Cleveland Browns star running back Nick Chubb suffered a gruesome knee injury Monday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers and was carted off the field.

Chubb was tackled by Pittsburgh safety Minkah Fitzpatrick’s early in the second quarter, with Fitzpatrick’s torso hitting Chubb’s left knee as Chubb’s left foot was firmly planted in the ground.

Chubb was evaluated by trainers on the field for several minutes while some of his teammates knelt solemnly in prayer, and he was eventually helped onto a cart to be taken into the locker room.

The Monday Night Football production staff declined to show some graphic replays of Chubb’s injury.

The Pittsburgh crowd let out a collective groan when the play was replayed on the Acrisure Stadium jumbotron, and Steelers fans gave their rival’s star player a standing ovation as he was carted off the field.

Chubb was almost immediately ruled out for the rest of the game, typically a sign of a serious injury.

He was replaced at running back by Jerome Ford, who caught a 3-yard touchdown pass on the first play after the stoppage.

While playing for the University of Georgia in 2015, Chubb suffered a devastating injury to the same leg – a dislocated left knee with three torn ligaments and cartilage damage.

A four-time Pro Bowl selection, Chubb has been a force since he was drafted by the Browns in the second of the 2018 draft.

Chubb has had at least 1,145 yards from scrimmage in each of his first five NFL seasons, and he set a career high in 2022 with 1,525 rushing yards.

Chubb has averaged 5.25 yards per carry during his NFL career, the second most all-time among players with at least 1,000 carries (Jamaal Charles, 5.38).

Chubb is on the first season of a three-year, $36.6million contract and is one of the running backs who met last offseason to discuss better compensation for players at the position.

Ford and Pierre Strong Jr. are the only other running backs on Cleveland’s roster.

Kareem Hunt, with whom Chubb shared work in the Browns’ backfield from 2019-22, remains a free agent.

The New York Giants expect star running back Saquon Barkley to miss three weeks with a sprained right ankle he sustained in Sunday's comeback win over the Arizona Cardinals, ESPN reported Monday.

According to the report, an MRI taken on Barkley's ankle did not reveal a more significant high ankle sprain that would require a lengthier recovery period. Still, the 2022 Pro Bowl selection is certain to miss the Giants' game at San Francisco on Thursday and potentially more.

Barkley was injured with under two minutes left in New York's 31-28 win, in which the GIants rallied from a 21-point third-quarter deficit. The six-year veteran got his right ankle caught in a pile on his final rushing attempt and needed to be helped off the field with the assistance of trainers.

The 2018 No. 2 overall pick played a big role in Sunday's comeback with both a rushing and receiving touchdown in the second half. Barkley finished the game with 63 rushing yards on 17 carries and added six receptions totalling 29 yards.

Barkley helped the 2022 GIants to their first playoff appearance in six years with an outstanding season in which he finished fourth in the NFL with a career-high 1,312 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. He accounted for 27.7 per cent of New York's total yards from scrimmage last season, the sixth highest rate of any player for his respective team.

The 26-year-old is entering the final season of a one-year, $10.091 million contract that can be worth up to $11 million with incentives. The Giants gave Barkley the franchise tag this offseason, which prompted him to skip the team's minicamp in June, but the two sides reached an agreement on a revised deal just before the start of training camp.

Veteran Matt Breida and Gary Brightwell are both expected to see increased touches during Barkley's absence.

Breida has spent the majority of his career as a backup but did rush for 814 yards in 14 games with the 49ers in 2018. Brightwell's most extensive action came in the 2022 regular-season finale, in which he rushed for 60 yards on 11 carries against the Philadelphia Eagles. 

The 0-2 Cincinnati Bengals' next opportunity to secure their elusive first win comes next Monday night against the Los Angeles Rams.

It's uncertain if Joe Burrow will be able to play in that game.

Burrow re-aggravated a calf injury in Sunday's 27-24 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, and Bengals coach Zac Taylor said Monday he was unsure if he'd be ready to play in Week 3.

"He's still sore today," Taylor said. "He did it really one of the last three plays of the game probably, so it's just sore."

The team's medical staff is still evaluating the injury, and Taylor told reporters it was hard to say if he'd be ready to face the Rams.

A strained right calf muscle forced Burrow to miss most of training camp, and he was limping at the end of the loss to the Ravens.

