Dynamic debut
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Sam Bradford hasn't had many chances to enjoy football since winning the 2008 Heisman Trophy.
That changed in his first pro start Thursday night.
The top pick in this year's draft played with the poise of a veteran, completing 15 of 22 passes for 189 yards and two touchdowns. That first-half performance launched the St. Louis Rams to a 36-35 exhibition win over the New England Patriots.
"Tonight was really the first time that I had fun," said Bradford, who missed 10 of 13 games at Oklahoma last season with a shoulder injury that required surgery. "I felt like I was doing what I am used to doing, which is moving the offense up and down the field and scoring points.
"Anytime you can do that, it's a blast."
In Thursday night's other game, Green Bay beat Indianapolis 59-24.
Bradford had plenty of help from a Patriots defense that couldn't stop any of the Rams' three quarterbacks.
St. Louis (2-1) led in time of possession, 43:46 to 16:14, and in offensive yards, 462-288. The Patriots gained more than 10 yards on just four of 11 series while the Rams went nine for 11. And only one of the Patriots possessions lasted more than five plays; the Rams had nine.
Bradford "made some good throws," Patriots cornerback Leigh Bodden said, "but we didn't make a lot of plays to make him look bad."
He was on the sideline to see rookie free agent Thaddeus Lewis throw a 20-yard scoring pass to Brandon Gibson on the first series of the third quarter and then watch quarterback Keith Null guide a 41-yard drive to Josh Brown's winning 37-yard field goal on the final play.
Packers 59, Colts 24
Aaron Rodgers extended his sizzling start to the preseason, throwing three touchdowns before halftime at Lambeau Field.
The points just kept coming after that for the Green Bay Packers (2-1), who scored six offensive touchdowns and twice on special teams.
For the Colts (0-3), the biggest worry wasn't the final score.
Running back Joseph Addai left the game in the third quarter with a concussion and linebacker Gary Brackett hurt his right hand. Addai said he "just got a little dizzy" but was fine after that.
Rodgers threw for 195 yards in the first half. In three preseason games, he has completed 77.4 percent of his passes with six touchdowns and no interceptions.
