Siemian, Broncos crush Elliott, Cowboys 42-17

 Aqib Talib's 103-yard interception return for a touchdown with 53 seconds left was the final indignity for the Cowboys in the Denver Broncos' 42-17 blowout of Dallas and its vaunted offense on Sunday.

It was Talib's 10th pick-6, just two shy of Darren Woodson's NFL record.

"No. 10," relished Talib. "It's just mind-boggling."

Sort of like Denver's defensive dominance of Dallas and its vaunted offense.

Ezekiel Elliott had the worst game of his career with nine carries for 8 yards, Dallas managed just 40 yards rushing and one first down on the ground. The Cowboys (1-1) went 3-for-14 on third downs and failed three times on fourth down, looking nothing like the team that dominated the Giants in their opener.

"I want to emphasize today, this is not what we're about in my view," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said. "I feel strongly about that. On the other hand, this is what Denver is about."

The only big blemish in Denver's fifth straight 2-0 start was the apparently serious injury to their top draft pick, left tackle Garett Bolles, who left the stadium on crutches and with a boot on his left foot after getting hurt in the third quarter.

With the stadium still rocking in the final minute, Talib stepped in front of Dez Bryant, who had earlier beaten him for a TD, snared Dak Prescott's fourth-down pass and raced up the Dallas' dejected sideline.

He slipped Cole Beasley's tackle and followed linebacker Brandon Marshall's beautiful block of Prescott into the south end zone, where he jumped into the stands, exhausted by enjoying every last bit of what he called "an all-around complete ballgame from the Broncos."

Trevor Siemian tied a career high with four touchdown passes in a game that included an hour-long lightning delay that did nothing to slow Denver's rolling offense.

"We knew they were sound in the secondary," Jones said. "We were a little taken aback by how well they did offensively. "They seemed to really have our number. There's no excuses here. Their quarterback played outstanding."

Elliott, who's playing while his appeal of a six-game suspension for domestic violence works its way through the courts, came into the game averaging 108 yards rushing per game and more than 5 yards a carry in his career.

"We just were getting dominated up front," said Elliott, whose previous worst game was a 51-yarder in his NFL debut against the Giants last year. "We couldn't get any movement off the ball."

The star in the backfield on this day was C.J. Anderson, who rushed for 118 yards and a score and also caught a TD pass.

Thanks in part to Von Miller, who had two sacks, the Cowboys lost for the sixth straight time to the Broncos.

Siemian threw scoring strikes of 10 and 6 yards to Emmanuel Sanders as the Broncos built a 21-10 halftime lead. The Cowboys were lucky to be that close after a first half in which they managed just five first downs, converted one third down and were outgained 246 yards to 97.

The only touchdown for Dallas came on a 3-yard drive after DeMarcus Lawrence's strip sack of Siemian after beating right tackle Menelik Watson. Bryant beat Talib for the score two plays after Maliek Collins scooped up the loose ball at the Denver 3.

SUSPECT SECONDARY: The Cowboys began the day without their top cornerback, Orlando Scandrick, who broke his left hand last week, and they lost rookie Chidobe Awuzie (hamstring) and Nolan Carroll (concussion) in the first half.

Denver scored on its first drive when Siemian found Sanders for a 10-yard strike , and the Broncos were driving for another score but Brandon McManus pushed a 49-yarder wide right, his second miss in three attempts since signing his contract extension Monday.

LIGHTNING DELAY : The game was delayed by lightning for 62 minutes in the first quarter. The Cowboys were at midfield with 33 seconds left in the first quarter when the teams were told to head to their locker rooms and fans retreated to the concourses.

Broncos coach Vance Joseph said they turned off the air conditioning and turned on the TVs to watch some football during the delay.

Miller joked that they spent it dancing and playing games.

"Connect Four, we had some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches," Miller said. "We had a couple of rock-paper-scissors in there, turned on the music for a dance contest. ... Just came in, danced around."