Burrow and the Bengals agreed to a five-year, $275million contract extension right before the start of the 2023 season, but little has gone right since he became the highest-paid player in league history.

After throwing for a career-low 82 yards in a 24-3 season-opening loss to the Cleveland Browns, Burrow had just 35 passing yards at half-time against the Ravens. On Cincinnati's first drive of the second half, he then threw an interception near the end zone.

He was able to engineer a pair of scoring drives culminating in touchdown passes to Tee Higgins to pull within three points, but the Bengals were unable to get any closer.

Cincinnati also opened 0-2 last season and still ended up reaching a second straight AFC title game, but if Burrow is forced to miss time rehabbing his calf, another march to the playoffs would appear to be unlikely.

Jake Browning is No. 2 at quarterback on Cincinnati's depth chart. He has attempted one pass in his pro career.

Raheem Mostert grabbed a pair of rushing touchdowns as the Miami Dolphins held off AFC East rivals the New England Patriots 24-17 for a second win on the road to start the season.

The Patriots, who drop to 0-2 for the first time since coach Bill Belichick’s second season in charge in 2001, mustered just three points in the first three quarters as Tua Tagovailoa connected with Tyreek Hill for a 17-3 Dolphins lead.

A touchdown pass from Mac Jones to Hunter Henry and a Rhamondre Stevenson touchdown run, either side of Mostert’s second score from 43 yards, cut the gap to seven points.

But after Miami had missed a late field goal, a final home drive was cut short in the final minute when Cole Strange was ruled short of a first down on review when Mike Gesicki flipped the ball back inside after catching a fourth down pass.

Elsewhere, Daniel Jones threw for two touchdowns and 321 yards as the New York Giants fought back to stun the Arizona Cardinals 31-28.

Having lost their opening game 40-0 to the Dallas Cowboys, the Giants shipped another 20 points without reply in the first half and trailed 28-7 in the third quarter.

Saquon Barkley caught one touchdown pass and ran for another as the Giants completed their biggest comeback since 1949 with Graham Gano’s last-minute field goal.

The Cowboys continued their hot start to the season as they inflicted more misery on New York sides.

Dak Prescott threw for two touchdowns as the Cowboys followed their record-breaking opening win with a 30-10 success over the Jets.

Zach Wilson, starting at quarterback for the Jets after star signing Aaron Rodgers’ season-ending Achilles tendon injury, was intercepted and sacked three times each.

The Washington Commanders are 2-0 for the first time in 12 years as they came from behind and survived a dramatic finish to beat the Denver Broncos 35-33.

Denver opened a 21-3 lead in the second quarter, but Sam Howell threw for two touchdowns as the Commanders rallied to lead 35-27 after a Broncos safety was thrown out for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Logan Thomas in the end zone.

Russell Wilson’s 50-yard Hail Mary pass as time ran out bounced off several players before Brandon Johnson claimed the touchdown, but the Broncos could not connect from much nearer on the game-tying two-point conversion attempt.

Super Bowl-champion Kansas City Chiefs bounced back from their opening-week loss to the Detroit Lions, sacking Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence four times in a 17-9 win.

The Lions were brought back down to earth from that opening success as Geno Smith’s second touchdown pass to Tyler Lockett sent them crashing to a 37-31 defeat in overtime to the Seattle Seahawks.

Cincinnati Bengals, the AFC North champions, slipped to 0-2 as they went down 27-24 to division rivals the Baltimore Ravens.

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson threw for two touchdown passes as opposite number Joe Burrow, who also threw for two touchdowns, appeared to aggravate a calf injury.

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua set a rookie record with 15 catches in a game, but it was not enough to stop the San Francisco 49ers chalking up a second win of the season 30-23.

The Chicago Bears slipped to a franchise-record 12th-straight defeat in a 27-17 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while the Tennessee Titans ended an eight-game losing run as veteran Nick Folk kicked a 41-yard field goal in overtime to clinch a 27-24 win over the winless San Diego Chargers.

The Buffalo Bills eased to a 38-10 win over the Las Vegas Raiders – keeping last year’s leading rusher Josh Jacobs to minus two yards – while Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud was sacked six times and hit nine more as they lost 31-20 to the Indianapolis Colts.

And a 25-yard field goal from Younghoe Koo edged the Atlanta Falcons to a 25-24 win over the Green Bay Packers, rookie Bijan Robinson rushing for 124 yards and catching four passes for the Falcons.

