T.J. Watt could return to action sooner than expected after the Pittsburgh Steelers refused to put a timescale on his absence beyond the Week 2 clash with the New England Patriots.

The reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year winner suffered a torn pectoral in the fourth quarter of a wild 23-20 overtime opening victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.

According to NFL Network' Ian Rapoport, Watt tore a muscle but not the tendon, which could mean his absence is as short as six weeks. There had been concerns Watt's season could be over already.

The prospect of Watt avoiding surgery will be welcome in Pittsburgh, where Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin also pointed to positive news regarding the pass rusher.

Tomlin has yet to add Watt to the injured reserve list and said: "We're not in hurry to gather information too quickly. We will see how his body responds, we'll get second and third opinions and then at the end of the week or at some point we will do what's appropriate."

He added: "I can definitively say that T.J. won't play this week, but I won't make any commitments beyond that."

The clash with the Patriots takes place on Sunday, by which time the picture regarding Watt's likely return should be clear.

Watt shared an image on social media on Tuesday of Arnold Schwarzenegger's famous "I'll be back" catchphrase, from the Terminator movie. That has been interpreted as the 27-year-old suggesting his season is not over.

Tomlin further explained Pittsburgh's stance, adding: "Let me say this, we're probably in a lot better place than we were after the game and usually that's the case.

"That's why I don't always say too much after the game, even though there might be speculation out there."

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones believes Dak Prescott could be back on field much sooner than initially expected. 

Jones said during an interview with 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday that Prescott won't be placed on injured reserve because he could return from his broken thumb within four weeks. 

"We want him to be in consideration for playing within the next four games," Jones said  

Prescott was originally expected to be sidelined for six to eight weeks after suffering a fracture near his right thumb in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 19-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

If placed on IR, Prescott would have to miss a minimum of four games, however, after Monday's surgery, Jones is optimistic the 29-year-old won't be out that long. 

"We feel better about it than we did Sunday night," Jones said. 

With Jones' new timeline, Prescott could be back playing in Week 5 against the Los Angeles Rams on October 9. 

"Dak has a real chance to be back out there throwing the ball pretty quick," Jones said. 

The Cowboys host the 0-1 Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday with Cooper Rush set to start at quarterback. 

The 28-year-old Rush made his lone career start last season in Week 8 at Minnesota with Prescott nursing a calf strain and threw a winning touchdown pass to Amari Cooper in the final minute of a 20-16 victory. 

Rush threw for 325 yards in that game and was seven of 13 passing for 64 yards Sunday after Prescott got hurt. 

Prescott struggled against Tampa Bay prior to his injury, completing 14 of 29 passes for 134 yards with one interception, compiling a 47.2 passer rating – the lowest by any QB in Week 1. 

The Seattle Seahawks enjoyed a Week 1 win against the Denver Broncos at Lumen Field on Monday, but it was not all good news.

Pro Bowl safety Jamal Adams left the game with what coach Pete Carroll later described as a "serious" knee injury.

Adams – who has suffered shoulder and finger injuries in recent seasons – had made three tackles by the time he had to leave the game, which Seattle narrowly won after touchdowns from Will Dissly and Colby Parkinson and a field goal from Jason Myers, all in the first half.

"[Adams] hurt his knee tonight," Carroll said after the game. "Not a typical knee injury. His quadricep tendon got damaged some tonight. He got hurt, it's a serious injury."

Fellow safety Quandre Diggs expressed sympathy for Adams, relating how he had witnessed his team-mate's eagerness to make his mark from close quarters.

"It sucks, man," Diggs said. "This guy's had a hell of a camp, he's had a hell of an offseason, and you hate to see it, especially with Jamal being one of my closest friends.

"It's tough. We kind of had the same offseason where it was just rehab and trying to get back to be the leaders of this team and the leaders of this defense.

"It's just hard to imagine. You go out there and you always have that doubt, like, 'Am I ready? Am I ready to go?'.

"It sucks the way it happened, and it sucks for him personally, because I know how much work he put in this past offseason and I know mentally he was in great space. He was the most comfortable he's been around here. It just sucks to see. I love him."