Actually, Miller didn't even do any of his usual dances after his sacks, but he did raise his arms after ending his career-high five-game sackless streak, which came after he'd been flagged twice for jumping offside.

"You think he was getting antsy?" Joseph said.

SPLIT ALLEGIANCES : DeMarcus Ware was the honorary alumni captain for the coin toss between the game pitting his former teams. He said he was thrilled to have played for both teams, but would always root for Miller.

Ware retired in January after nine years in Dallas and three seasons in Denver because of chronic back problems. He acknowledged he considered coming out of retirement when Broncos linebacker Shane Rayinjured a wrist early in training camp but decided to stick with his new gig working for the NFL Network.

"I've played enough football," he said.

Record-setting Witten, Cowboys top Giants 19-3 in opener

Jason Witten scored the only touchdown while breaking the franchise record for yards receiving and the Dallas defense shackled a New York offense missing Odell Beckham Jr. in the Cowboys' 19-3 season-opening victory over the Giants on Sunday night.

Ezekiel Elliott had a rugged 104 yards rushing and another 36 receiving two days after a judge halted his six-game suspension over a domestic violence case, although last year's NFL rushing leader had already been cleared to play the opener.

Dak Prescott was turnover-free while throwing for 268 yards as the Cowboys dominated the NFC East rival that swept them during a 13-3 season that topped the NFC and was fueled by the sensational rookie years for the quarterback-running back duo. Dan Bailey kicked four field goals.

Eli Manning didn't have Beckham in his 200th straight start after his dynamic top target sprained his ankle in a preseason game. The Giants were outgained in the first half 265-49 while falling behind 16-0.

Manning was 28 of 37 for 211 yards with an interception and connected with new receiver Brandon Marshalljust once, late on a desperation drive with the outcome already settled.

Witten scored the Cowboys' first touchdown on a 12-yard catch and finished with seven catches for 59, breaking Hall of Fame receiver Michael Irvin's club record of 11,904 yards. Witten, already the franchise leader in catches, now has 1,096 receptions for 11,947 yards.

A 35-year-old in his 15th season, Witten is the only tight end other than Tony Gonzalez with at least 1,000 catches and 10,000 yards.

The Giants had a nearly 10-minute drive to start the second half but settled for Aldrick Rosas' 25-yard field goal after a second-down sack of Manning, Dallas' third of the game and the first of Charles Tapper's career.

Anthony Brown all but sealed the win for the Cowboys when he was the first to get his hands on a throw from Manning and won a tug-of-war with Roger Lewis Jr. for the interception midway through the fourth quarter.

Elliott had to work for his yards after the crowd cheered loudly when he was introduced and kept up the "Zeke" calls while he made his trademark feed-me gesture after first downs. His biggest play was a 30-yard catch-and-run, easily the most open field he saw against one of the league's best run defenses a year ago.

DID YOU SEE THAT?

Dallas receiver Cole Beasley made a crazy catch in the fourth quarter to keep a drive alive. He got his hand on a wobbly ball as he was approaching the sideline and reached behind his head with his left hand, trapping the ball against his shoulder pads and helmet.

STILL NO RUN GAME

Just like a year ago when the Giants finished 30th in rushing offense, they couldn't help Manning when he was under more pressure than he's been used to in recent years against the Cowboys. Paul Perkins had 16 yards on seven carries as the Giants were outgained 129-35 on the ground.

INJURIES

Cowboys: CB Orlando Scandrick left in the second quarter with a hand injury and didn't return.

UP NEXT

Giants: Home against Detroit (1-0) on Monday night next week.

Cowboys: At Denver on Sunday.

Stars and starters sit out, Cowboys beat Cardinals 20-18

Now that the Dallas Cowboys have taken care of business in the Hall of Fame game, they're going to hang around for a couple of days.

Why not? The boss is about to get a gold jacket.