Indianapolis Colts rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson suffered a concussion in the Indianapolis Colts' 31-20 win over the Houston Texans on Sunday.

Before exiting, Richardson displayed why the Colts selected him with the fourth pick of this year's draft, as the dual-threat QB showed off his playmaking ability with touchdown runs of 18 and 15 yards in the first six minutes of the game to help Indianapolis grab a 14-0 lead.

It is believed he was concussed at the end of his second TD run when he took a hard hit to the head from Texans safety M.J. Stewart causing it to snap back.

His helmet then hit the ground hard as he fell backward.

He stayed in the game for another two series before going to the blue medical tent on the sideline to be evaluated early in the second quarter. After undergoing further testing in the locker room, the team announced he would not return because of a concussion.

He finished the game 6 of 10 for 56 passing yards and had another 35 yards on the ground on three rushes.

Gardner Minshew came on to replace him, and completed 19-of-23 attempts for 171 yards and a touchdown.

This marked the second straight game Richardson came out due to an injury after he suffered a knee bruise on a hard hit near the goal line in the final minutes of last Sunday's 31-21 season-opening loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was taken out as a precaution, though coach Shane Steichen said he could have returned.

He completed 24-of-37 passes for 223 yards with a touchdown and interception in his first career start.

Jalen Hurts and D’Andre Swift starred for the Philadelphia Eagles to secure their second win in two games, beating the Minnesota Vikings 34-28 on Friday.

Hurts, the Eagles quarterback and 2022 MVP runner-up, threw for 193 yards and two touchdowns.

His running-back Swift carried for 175 yards and crossed for a touchdown himself.

The Eagles jumped out to a 27-7 lead in the third quarter after a mistake-prone game from the Vikings.

However, Minnesota fought their way back into the game with two touchdowns in the last two quarters to make it 27-21.

A late touchdown from Swift with four minutes left made the comeback insurmountable despite a late score from Vikings tight-end TJ Hockenson.

Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins threw for 364 yards with four touchdowns while wide receiver Justin Jefferson had 11 receptions totalling 159 yards.

The performance from the duo was not enough to give their team their first win of the season, with the Vikings to host the Los Angeles Chargers next week while Philadelphia will travel to Florida to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

A stunning 65-yard kick return touchdown by rookie Xavier Gipson handed the New York Jets an overtime win against the Buffalo Bills in a thrilling game on Tuesday.

The Jets came away with the 22-16 win over the Bills at home but it was not without loss, with quarterback Aaron Rodgers succumbing to an Achilles tendon injury just four plays into the game.

Asked about the injury after the game, Jets coach Robert Salah simply said: “It’s not good.”

Before the exciting finish to the game, the Bills forced overtime after they were down by three points with just seconds left.

But Bills kicker Tyler Bass rose to the occasion and nailed a 50-yard field goal to tie the game with two seconds remaining.

The Bills started the match the better of the two teams, with two field goals by Bass and a touchdown by wide-receiver Stefon Diggs giving them a 10-point lead at half-time.

However the Jets rallied in the second half with a touchdown by Garrett Wilson in the fourth quarter and a field goal from Greg Zuerlein putting them three points ahead.

It was not until the final seconds of the game that the Bills scored their first points of the second half.

The kick-return from Gipson ended a dramatic first week of the NFL with the Jets taking on the Dallas Cowboys next week, while the Bills will play the Las Vegas Raiders.

After four months of intense buildup, Aaron Rodgers' first season with the New York Jets may be over after only four snaps. 

Rodgers was injured on the opening series of the Jets' 22-16 overtime win over the Buffalo Bills in Monday's season opener, with head coach Robert Saleh telling reporters afterward the team fears the four-time NFL MVP tore his left Achilles tendon.

Saleh said Rodgers, who was traded to New York in April following a stellar 18-year tenure with the Green Bay Packers, will undergo an MRI Tuesday to confirm the severity of the injury. 

"We're concerned with his Achilles," Saleh said. "An MRI is going to confirm what we think is going to happen, so prayers tonight. But it's not good."

Rodgers was injured when sacked by Buffalo's Leonard Floyd on New York's official third play from scrimmage. The star quarterback briefly remained on the turf holding his lower left leg before being helped to the sideline, then was later taken to the locker room on a cart before having his leg placed in a walking boot. 

