The preseason opener between the Dallas Cowboys and the San Diego Chargers ended in a 27-7 win for the bolts as Tony Romo didn’t play, Philip Rivers got in one series, Brandon Weeden looked pretty good and we mostly saw some incredible accuracy from the home team quarterbacks, completing all but two passes.
The only incompletions? Brad Sorensen for the Chargers. Rivers and Kellen Clemens combined for a perfect 9-for-9, including one touchdown pass from Clemens to Dontrelle Inman in the third quarter, completing a 70-yard play which was the highlights of the game. Sorenses was “only” 5-for-7 with 48 yards, while the Chargers also got 152 yards from their ground game, led by Branden Oliver with 64 yards.
Rookie Marion Grice out of Arizona State got plenty of carries (14) but didn’t do much with them, while Ryan Mathews ran five times for 19 yards. Kerwynn Williams scored a touchdown himself with a one yard run in the third quarter.
The Cowboys rested Tony Romo but good a good performance out of Brandon Weeden, who also through a touchdown pass on the opening drive, completing a four yard pass to James Hanna while being hit hard by Lawrence Guy. Surprisingly, it was Guy who ended up being injured from the play. Weeden played the entire first half, completing 13-of-17 passes for 107 yards. Dustin Vaughan and Caleb Hanie also threw passes for the Cowboys.
With Tony Romo coming back from surgery, it’s good for the Cowboys to have a backup they can trust. Weeden hasn’t been exactly scorching through his NFL career, posting two disappointing seasons with the Cleveland Browns, but considering how their quarterback situation probably cost them a playoff berth last season heading into the final game, having Weeden playing behind Romo is probably an upgrade, and maybe one less cause for concern.