With no stars and few starters on the field Thursday night, the Cowboys edged the Arizona Cardinals 20-18. The idea, Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said, was to get the young players lots of action, win the game, then get ready for owner Jerry Jones' induction on Saturday night.

So the team will be off Friday, practice in Cleveland on Saturday, then tour the hall before the evening ceremonies.

"This is a great experience not only for Jerry and the Jones family," Garrett said, "but for the entire Dallas Cowboys family. We all take ownership in his induction."

Garrett saw lots of value in playing an extra exhibition game.

"As a player you learn so much more in game situations than in any other environment," he said. "There's nothing like putting on a uniform and going on a real football field and playing versus an opponent."

Rookie Sam Irwin-Hill, unlikely to beat out Dallas veteran Dan Bailey for the placekicking job, made field goals of 23 and 43 yards, the latter providing the winning points in the fourth quarter.

The opening half featured a handful of big plays, with Arizona's third-string quarterback, Blaine Gabbert, consistently finding open receivers down the middle.

"There were a couple specific plays by the defense on those first couple of drives," Garrett said. "Blown assignments on a big third-down conversion, and it wasn't physical enough. It wasn't aggressive enough."

Dallas' Kellen Moore, who missed last season with an ankle injury, had some success passing down the sidelines, but his second-quarter interception by Brandon Williams in the end zone ruined a drive.

With the likes of Carson Palmer, Larry Fitzgerald, David Johnson, Patrick Peterson and Tyrann Mathieu sitting it out, Arizona could be pleased with the work of backup running backs Kerwynn Williams and Andre Ellington, who both scored on short runs.

"It was great to see the offense move the ball and get touchdowns on those first two drives," Fitzgerald said. "O-line, running game, passing the ball, that was impressive and I'm happy for every one of those guys."

And with Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, Jason Witten, Sean Lee and their strong offensive line pretty much inactive, the Cowboys could point to veteran RB Alfred Morris and receivers Brice Butler and Rico Gathers.

Morris showed off a spin move worthy of Elliott on a 25-yard run, Butler had 78 yards on two catches in the first half, and Gathers, a hoops starter at Baylor, made a 26-yard touchdown catch.

Gathers also made a diving reception and slipped a pair of tackles on a 17-yard play early in the third period. That led to Uzoma Nwachukwu's 14-yard TD catch from fourth-string rookie Cooper Rush. The former rebounding standout had three catches for 59 yards.

"He's gotten so much better," Garrett said of Gathers, a practice squad player in 2016. "He has a tremendous willingness to work and has come a long way, but has a long way to go."

Generally, though, it was a sloppy exercise befitting the lack of star power.

TURF'S UP: At least the turf held up - unlike a year ago, when the game was canceled for safety reasons. The new field passed NFL operations directors' approval, and the footing was steady all night.

PREGAME INTROS: Jones drew the loudest cheers - no surprise considering the overwhelmingly pro-Cowboys crowd of 21,126 at the renovated Hall of Fame Stadium - in pregame introductions of the seven men who will be inducted into the shrine Saturday night.

Jones, Terrell Davis, Kurt Warner, Kenny Easley, LaDainian Tomlinson, Jason Taylor and Morten Andersen walked along midfield between the competing teams, often shaking hands with current players.

Hall of Famer Jackie Smith, who played tight end for both the Cowboys and Cardinals, performed a rousing national anthem.

TAKE A TABLET: Referee Jerome Boger was the first to use a Microsoft Surface tablet to handle replay reviews under a new NFL system. Final say on calls is being made by the officiating staff in New York, in consultation with the referee.

Dallas challenged a down-by-contact call in the third quarter that negated a Cardinals fumble. The verdict came quickly and the call was confirmed.

GO FOR 2: Arizona kicked the extra point after its second touchdown, but Dallas lined up illegally. So the half-the-distance penalty brought the ball inside the 2-yard line. Gabbert threw incomplete, but another flag was thrown for interference. Then Gabbert sneaked in from about the 1 to make it 15-0.