The Jets initially announced Rodgers was questionable to return before ruling him out midway through the second quarter.

Zach Wilson replaced Rodgers, whose only pass of the night landed incomplete, and threw a touchdown pass to Garrett Wilson with under five minutes remaining in regulation to tie the game at 13-13. The Jets eventually won on a 65-yard punt return touchdown from rookie Xavier Gipson with 9:02 left in overtime.

Zach Wilson finished with 140 yards on 14-of-21 passing with one touchdown and one interception. 

Rodgers put together a Hall of Fame-worthy career with the Packers that included five All-Pro selections, 10 Pro Bowl honours and a Super Bowl title during the 2010 season in addition to his four MVP awards.

The 39-year-old requested a trade to the Jets during the offseason, which the Packers eventually agreed to on April 26.

Under terms of the trade, which included the Packers moving up from No. 15 to No. 13 in this year's draft in a swap of first-round picks, Green Bay would receive a conditional 2024 first-round choice from New York if Rodgers plays 65 per cent of the Jets' plays this season. The Packers will get a 2024 second-round pick if that condition is not met. 

With Rodgers on the roster, the Jets were a trendy preseason pick to end a longstanding playoff drought and contend for an AFC title. New York holds the NFL's longest active streak without a postseason appearance at 12 years, having last reached the playoffs in 2010. 

After four months of intense buildup, Aaron Rodgers' first game with the New York Jets lasted all of four snaps.

Rodgers will not return to Monday's season opener against the Buffalo Bills after injuring his left ankle on the Jets' opening series, a sudden and stunning ending to one of the most anticipated player debuts with a new team in recent memory. 

Rodgers was injured when sacked by Buffalo's Leonard Floyd on New York's official third play from scrimmage. The four-time NFL MVP briefly remained on the turf holding his lower left leg before being helped to the sideline, then was later taken to the locker room on a cart.

The Jets initially announced Rodgers was questionable to return before ruling him out midway through the second quarter. The team said in a statement that X-rays on Rodgers' ankle were negative but did not elaborate further.

Zach Wilson replaced Rodgers, whose only pass of the night landed incomplete.

Rodgers put together a Hall of Fame-worthy 18-year career with the Green Bay Packers that included five All-Pro selections, 10 Pro Bowl honours and a Super Bowl title during the 2010 season in addition to his four MVP awards.

The 39-year-old requested a trade to the Jets during the offseason, which the Packers eventually agreed to on April 26.

Under terms of the trade, which included the Packers moving up from No. 15 to No. 13 in this year's draft in a swap of first-round picks, Green Bay would receive a conditional 2024 first-round choice from New York if Rodgers plays 65 per cent of the Jets' plays this season. The Packers would get a 2024 second-round pick if that condition is not met. 

With Rodgers on the roster, the Jets were a trendy preseason pick to end a longstanding playoff drought and contend for an AFC title. New York holds the NFL's longest active streak without a postseason appearance at 12 years, having last reached the playoffs in 2010. 

The Kansas City Chiefs and All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones agreed to a new one-year contract, multiple media outlets reported Monday, ending the star defender’s holdout.

The club later confirmed Jones’ new contract by posting on social media.

Jones will presumably make his season debut on Sunday when the Chiefs visit the Jacksonville Jaguars, but the team has yet to confirm his availability.

Jones, who missed all of training camp and sat out the Chiefs’ Week 1 loss to the Detroit Lions, did not get any years added to his deal, but the new agreement reportedly carries additional incentives that will allow for possible bonuses.

The four-time Pro Bowl selection can still become a free agent after this season.

Jones, 29, has emerged as one of the most disruptive interior defenders in the NFL and has helped the Chiefs win two of the last four Super Bowls.

“Chris is an elite player in this league, and over the last seven years, he’s really developed into a leader on our team,” Kansas City general manager Brett Veach said in a statement.

“He’s been instrumental to our success and Super Bowl championship runs, and it was a priority to keep him in a Chiefs uniform.”

Jones lost over $1.6million during his holdout in fines and forfeited salary and bonuses. Each additional week of holding out would have cost him $1.1million in lost salary.

A second-round draft pick out of Mississippi State in 2016, Jones is on the last season of the four-year, $80million deal he signed in July 2020.

Jones had perhaps the best season of his career last year, totaling 15 ½ sacks and 29 quarterback hits while playing in all 17 games and earning a second Super Bowl ring.