Russell Wilson did not begrudge the decision to attempt a field goal late in the Denver Broncos' 17-16 opening game defeat at the Seattle Seahawks on Monday.

Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett opted to send on Brandon McManus with 20 seconds left on fourth-and-5 for a 64-yard attempt, which McManus could only pull to the left, giving the Seahawks the chance to take the knee to victory.

Wilson impressed on his debut for Denver, making 29 of his 42 pass attempts for a total of 340 yards, throwing one touchdown and zero interceptions.

Despite being sidelined for the crucial moment late on, the 33-year-old quarterback believed it was still the correct decision, suggesting McManus could be the best kicker in the game.

"We got the best field goal kicker maybe in the game,'' Wilson said after the loss.

"We got there and unfortunately it didn't go in... I believe in coach Hackett, I believe in what we're doing, I believe in everything.

"I don't think it was the wrong decision."

Wilson – who spent 10 seasons in Seattle prior to his blockbuster trade to Denver – was on the receiving end of some boos from the home fans at Lumen Field, but still paid tribute to his former team.

"This was a special game, just because I got to see and play against some of my closest friends,'' Wilson said. "I wouldn't be where I am today without this place... but I didn't play for just this one game, I've got a bigger mission.

"[The booing] didn't bother me. It was a hostile environment, it always has been. I didn't expect to get a round of applause every once in a while.

"I gave everything I had here every day, every day, and anybody that says anything else, they're completely wrong."

Hackett was pleased with his new man's efforts, even in defeat, saying: "I think he played really well, he took care of the football, he made really good decisions, he had some explosive plays, he was able to distribute the ball all over the field.

"That's what makes me really frustrated for him."

San Francisco 49ers running back Elijah Mitchell will be sidelined for eight weeks with a knee injury, according to head coach Kyle Shanahan.

Mitchell sprained the MCL in his right knee in Sunday's 19-10 loss to the Chicago Bears, exiting the game in the second quarter.

The 24-year-old running back, who scored seven touchdowns across the 2021 season, had six carries for 41 yards in the game before being ruled out at half-time.

"We're estimating about two months, eight weeks, give or take a few," Shanahan said. "Hopefully, it goes well and it's earlier but you never know with those things, so that's what we're guessing."

Mitchell broke the 49ers' single-season rookie rushing record in 2021, rushing for 963 yards in 11 regular-season games, along with a further 169 yards in the postseason.

"He was pretty down," Shanahan said. "For obvious reasons, we're down for him. Elijah went through a lot last year, it's well documented the injuries he had.

"He really worked hard this offseason. He was feeling really good going into that game and I thought he looked really good before he got hurt.

"And just unfortunate hit that he had. I just tried to tell him to keep his head up. Anybody who would have gotten caught in that situation would have gotten hurt with the way his foot planted in the ground and the guy hit his knee. I think we were just real fortunate it wasn't worse."

Geno Smith threw two touchdown passes as the Seattle Seahawks won in Russell Wilson's return to Lumen Field with a 17-16 victory over his new side Denver Broncos in Monday Night Football.

Trailing by one point with 20 seconds to play, the Broncos opted to chase victory with a 64-yard field-goal attempt from Brandon McManus, rather than keep the ball in Wilson's hands. McManus' attempt, which would have tied for the second longest field goal in NFL history, had the distance but missed wide left.

Wilson, who was traded by the Seahawks to the Broncos in the offseason, completed 29-of-42 passes for 340 yards with one touchdown for Denver.

Smith was the star for the Seahawks, particularly in the first half, completing 23-of-28 attempts for 195 yards with two touchdowns. The Seahawks were scoreless in the second half but their defense held up.

Seattle scored a TD with their first drive as Smith found a wide-open Will Dissly, who had three receptions for 43 yards.

The Broncos tied it up in the second quarter when Wilson floated to Jerry Jeudy for a 67-yard to reception TD, which was his first in over 600 days. Seattle re-claimed the lead before half-time when Smith threw 25 yards to Colby Parkinson.