UP NEXT: Dallas will travel to face the Los Angeles Rams on August 12 in the first full week of the preseason and the Cardinals will host the Raiders August 12.

Prescott throws 3 TD passes, Cowboys beat Packers 30-16

 Rookie Dak Prescott is stating an impressive case to remain the starting quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys.

He's off to quite the start in his NFL career after taking over following veteran Tony Romo's preseason back injury.

Prescott threw for 247 yards and three touchdowns, and the Cowboys forced four turnovers in a 30-16 win over the Green Bay Packers and their dysfunctional offense Sunday.

Prescott was 18 of 27 and shook off two fumbles and an interception to lead the Cowboys (5-1) to their fifth straight win.

"You just couldn't ask for more inspiration from a player because everybody on this team knows what a difficult position that is to play," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said.

Prescott showed poise in the fourth quarter while marching the Cowboys on a seven-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Cole Beasley for an 18-point lead with 10:26 left.

Romo seems to be getting closer to returning. After a bye, Dallas next plays on Oct. 30 against Philadelphia.

Asked if Prescott would remain the starter against the Eagles even if Romo was ready, Jones only said, "I wouldn't say unequivocally anything other than we just beat the Green Bay Packers in Green Bay."

Prescott picked on a Packers secondary that played much of the game without their top three cornerbacks because of injuries.

His fourth-quarter touchdown pass left Packers fans at Lambeau stunned. They were booing at times following another choppy game for Green Bay's offense. The four turnovers were a season high for Green Bay (3-2).

"Frankly, the biggest thing on offense ... is turning the ball over," coach Mike McCarthy said. "It's not part of our fiber."

The Packers had five fumbles on the day, losing three.

BOO BIRDS

Even two- NFL MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers wasn't immune from the jeering. Rodgers finished 31 of 42 for a season-high 294 yards.

"Look, we're upset, they're upset, it's part of it," Rodgers said of the booing. It's not the first time. Probably won't be the last time."

The Packers didn't get into the end zone until Rodgers and Cobb connected on a 6-yard touchdown pass with 6:53 left to get within 27-16.

Rodgers accounted for two turnovers with an interception to go with a fumble on first-and-goal at the Cowboys 1 with 1:10 left in the third quarter. It was a designed draw play out of an empty backfield.

RECORD STREAK OVER

Prescott threw the first interception of his career after he was picked off on third-and-8 from the Dallas 6, throwing out of his end zone with 20 seconds left in third quarter. Safety Morgan Burnett had the diving interception.

Prescott's NFL record streak for a quarterback at the start of his career without an interception ended at 176 pass attempts. He broke the mark of 162 previously held by New England's Tom Brady earlier in the game.

"We get that out of the way now," Prescott said with a laugh. "Another one to start up."

OUT OF SYNC

Drops were a problem again at times for Packers receivers. Timing may have been off on a couple other throws.

Rodgers and McCarthy said the Packers would figure out the problems after watching the film.

"We're hard on ourselves, and I'm as hard as anybody on myself. So I'm going to get it fixed. Just been a little bit off," Rodgers said.

It was Green Bay's worst defeat at home with Rodgers as the starting quarterback since a 37-20 loss to the Giants in the 2011 NFC divisional playoffs.

STRENGTH VS. STRENGTH

Dallas dented Green Bay's league-best run defense.

The Cowboys rushed for 93 yards in the first half against the Packers, which was already a season high against Green Bay. The Packers had been allowing 42.8 yards per game entering Sunday.

Dallas was averaging a league-best 155.2 yards per game.

Rookie Ezekiel Elliott finished with 157 yards on 28 carries, giving him 703 yards rushing - the second-most in a player's first six career games, behind only Eric Dickerson (787). Elliott also became the only rookie to rush for at least 130 yards in four consecutive games.