In 107 career games, Jones has 65 sacks, 65 tackles for loss, 12 forced fumbles and two interceptions.

The Dallas Cowboys sent a message to the competition in their opening game of the NFL season with a dominant 40-0 victory over the Giants in New York.

It was the Cowboys’ 11th-straight win over the Giants and their biggest opening season victory when keeping the opposition to nil, breaking a record set back in 1978.

The defence from Dallas was their most impressive attribute, forcing three turnovers and sacking quarterback Daniel Jones seven times to keep their opponents scoreless.

The Cowboys scored two touchdowns in the first quarter through DaRon Bland and Noah Igbinoghene, running back Tony Pollard scored in both the second and third quarters and KaVontae Turpin scoring a touchdown in the last.

Elsewhere in Sunday’s slate of games, the Raiders started their 2023/24 campaign with a one point win over the Denver Broncos in Las Vegas with Denver’s new coach Sean Payton failing to open his tenure with a win.

Penalties and missed opportunities hurt the Broncos, who are desperate to put themselves into playoff contention this year after seven seasons without qualification.

A last quarter touchdown gave Raiders wide-receiver Jakobi Meyers his second for the game and a 17-16 victory for his team.

In Chicago, the Green Bay Packers defeated the Bears 38-20 with four touchdowns in the second half, pushing their first half lead of four points out to 18 by the game’s end.

Two of those touchdowns from Aaron Jones in the third quarter to give the Packers an unassailable lead.

The Miami Dolphins took victory out of the grasp of the LA Chargers’ hands with a late touchdown to Tyreek Hill earning them a two-point win.

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw for 466 yards with three touchdowns and one interception, leading his team to a 36-34 victory.

The LA Rams had more success, defeating the Seahawks 30-13 in Seattle.

The Rams were trailing at half-time but scored 13 unanswered points in the second half to start their season in the winning column.

The Philadelphia Eagles opened their season with a 25-20 victory over the New England Patriots in Boston, while the New Orleans Saints beat the Tennessee Titans 16-15 at home.

The San Francisco 49ers put on a dominant 30-7 display against the Pittsburgh Steelers, with the Jacksonville Jaguars getting the win over the Indianapolis Colts 31-21.

The Washington Commanders beat the Arizona Cardinals by four points, while the Atlanta Falcons scored two touchdowns in the last quarter to beat the Carolina Panthers 24-10.

The Cleveland Browns beat the Cincinnati Bengals, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won against the Minnesota Vikings and the Baltimore Ravens made easy work over the Houston Texans with a 25-9 win.

Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets will close out the first round against the Buffalo Bills in the season’s first instalment of Monday Night Football.

Baltimore Ravens running back J.K. Dobbins will miss the remainder of the season after tearing his Achilles tendon in the team's Week 1 win over the Houston Texans on Sunday. 

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh confirmed Dobbins' injury following his team's 25-9 victory.

Dobbins was injured early in the third quarter after being tackled following a short reception. The fourth-year pro was taken immediately to the locker room with the help of trainers before being ruled out of the game shortly after.

The 24-year-old scored Baltimore's first touchdown earlier in the game and finished with 22 yards on eight rush attempts along with two receptions totalling 15 yards.

"I feel bad for him, this is not the way we expected this to go," Harbaugh said during his post-game press conference. "I'm kind of crestfallen for him. He was playing well. We'll put our arms around him. He'll get into rehab. And he will be back; he's a young guy."

After rushing for 805 yards and nine touchdowns as a rookie in 2020, Dobbins has missed much of the past two seasons with injuries. He did not play the entire 2021 season after tearing the ACL in the Ravens' final preseason game, then was limited to just eight games in 2022 due to further problems with his surgically repaired knee.

Dobbins also began this year's preseason on the physically unable to perform list before being activated on Aug. 14. The 2020 second-round pick is in the final year of his rookie contract. 

"It's the ugly part of this game," Ravens wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. said of Dobbins' injury.  And these people are your brothers; you [go through] blood, sweat and tears with them. It's a sick feeling that I have over me just to know that that's what happened. So, my prayers go out to him and his family."

Gus Edwards and Justice Hill figure to split snaps at running back in Dobbins' absence. Edwards rushed for 32 yards on eight carries in Sunday's win, while Hill scored a pair of rushing touchdowns. 

