Rams, Eagles win
Indianapolis opened its preseason Thursday with a successful onside kick by Adam Vinatieri, and Peyton Manning quickly made the most of his brief appearance by throwing a touchdown pass in the Colts’ 19-17 loss to the St. Louis Rams at St. Louis.
Neither team wasted time in getting key players out of harm’s way: Manning and receivers Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne were gone after one series, while St. Louis played quarterback Marc Bulger, running back Steven Jackson and receivers Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce two series apiece.
New Colts kicker Vinatieri’s game-opening onside kick was recovered by Von Hutchins at the Colts 41. Manning missed on his first pass to Harrison, but connected with Wayne for 11- and 31-yard gains, setting up an 8-yard touchdown pass to backup tight end Ben Utecht.
Manning was 3 for 5 for 50 yards before giving way to backup Jim Sorgi.
Winslow plays in Browns’ loss
Kellen Winslow sharpened his blocking skills while showing only a glimpse of his talent as a receiver.
Playing his first game in nearly two years, the brash Browns tight end made two catches in Cleveland’s 20-7 preseason loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Donovan McNabb looked sharp for the second straight game, and Jeff Garcia connected with Darnerien McCants on a 32-yard touchdown pass for the Eagles (1-1).
McNabb connected on his first five passes and finished 7 for 9 for 78 yards. He led the Eagles to a score on the opening drive and went to the sideline after the second series.
Culpepper, Roethlisberger cleared
Daunte Culpepper and Ben Roethlisberger, who entered training camp as question marks because of injuries, will start the exhibition openers for their teams.
Roethlisberger will start for Pittsburgh at Arizona on Saturday, two months to the day after the motorcycle accident that left him with a broken jaw, nose and other facial injuries. Culpepper, obtained by Miami in an off-season trade with Minnesota, will start for the Dolphins against Jacksonville on Saturday, less than 10 months after a serious knee injury ended his 2005 season.
Neither will play much.
Around the league
Washington rookie lineman Kili Lefotu showed signs of improvement, and doctors were working to determine what caused him to lose consciousness in his room the day before. … Defensive end Courtney Brown, whose career has been plagued by injuries, will miss Denver’s entire exhibition season after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his troublesome left knee. … Carolina safety Mike Minter will be away from the team indefinitely after the death of his mother Thursday morning.