INJURY REPORT

Cowboys: CB Morris Claiborne left with a concussion after getting hurt in the second quarter.

Packers: The Packers' thin secondary, which was already without CBs Sam Shields (concussion) and Quinten Rollins (groin), lost cornerback Damarious Randall in the second quarter after he re-aggravated a groin injury. ... WR Davante Adams left in the third quarter to be evaluated for a concussion. ... RT Bryan Bulaga left late with a back injury.

UP NEXT

Cowboys: Host the Philadelphia Eagles on Oct. 30 after a bye next week.

Packers: Host the Chicago Bears on Thursday night.

Rookie-led Cowboys are 4-1 after 28-14 win over Bengals

These rookie-led Dallas Cowboys keep winning without Tony Romo and Dez Bryant.

Ezekiel Elliott ran for 134 yards and two touchdowns, fellow rookie Dak Prescott threw for a score and ran for another TD, and the Cowboys beat the Cincinnati Bengals 28-14 on Sunday for their fourth consecutive victory.

"Zeke ran really, really well, but a big part of this game was the efficiency of our passing game," coach Jason Garrett said. "Dak read things out well, threw it to the right guy, and was accurate. ... He's grown with the experience he gets. He's goes about it the right way. We're lucky to have him."

Without Romo, who hasn't played yet after his fourth back injury in just less than four years, the Cowboys (4-1) have already matched their victory total from a year ago. Bryant has missed two games with a hairline fracture in his right knee.

The Bengals (2-3) have a losing record a year after being 8-0 midway through the season.

"Everybody needs to take a deep look at their self," said Bengals cornerback Adam Jones, who was still known as Pacman when he played for the Cowboys.

Romo could be ready to play when the Cowboys play their next home game Oct. 30 against Philadelphia. They are guaranteed to have a winning record then, going to Green Bay next week before their bye.

Prescott had his first turnover, a fumble when he was sacked late in the third quarter. But the fourth-round draft pick was 18-of-24 passing for 227 yards, and extended his NFL rookie record to 155 passes without an interception to start a career.

Elliott, on only 15 carries, became the first Cowboys rookie with three consecutive 100-yard rushing games. He also had three catches for 37 yards.

"It doesn't surprise me. He'll deal it up any way you want to have it," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said. "You saw that speed take care of itself out there."

Elliott put the Cowboys ahead to stay with a 13-yard TD run on their opening drive. Then on their first offensive snap of the second half, Elliott busted through the middle and into the open on the way to a 60-yard score, punctuating the play with what might be called a JerryWorld jump, leaping up a few feet to celebrate with fans sitting in field-level suites in the end zone.

Prescott ran 5 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter. Then he was scrambling to his right before halftime when he threw on the run to Cole Beasley for a 14-yard score.

It was a homecoming of sorts for Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton, who went to TCU about 20 miles away from AT&T Stadium. The 2011 second-round draft pick was visiting the Cowboys for the first time in a regular-season game.

But the Bengals trailed 28-0 before Dalton threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Brandon LaFell with about 10 minutes left. That duo hooked up again for a 5-yard score with 2:39 left. Dalton finished 29 of 41 for 269 yards.

"They got us in longer situations on third down and we weren't able to keep moving the ball," Dalton said. "They took some things away, and we weren't able to overcome that."

IMPRESSIVE FIRST-TIMERS

The Cowboys are the first team in NFL history to have a rookie quarterback with 1,000 yards passing and a rookie running back with at least 500 yards rushing in the first five games of a season.

TYRON'S RETURN

Dallas Pro Bowl left tackle Tyron Smith returned after missing two games with back issues. Smith had missed just one game in the first five seasons of his career before his back tightened up late in the week before the third game against Chicago.

CHASING DALTON

Dallas defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence made his season debut following a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy. While he didn't get a sack, he boosted a pass rush that sacked Dalton four times. Lawrence, who led Dallas with eight sacks last season, had a fistful of Dalton's jersey on one play but couldn't pull him down.