After Denver cut the lead to one from a McManus field goal in the fourth, the Broncos came up empty on the goal line twice, before their last-ditch attempt fell short.

Wilson hit up Javonte Williams, before exhausting time and calling a timeout with 20 seconds remaining to allow McManus' attempt.

The win means Seattle have won their last eight Week 1 games at home, dating back to their last loss in 1999. Denver have lost six straight Monday Night Football games.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has undergone thumb surgery on Monday after suffering the injury in Sunday's 19-3 season-opening loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Prescott fractured his right thumb when his hand struck the helmet of Tampa Bay pass rusher Shaquille Barrett with about six minutes remaining in the game.

Cowboys team owner Jerry Jones said the injury would keep Prescott sidelined for "several weeks", while ESPN has reported he will miss "six to eight weeks as he goes through rehabilitation". That length would see him out until November 13 against the Green Bay Packers.

Prescott missed most of the 2020 season with a fractured right ankle, and the Cowboys went 4-7 in his absence with three different quarterbacks making at least one start, with veteran Andy Dalton getting the bulk of playing time.

Cooper Rush, who stepped in after Prescott's injury on Sunday, is expected to make his second career start when the Cowboys host the defending AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals next Sunday.

Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said: "The nice thing about Cooper is Cooper's been in our system, knows our system inside and out.

"We won't be in that position of trying not to do too much or vice versa. Cooper gives us the ability to keep playing [our offense]."

Mac Jones could return to action as soon as Week 2 despite suffering with a back injury after the New England Patriots' season-opening defeat to the Miami Dolphins.

On a day to forget for the Patriots, Jones had 21-of-30 passing for 213 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

That was only enough to see New England beaten 20-7, their fourth straight defeat to the Dolphins.

Worse was to come with news second-year quarterback Jones required a scan on a back problem, yet Monday brought more positive reporting.

The X-ray was negative, according to widespread reports, while NFL Network suggested Jones had been dealing with back spasms rather than an injury.

Jones was certainly optimistic he would be fit to face the Pittsburgh Steelers this week as he spoke with reporters.

"I definitely feel better," he said. "I want to be ready to play against Pittsburgh. I feel good.

"I wasn't feeling too hot after the game. I definitely feel a lot better. I don't expect any issues. Everything's good."

The 2020 NFL Draft class was largely defined by the quality and the depth of the wide receivers available, and the two crown jewels of this point have been Justin Jefferson and CeeDee Lamb. Both headed into this season as the obvious focal points of offenses hoping to provide the platform for postseason runs for two teams that were both reduced to the role of spectators by the Divisional Round last term.

However, just one week into the 2022 campaign, Jefferson and Lamb appear destined for vastly different seasons.

'It was only Week 1' serves as one of the most important caveats in the NFL. Poor results in the opening week of the season are often of no consequence to a team's fortunes come the end of the regular season.

Yet, between the performance of the Minnesota Vikings in their win over the Green Bay Packers, and the Dallas Cowboys' debacle in a primetime defeat to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it is tough to think of two displays from the opening week that revealed more about the respective directions of the teams in question.

Jefferson and Lamb are primed to play critical roles in what could be two of the headline stories from the 2022 season, but they are set to be tales of significant contrast.

Jefferson and O'Connell's perfect marriage

Aaron Rodgers labelled Jefferson "the best player in the game today" after his masterclass in the Vikings' 23-7 victory over the Packers.

It's unclear whether Rodgers was referring to their Week 1 encounter or declaring the wideout the top player in the NFL.

Yet Jefferson may have a compelling case for the latter should he continue to perform at the level he produced on Sunday.

Weaponised by an excellent gameplan from new head coach Kevin O'Connell, Jefferson recorded nine receptions for a career-high 184 yards and two touchdowns.

Jefferson now has 205 receptions in 34 career games, becoming the fourth-fastest player to 200 receptions. He tied Anquan Boldin and Reggie Bush (34) and is behind only Jarvis Landry (33), Michael Thomas (32) and Odell Beckham Jr. (30) on that list.

