The Houston Texans inflicted the first defeat of pre-season on the Denver Broncos as they claimed an 18-17 victory at Sports Authority Field.

The Broncos took a first-quarter lead through the boot of Matt Prater but were pegged back when Jonathan Grimes went over for a one-yard touchdown run.

Peyton Manning helped his side regain the advantage as he threw two strikes to wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, but a field goal from Randy Bullock and a touchdown from Ryan Griffin sealed a comeback win for the Texans.

The Minnesota Vikings put in a strong performance to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs 30-12 at Arrowhead Stadium.

Cordarrelle Patterson scored the only touchdown of the first half as he collected a 53-yard pass from Matt Cassel, but the Chiefs got on the board with a safety and a field goal from Cairo Santos.

However, the Vikings pulled away in the third quarter as rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater threw two touchdown passes to Allen Reisner, while Blair Walsh fired two field goals between the posts. The Chiefs scored late on as Albert Wilson collected a one-yard pass from Tyler Bray.

The New Orleans Saints edged past the Indianapolis Colts 23-17 in their matchup at Lucas Oil Stadium.

The sides traded touchdown passes in the early minutes as Drew Brees found Austin Johnson while Andrew Luck struck back for the Colts to find Coby Fleener. However, Brees responded again, this time picking out Marques Colston.

Shayne Graham extended his side's lead with two field goals, but a touchdown from Josh Lenz and a field goal from Adam Vinatieri brought the home side back into the game. Derek Dimke ended any hope of a further comeback with a late field goal to hand the Saints the win.

The St Louis Rams recorded a comfortable 33-14 win over the Cleveland Browns but lost starting quarterback Sam Bradford for the 2014 campaign in their pre-season clash.

Jeff Fisher's side raced into the lead with two field goals from Greg Zuerlein and two touchdown strikes from Austin Davis as he found Brian Quick and Chris Givens in the endzone.

Brian Hoyer found Andrew Hawkins to get the Browns on the board and Johnny Manziel scored his first touchdown as he ran in from seven yards, but a score from Trey Watts and two further kicks from Zuerlein handed the Rams the victory.

The Baltimore Ravens found their form to beat the Washington Redskins 23-17 at M&T Bank Stadium.

Joe Flacco found Steve Smith in the endzone to give his side the lead in the second quarter, but the Redskins responded when Kirk Cousins found Santana Moss for an 11-yard score.

Backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor restored the Ravens' advantage when he connected with Deonte Thompson while Justin Tucker added a field goal to put his side out of reach. Washington scored a consolation touchdown when Cousins found Nick Williams for a seven-yard strike.

The Miami Dolphins secured their second win of their pre-season campaign as they defeated the Dallas Cowboys 25-20 at SunLife Stadium.

Neither side scored a touchdown in the first half as they traded field goals, but Dallas edged in front when Dan Bailey fired a kick through the posts just before the break.

Damien Williams went over for the Dolphins from a yard, but the Cowboys came back with scores from LaRon Byrd and an interception return from Tyler Paton.

However, Miami showed determination to win the game as Matt Moore's pass found Gator Hoskins and Orleans Darkwa scored on a one-yard run.

The Tennessee Titans rallied in the fourth quarter to defeat the Atlanta Falcons 24-17 in their clash at the Georgia Dome.

Touchdowns from Devin Hester and Julio Jones put the Falcons in command in the second quarter, but Jake Locker found Nate Washington in a 63-yard strike to bring the Titans back into the game.

Tennessee dominated the second half as the Falcons failed to add to their 17 points and field goals from Maikon Bonani and Travis Coons as well as three-yard run from Bishop Sankey secure the Titans win.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers secured their first win of pre-season as they beat the Buffalo Bills 27-14 at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

Lovie Smith's side raced into the lead as Doug Martin powered into the endzone with a one-yard run, while a fumble return from Clinton McDonald and a strike from Mike Evans gave them a 24-point advantage at the break.

The Bills got on the scoreboard when EJ Manuel found Mike Williams for a 14-yard score and Fred Jackson added another with an eight-yard run. The Buccaneers sealed the win in the fourth with a field goal from Patrick Murray.

Pre-season results in full: Houston Texans 18-17 Denver Broncos, Minnesota Vikings 30-12 Kansas City Chiefs, New Orleans Saints 23-17 Indianapolis Colts, St Louis Rams 33-17 Cleveland Browns, Washington Redskins 17-23 Baltimore Ravens, Dallas Cowboys 20-25 Miami Dolphins, Tennessee Titans 24-17 Atlanta Falcons, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27-14 Buffalo Bills.