ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- The preseason game against the New York Giants became secondary to Bills defensive tackle Kyle Williams once he learned teammate Marcell Dareus was entering rehab and Karlos Williams was cut.
"All know is that when someone gets to the point when they say, `Hey I need help,' then it must be a big problem," Williams said, noting Bills owners Terry and Kim Pegula played a role in counseling Dareus to seek help. "I care more about him than I do his football career, so I want to see him better."
Dareus, the Bills' top-paid player, announced an hour before Buffalo's 21-0 win on Saturday he was entering rehab.
The decision came four days after he was suspended for four games by the NFL for violating the league's substance abuse policy for a second consecutive season.
As for Karlos Williams, Kyle Williams hoped for the best regarding the backup running back who has battled offseason weight issues and also was suspended for violating the substance abuse policy (see full recap).
Rams slip past Chiefs 21-20
LOS ANGELES -- Todd Gurley rushed for a touchdown in his preseason debut, and the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 21-20 on Saturday night.
Gurley, who was held out of exhibition games last season as a rookie while recovering from a torn ACL, rushed for 20 yards on four carries and scored on a 3-yard run.
Philadelphia Eagles
Complete coverage of the Philadelphia Eagles and their NFL rivals from NBC Sports Philadelphia.
With the Chiefs (0-2) holding out four defensive starters, including safety Eric Berry and linebacker Josh Mauga, the starting offensive line played four series and allowed Rams running backs Gurley, Benny Cunningham and Malcolm Brown to rush for 85 yards on 15 carries.
Case Keenum started at quarterback and led the Rams (2-0) to two touchdowns, going 4 of 5 for 53 yards with an 11-yard scoring pass to Pharoh Cooper before giving way to rookie Jared Goff.
The No. 1 overall draft pick mostly struggled for the second consecutive week despite working with the first-unit offensive line for two series. Goff lost a fumble after tripping over left guard Cody Wichmann and fumbled out of bounds while being sacked (see full recap).
Ponder helps 49ers to 31-24 exhibition win over Broncos
DENVER -- Christian Ponder ran for a score and threw for another in the fourth quarter and San Francisco pulled away to beat the Denver Broncos 31-24 in an exhibition Saturday night.
Ponder was signed earlier in the week to bolster the team's depth at quarterback.
Blaine Gabbert, trying to solidify his hold on the starting quarterback job in Colin Kaepernick's absence, led a scoring drive and finished 6 of 9 for 69 yards in roughly a quarter and a half of play.
Kaepernick, who missed the first exhibition because of a sore right shoulder, resumed throwing in practice Thursday and is expected to begin fully participating in workouts next week in hopes of playing Friday against Green Bay.
Ponder, who was out of football last season, was added by the 49ers (1-1) after backup quarterback Thad Lewis suffered a season-ending knee injury in their exhibition opener against Houston last week. Ponder scored on a 22-yard bootleg and then completed a 30-yard touchdown pass to Dres Anderson (see full recap).
Newton leads 2 scoring drives as Panthers beat Titans 26-16
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Cam Newton threw for 162 yards and led scoring drives on two of his four series Saturday and the Carolina Panthers defeated the Tennessee Titans 26-16 in a preseason game.
The game was delayed about 30 minutes because of lightning late in the third quarter.
Newton went 8 of 12 before leaving midway through the second quarter. He opened the game by leading a 93-yard drive that included a 61-yard completion to Ted Ginn Jr.
Ginn caught Newton's pass about 10 yards downfield. Antwon Blake missed a tackle as soon as the catch was made, then the 31-year-old Ginn outraced the other Titans to the end zone.
"He's probably one of the fastest guys in the NFL," Newton said. "That's not a reach. He is. Of course they will (mention) his age, but this is what I say. ... I feel as if when Ted comes to Carolina, this is only team that probably used him in the receiver position the way he wants to and is supposed to.
"I think so much of his career he's been labeled a return specialist, and in the return game, you may have one or maybe two opportunities to prove yourself, so that leaves a lot of tread on the tires for him."
This was the second straight week the Titans have allowed an opponent to score a long touchdown on its opening series (see full recap).
