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Dallas Cowboys defeat Colts, 24-19; Jaylon Smith makes debut

By Steven Mullenax

ARLINGTON, TX - AUGUST 19: Anthony Hitchens #59 of the Dallas Cowboys and Jaylon Smith #54 of the Dallas Cowboys celebrate Smith's tackle against the Indianapolis Colts in a preseason game at AT&T Stadium on August 19, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX - AUGUST 19: Anthony Hitchens #59 of the Dallas Cowboys and Jaylon Smith #54 of the Dallas Cowboys celebrate Smith's tackle against the Indianapolis Colts in a preseason game at AT&T Stadium on August 19, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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The Dallas Cowboys defeated the Indianapolis Colts in their third preseason game, while former second round selection Jaylon Smith made his NFL debut.

The majority of the starters some early action for the Dallas Cowboys in their third preseason contest, this time against the Indianapolis Colts at AT&T Stadium. The Cowboys were able to defeat the Colts, 24-19, in their home opener of the exhibition season Saturday night.

Second-year quarterback Dak Prescott had a terrific preseason debut, completing 7 of his 8 passes for 108 yards and a touchdown. Prescott’s lone score was a 32-yard rope to wide receiver Dez Bryant in the game’s opening series.

Primary back-up quarterback Kellen Moore continued to struggle, completing just 10 of his 21 passes for 131 yards. Moore also fumbled near his own end zone which resulted in a Colt’s defensive touchdown.

The competition between Moore and quarterback Cooper Rush, if there is one, got a bit closer after the rookie’s performance on Saturday night. Rush threw for 92 yards and two scores on 8 of 9 passes.

Running backs Darren McFadden (59), Alfred Morris (49) and Rod Smith (53) all played well, proving the Cowboys can still run the ball without Ezekiel Elliott in the backfield, who was a healthy scratch in this matchup.

Receivers Bryant, Lance Lenoir and Noah Brown all scored touchdowns in this contest.

Defensively, all eyes were on second-year linebacker Jaylon Smith as he made his Cowboys debut after being sidelined for over a year and a half due to a devastating knee injury. Smith recorded one solo tackle in limited snaps (12). More importantly, he looked very comfortable on the field.

Safety Jeff Heath, cornerback Duke Thomas and linebacker Damien Wilson all recorded a team-high five tackles each. Defensive end Damontre Moore has Dallas’ only sack. Unfortunately, the Cowboys defense continues to struggle to create takeaways.

Next: The top 30 moments in Dallas Cowboys history

The Dallas Cowboys will stay home this week, hosting the Oakland Raiders at AT&T Stadium next Saturday, August 26th at 7:00pm CT. It will be the Cowboys fourth contest of the preseason.

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