The Dallas Cowboys used their running game to take a 10-3 halftime lead, but the San Francisco 49ers reserves made the most of their opportunity in the second half. San Francisco outscored Dallas 17-3 after the break to win the NFL preseason contest by a 20-13 final score. The victory improved the Niners NFL preseason mark to a perfect 3-0, while Dallas dropped to 1-2 in their exhibition games.

Kyle Boller filled in for an injured Mark Bulger, and the St. Louis Rams improved to 2-1 on the NFL preseason with a 24-21 victory over the host Cincinnati Bengals. The Rams led 24-14 heading into the fourth quarter, but a Bengals TD early in the frame made for some drama down the stretch. The Bengals couldn’t close the deal, however, and lost their second game in NFL preseason play.

Boller did withstand a hard hit from linebacker Keith Rivers that knocked his helmet off his head. Rather than leave the game, he calmly picked up his helmet and finished the drive. For the game, the Rams #2 QB was 14 of 20 for 96 yards. After the game, he talked about the play:

In a NFL preseason game characterized by rainy weather, sloppy field conditions and a quick exit for both teams starters, the Miami Dolphins outlasted their in-state rivals the Jacksonville Jaguars by a 12-9 score. Miamis game winning score came on a 33 yard touchdown strike from Chad Henne to tight end Ernest Wilford.

Miami’s Ernest Wilford recently converted to tight end from wide receiver, and gave the football an emphatic spike after his game winning touchdown reception. Afterwards, he spoke to reporters about the game winning score:

After a great 2007-2008 season and a very impressive playoff run, the 2008-2009 Hornets looked nothing like the team from the season before as they rolled over in the first round of the playoffs. Fans in New Orleans were disappointed with the result, as the season before paved the way for hope that the Hornets team was on the rise. Clashes between players and coach Byron Scott, among other things, killed the momentum for the New Orleans Hornets last season.

The NFL couldn’t have scripted a better ending to their first nationally televised Monday Night Football contest of the year. New York Giants rookie Tommie Hill returned a fumble 18 yards for a touchdown with 0:00 on the clock to break open a tie game and give his team a 24-17 victory over the Carolina Panthers in NFL preseason action .

Carolina’s fourth string QB Hunter Cantwell was in a position where he just had to take a knee and run out the clock on first and 10 from his eighteen yard line. Instead, he tried to throw a pass only to have his arm hit forcing a fumble. Hill grabbed the loose ball and headed to the endzone for the shockingly bizarre finish and a Giants victory.

Despite losing to the New Orleans Saints in their NFL preseason opener 17-7, the Cincinnati Bengals had a lot to be happy about. Most significantly, they were elated over the return of QB Carson Palmer after he’d missed most of the last NFL season. His solid performance gave them even more to be happy about despite being on the wrong end of the final score. When you live in Cincinnati, however, you’re used to having to take what you get so Palmer’s serviceable performance led to mass celebration in the streets of ‘The Queen City’.

Tom Brady returned to NFL action and looked good in limited playing time as the New England Patriots opened their preseason schedule with a 27-25 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. Brady played into the second quarter, moving well and showing no lingering effects of his knee surgery.

The Patriots also rewarded their NFL preseason financial backers by winning outright as a +2 road underdog. The combined 52 points scored shattered the posted total of 32 for an easy OVER.

Bradys solid play was no doubt a heartening sight to Patriots fans, though he had little to say after the game on the specifics on his performance:

The Packers have gone on record by saying they have not ruled out signing free agent Michael Vick. It has also been reported that the Packers are considering signing Vick to a contract. While I am not a big fan of Vick with the dog fighting and beating the Packers on Wild Card Weekend in 2002, he could be a good asset to an already good offensive team. He could add that extra dimension that the Packers are looking for. Here are the pros and cons for the Packers if they sign Vick.

The New York Giants have made quarterback Eli Manning the NFLs highest paid player by offering him a six year, $97.5 million contract extension. Manning will earn just over $15 million a year, and $35 million of the contract is guaranteed. Should Manning play through the end of his contract hell be a Giant until 2015, meaning there’s a decent chance hell play his entire career with the team.

The Car of Tomorrow seems to be picking up a lot of steam on the NASCAR circuit. This involves a car that resembles nothing about its sponsoring auto company, save for a sticker on the hood of it.

The parts come from a wide variety of auto makers and have little to do with the Chevy, Toyota, Dodge, or Ford sticker that may be slapped onto the front of it. While some like the fact that giving all drivers similar cars makes things more fair (so that the best driver wins), this can’t be good for the actual car companies, as it removes the personal connection that so many fans feel to the brands.