HOME GETTING SWEET AGAIN

The Cowboys have won their last two home games, following an eight-game losing streak in their showplace stadium. They lost 20-19 to the New York Giants at home in this season's opener.

Rookies Elliott, Prescott lead Cowboys past 49ers 24-17

With Tony Romo, Dez Bryantand two starting offensive linemen out injured, Dallas turned things over to a pair of talented rookies who have the Cowboys playing mistake-free football.

Ezekiel Elliott ran for 138 yards and a touchdown and Dak Prescott threw for two scores to help the Dallas Cowboys overcome an early 14-point deficit to beat the San Francisco 49ers 24-17 on Sunday.

"This is a great team," Prescott said. "I think the win just shows the character. We had more guys go down last week and guys had to step in. They got the job done. I guess the theme I guess you could say is if somebody goes down, just step up and do your job, and we've done a good job."

The Cowboys (3-1) fell in a 14-point hole early in the second quarter before taking over the game behind a pair of rookies who have helped the team get off to a fast start this season with Romo sidelined by a back injury. Making things even harder this week were the absences of star receiver Bryant and offensive linemen Tryon Smith and La'el Collins.

Prescott threw for 245 yards and had a 20-yard touchdown pass to Terrance Williams and a 4-yarder to Brice Butler to tie the game at the half.

Elliott then took over with 96 yards rushing in the second half, including a 1-yard run that gave Dallas the lead for good late in the third quarter.

"We just all came together, that's what it was," Elliott said. "We have a lot of faith in each other and there wasn't any point in that game where any of us worried on that sideline. We knew what we could do and we knew we were beating ourselves."

Blaine Gabbert got off to a fast start to help San Francisco (1-3) take the early lead but struggled to generate any offense after that. Gabbert finished 16 for 23 for 196 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

He had a chance to lead a late tying drive but he threw a 3-yard pass to Torrey Smith on fourth-and-6 from the Dallas 35 to end hopes at a comeback.

"We were moving the ball. We have to make a play there on third-and-6 and fourth-and-6," coach Chip Kelly said. "It was 6 yards. We have to be able to covert."

BIG MISTAKE: Gabbert doesn't throw the ball deep often but he had one shot at a big play in the fourth quarter when Torrey Smith got open down the middle of the field. But Gabbert didn't lead him with the pass, allowing Morris Claiborne to intercept it .

"Every game in the league comes down to one or two plays that change the outcome and that definitely had an impact on it and that's on me," Gabbert said. "I got to throw that ball to the middle of the field and let him go get it."

BIG LOSS: The Niners lost star inside linebacker NaVorro Bowman to a lower left leg injury in the third quarter. He went down with a non-contact injury and had to be helped off the field. He was then taken to the locker room on a cart and was immediately ruled out for the rest of the game. Elliott ran for 23 yards on the play after Bowman left. He had six carries for 50 yards and the TD on the drive after Bowman left.

Rookie DeForest Buckner then left later in the game and had a walking boot on his left foot.

FILLING IN: With Bryant out with a hairline fracture of a bone in his right knee, the Cowboys needed someone else to step up on the outside. Butler, who came into the game with just one catch this season, had five catches for 41 yards, including a 4-yard TD that tied the game at 14.

THIRD DOWNS: After failing to convert their first 10 third-down chances last week against Seattle, the Niners were quite efficient at the start this week. They converted seven straight third downs to open the game, including Gabbert's 33-yard TD pass to Jeremy Kerley and Hyde's 3-yard TD run . San Francisco then converted just one of its final seven third-down chances.

ANTHEM PROTEST: Six teammates of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick joined him for a protest during the national anthem on Sunday. Safety Eric Reid and linebacker Eli Harold kneeled beside Kaepernick. Defensive backs Antoine Bethea, Keith Reaser, Jaquiski Tartt and Rashard Robinson all raised their fists.