The Los Angeles Rams placed Cooper Kupp on injured reserve Saturday, keeping their star wide receiver out at least through the first four games of the season.

Kupp, who missed the final eight games of last season with an ankle injury, injured his hamstring during training camp in early August. He then suffered a setback with his hamstring late last month and travelled to Minnesota to see a specialist last weekend.

“(Kupp) wants to be out there with his teammates, and he puts so much into it,” Rams coach Sean McVay told reporters. “It’s so unfortunate. It’s been frustrating.

“Really not much more information,” McVay said. “Just dealing with some soft-tissue stuff, just trying to get him to feel back to normal. When that ends up occurring, we'll have him back, but in the meantime, he will not be playing for us.”

Kupp, 30, has been a productive player since his rookie season, but his numbers exploded when he was paired with quarterback Matthew Stafford two years ago.

Kupp made 145 catches for 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2021, then added six scores during the Rams’ playoff run that ended with a title and Kupp being named Super Bowl 56 MVP.

Kupp began last season on a torrid pace again, catching 75 passes in the Rams’ first nine games before his campaign ended abruptly.

“I know he's going to do everything he can to be as good as he possibly can, as quick as he can,” Stafford said. “He's as good of a professional as I've ever been around when it comes to taking care of his body and trying to get himself right, so I know it's disappointing for him to not be out there.”

A third-round pick out of Eastern Washington in 2017, Kupp has 508 career receptions for 6,329 yards and 46 touchdowns.

The Rams open their 2023 season on the road Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks.

Kansas City Chiefs defence of their Super Bowl crown got off to a shaky start as they went down in a mistake-ridden 21-20 defeat to the Detroit Lions in the NFL curtain raiser on Thursday.

The Chiefs, who have been to three of the last four Super Bowls and have won twice, headed into the new NFL season as favourites to retain their crown.

But they slipped to their first opening week loss in nine games as the Lions running back went in for the crucial score with little more than five minutes remaining.

The Chiefs did have one last chance when Lions quarterback Jared Goff had a fourth down pass batted down near midfield, but two dropped passes and two penalties left Patrick Mahomes with just a heave downfield in the last minute which fell incomplete.

Despite his receivers dropping a string of passes, Mahomes threw for 226 yards with two touchdowns, as well as finishing as the leading rusher for the Chiefs.

But he also had a pass intercepted by rookie Brian Branch which was returned for a touchdown from 50 yards.

Goff threw for 253 yards and a touchdown pass to Amon-Ra St Brown, who opened the campaign with six catches for 71 yards.

The Chiefs began the season without star tight end Travis Kelce, who injured his knee in practice on Tuesday, and fellow All-Pro Chris Jones who is in a contract dispute.

On the eve of the 2023 NFL season, the Cincinnati Bengals made their franchise quarterback the highest-paid player in league history.

Joe Burrow and the Bengals agreed to a five-year, $275million contract extension, multiple media outlets reported Thursday, giving him the highest annual salary in NFL history.

The deal, which reportedly guarantees Burrow $219million, is the culmination of months’ worth of negotiations between the Bengals and the 2020 top overall draft pick.

Burrow’s annual haul of $55million edged Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert’s new deal that pays $52.5million per season, signed earlier this offseason. The Philadelphia Eagles’ Jalen Hurts and Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens also briefly held the most lucrative contract after signing extensions this offseason.

Burrow has completely changed the fortunes of a historically downtrodden franchise, leading Cincinnati to a Super Bowl appearance at the end of the 2021 season and coming up just short in last season's AFC Championship game.

At no other point in team history have the Bengals won a playoff game in consecutive seasons, and Burrow’s first career postseason win in 2021 snapped a 31-year drought without a playoff victory.

Burrow’s rookie campaign was cut short by injuries to the ACL and MCL in his left knee, but he rebounded in 2021 to be named the AP Comeback Player of the Year. In his sophomore season, he threw for 4,611 yards and 34 touchdowns to 14 interceptions.

In 2022, Burrow was voted to his first Pro Bowl after throwing for 4,475 yards and 35 touchdowns with just 12 interceptions.

In seven career playoff games, Burrow has nine touchdown passes and four interceptions.

According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Burrow is the odds-on favourite to lead the NFL in passing yards this season.

The Bengals kick off their 2023 campaign Sunday on the road against their division and in-state rivals, the Cleveland Browns.