick Collins and backup quarterback Matt Flynn.
Starter Trent Edwards was 7 of 11 for 45 yards and an interception for the Bills, who were without injured receiver Terrell Owens.
REDSKINS 17, STEELERS 13
LANDOVER, Md. - Rookie Chase Daniel, fighting the odds to earn a roster spot, threw two touchdown passes long after the starters had left the game, overcoming another difficult night for Washington's first-team offense.
Willie Parker had a 3-yard touchdown run for the Steelers, whose starting defense looked in regular-season form on a goal line stand on the opening drive. Pittsburgh limited Washington's Jason Campbell to one completion in a little more than one quarter of play.
With Ben Roethlisberger watching from the sideline - unable to play after a teammate stepped on his Achilles tendon during practice this week - Charlie Batch and the Pittsburgh starters played the first three drives.
49ERS 21, RAIDERS 20
SAN FRANCISCO - Alex Smith showed he can deliver a crushing block and tackle a ball carrier.
Unfortunately for Smith, he struggled when he had to pass.
Smith completed 3 of 9 passes and threw an interception in what might have been his last chance to beat out Shaun Hill for San Francisco's starting quarterback job and the 49ers held off the Oakland Raiders.
Rookie Nate Davis led the Niners to three scores in the fourth quarter, with Kory Sheets' 5-yard run giving San Francisco a 21-14 lead. Charlie Frye scored on a 14-yard run for Oakland but threw an incompletion on the two-point conversion attempt with 3:30 left.
Sports, Pages 27 on 08/23/2009