Rookie Dak Prescott solid again, Cowboys beat Bears 31-17

Maybe the Cowboys will be OK without quarterbackTony Romo this time. The future of the Dallas running game with Ezekiel Elliott looks pretty good, too.

Dak Prescott led scoring drives on all four Dallas possessions in the first half before throwing his first career touchdown pass in fellow rookie Elliott's first 100-yard game, and the Cowboys beat the Chicago Bears 31-17 on Sunday night to snap an eight-game home losing streak.

With his second straight win, Prescott doubled the number of victories the Cowboys (2-1) had in 14 games without the injured Romo over three seasons before the fourth-round pick showed up.

Prescott's first TD pass was a 17-yarder to Dez Bryant for a 31-10 lead in the fourth quarter, and he's up to 99 throws without an interception to start his career. Philadelphia's Carson Wentz has 102, and those are the two highest career-opening totals for a rookie in NFL history.

"Dak's handled every opportunity he's had right from the start really, really well," coach Jason Garrett said. "No different tonight."

Brian Hoyer had trouble moving the Chicago offense early with Jay Cutler sidelined by a sprained right thumb as the Bears fell behind 24-3 at halftime and dropped to 0-3 for the second time in two seasons under coach John Fox.

Making his 27th career start for his fourth different team, Hoyer was 30 of 49 for 317 yards - a good portion of that with the game out of each late in the fourth quarter - and threw for two scores to Zach Miller.

"We haven't played a complete game," Fox said. "This week was the reverse of what we've had. We played very poorly in the first half."

Elliott finished with 140 yards on 30 carries, including a 14-yard run when he hurdled safety Chris Prosinski. The Cowboys kept giving him the ball while trying to work the clock with a two-touchdown lead in the fourth quarter a week after he was benched because of two fumbles in a win over Washington.

"Made a lot of good runs tonight, a lot tough runs, a lot of NFL runs," Garrett said. "He's physically tough. He's mentally tough."

It didn't even bother Prescott that Pro Bowl left tackle Tyron Smith missed just the second game of his six-year career after his back tightened up during the week.

Prescott was 19 of 24 for 248 yards in Dallas' first home win since last year's opener, which was a week before the first of two broken left collarbones that kept Romo out of 12 games last season.

Romo is expected to miss about another month after breaking a bone in his back in the preseason.

Prescott had one of three rushing touchdowns for the Cowboys, who have seven this season after getting eight all of last year, when they finished 4-12.

Because the Bears fell behind again, they couldn't do much with the running game. They had just 15 carries for 73 yards and lost leading rusher Jeremy Langford to an ankle injury in the second half.

BRYANT'S STATUS

Owner Jerry Jones said Bryant likely has a sprained right knee after his leg bent awkwardly when the 2014 All-Pro he was tackled on his first catch early in the game. An MRI was planned this week. Bryant wasn't in the locker room when it was open to reporters after the game.

MISSING PIECES

It was Chicago's first game without linebackers Danny Trevathan (sprain thumb) and Lamarr Houston (season-ending left ACL year). And the Bears struggled to slow the Cowboys, getting outgained 274-114 in the first half. Dallas had a 19-4 edge in first downs before halftime and finished with 447 yards, including 199 on the ground.

STAYING ALIVE

The Cowboys were on their way to a score on a fifth straight possession when Terrance Williams fumbled at the end of a 47-yard catch on the opening drive of the second half. The Bears turned that into the first of Hoyer's two TDs to Miller, a 2-yarder on fourth down to cut it to 24-10.

QUOTABLE

Prescott on finally getting his first touchdown pass: "I had a couple of close moments there earlier in the game. And then to get Dez in there, it took a lot of attempts, but it happened."

Hoyer: "One thing I will say is it's the resilience of the room to come back out down 24-3 at halftime and just keep battling. You've just got to take that and build on it, and figure out how to move the ball a little better."

INJURIES

Chicago S Harold Jones-Quartey left with a concussion in the first half and didn't return. ... The Cowboys lost another lineman when LG La'el Collins missed the second half with a sprained foot. Ron Leary, the starter who lost his job to Collins this season, was his replacement.

Morris' TD after Cousins' INT leads Cowboys past Skins 27-23

Discussing Dak Prescott after the rookie quarterback's first NFL victory, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones managed to throw in references to folks such as Troy Aikman, Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger- QBs with nine Super Bowl victories combined.

Not bad company for a guy who was a fourth-round draft pick and is only playing because Tony Romo is out with an injured back.

Prescott ran for a 6-yard TD , went 22 for 30 for 292 yards, and showed a veteran's poise in the pocket, helping the Cowboys beat the Washington Redskins 27-23 on Sunday as he stayed turnover-free as a pro so far.

"He exudes confidence," Jones said about Prescott. "He's got a great supporting cast, but he's using it."

Dallas (1-1) won for only the second time in its past 16 games without Romo - and both of those victories came at Washington (0-2).

Alfred Morris scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 4-yard run with under five minutes left against his former club, taking advantage after Washington's Kirk Cousins threw an end-zone interception.

Morris was drafted by Washington in 2012 and played his first four seasons there. But his role was reduced last year and he was allowed to leave as a free agent. His first TD in a Cowboys uniform capped an 80-yard drive that started when Barry Church picked off a pass from Cousins intended for Pierre Garcon.

"This is a quarterback-driven league," Cousins said. "I need to play at a high level, week in and week out."

Through two games, he has three interceptions and only one TD pass , an 11-yarder to Jamison Crowder in the third quarter that gave Washington its first lead, 17-13.

But Cousins and the defending NFC East champion Redskins will rue the second-half chances they wasted. They got the ball inside Dallas' 40 on consecutive possessions - once because of a failed onside kick, once because cornerbackJosh Norman caused one of the two fumbles by Dallas rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott - but settled for a field goal each time.

Still, Washington led 23-20 and appeared on its way to adding to the margin after Cousins began a drive by completing a 57-yard pass to rookie Josh Doctson. But on third-and-goal at the 6 with 10 1/2 minutes left, Cousins put the ball right in Church's gut.

Garcon stomped his foot coming off the field. Redskins right tackle Morgan Moses threw his helmet on the sideline.

HE SAID IT

"Everybody thinks we're in the morgue or something. We're not dead, by no means." - Norman on Washington's 0-2 start.

NORMAN'S ASSIGNMENT

One big question entering the game was whether Norman would be assigned to cover Cowboys WR Dez Bryant no matter where the receiver lined up - or stick to one side of the field, as the $75 million defensive back primarily did in Week 1, when he stayed on the left side regardless of where Steelers WR Antonio Brown was. The answer: Norman mainly remained on the left side of Washington's defense, often leaving CB Bashaud Breeland on Bryant, early on, but eventually started to "travel" to where Bryant was.

DEZ INVOLVED

After getting only one catch for 8 yards in Week 1, Bryant had seven catches for 102 yards Sunday.

MORE STATS

Elliott finished with 83 yards on 21 carries, including a 1-yard TD run. ... Morris ran five times for a total of 7 yards. ... Redskins RB Matt Jones gained 61 yards on 13 carries with a 14-yard scoring run. ... Cousins went 28 for 46 for 364 yards.

BAD MISS

On third-and-7 from Dallas' 37 on Washington's opening possession, Cousins had Crowder wide open and behind the defense for what should have been an easy-as-can-be TD. But Cousins overthrew the second-year receiver, and that bad miss ended the drive, because coach Jay Gruden chose to punt.

INJURIES

Redskins: NT Kedric Golston injured his right hamstring on the first play from scrimmage, eventually was driven toward the locker room on a cart and did not return. Ziggy Hood took over at nose tackle.