It was his fifth career game with at least 150 receiving yards and a touchdown reception, putting him tied with Randy Moss and Victor Cruz for the second-most such games by a player in his first three NFL seasons. Only Lance Allworth (six) has more.

Betting against Jefferson catching Allworth would seem a foolish move on the evidence of Week 1. His burn rate, which measures how often a receiver wins his matchup on a play where he is targeted, of 63.6 per cent was far from the best of the opening week, yet no player did more when they did beat coverage.

Indeed, Jefferson's burn yards per target average of 16.73 was the fourth-best among receivers with at least five targets, illustrating the remarkable amount of separation he was able to create against Green Bay. None of the players above him (Julio Jones, Gabe Davis and Nelson Agholor) reached three figures in receiving yards.

Jahan Dotson (64.7) and Ashton Dulin (60) were the only receivers to end Sunday with a higher big-play rate - a measure of burns of over 20 yards and burns for a touchdown - than Jefferson's 55.5 per cent. The difference being that Jefferson hugely impressive performance in that metric came across 11 targets, while Dotson and Dulin received 11 targets combined.

Jefferson's showing was the product of a marriage between a player who has quickly catapulted himself to the gold standard at his position and a play-caller who knows exactly how to use him.

Once mistakenly seen as purely a slot receiver, Jefferson was deployed all over the field by O'Connell. Jefferson lined up in the backfield, in the slot, on the outside and was sent in motion, his array of different alignments keeping him away from the Packers' best cornerback Jaire Alexander and allowing the former LSU star to wreak havoc.

The versatile skill set of a true do-it-all receiver was harnessed to perfection and, in a week dominated by overreactions, it would not be a stretch to suggest the Vikings could be a force in the postseason and Jefferson an MVP candidate like Cooper Kupp a year ago if O'Connell and Minnesota continue in this vein.

Hours after Jefferson's talents were maximised, Lamb saw his considerable skills wasted on a depressing night for Dallas.

Cowboys predictably poor

With the Cowboys having shorn themselves of wide receivers behind Lamb, at least until Michael Gallup returns from injury, there was always a danger they would become predictable in the passing game and, through no fault of their star wideout, Dallas' offense was unsurprisingly turgid in a 19-3 loss to the Buccaneers.

A Dallas offense deprived of the services of left tackle Tyron Smith struggled to contain the Tampa Bay defensive front, with Prescott's snap to release time of 2.50 seconds -- slightly quicker than the average of 2.55 for Week 1 -- more a result of the pressure he was under rather than efficient processing from one of the game's most intelligent quarterbacks.

Dallas averaged just 3.8 yards per play, with their lack of efficiency not reflective of Lamb's individual efforts.

Like Jefferson, Lamb was targeted 11 times, but he finished with just two catches for 29 yards.

His burn rate of 63.6 was also identical to that of his fellow 2020 draftee and, though Lamb did not generate the same level of separation, his average of 12 burn yards per target was a over a yard above the Week 1 average of 10.75.

But Lamb's reasonable success in getting open was rendered completely immaterial as Prescott struggled behind a line ill-prepared for the challenge in front of them.

Prescott finished with 7.36 air yards per attempt, below the average of 7.75 for the week. Throwing short is not always an indicator of a poor performance -- Josh Allen averaged 7.26 air yards in Thursday's opener -- however, 96.8 per cent of Allen's passes well thrown compared to 78.6 for Prescott, who threw three pickable passes on 28 attempts compared to one on 31 throws for Allen.

Hurried and inaccurate, Prescott was never allowed to be the quarterback he is when at his best, one capable of forming a devastating connection with Lamb, who amassed 2,037 receiving yards over his first two seasons in the NFL.

And, when Prescott was then forced to leave the game with a thumb injury that will keep him out for six to eight weeks, Lamb's hopes of joining Jefferson in the NFL's elite at receiver this season went with him.

The Cowboys will now turn to backup Cooper Rush and most will expect Dallas' playoff hopes to quickly dwindle. Given the downgrade at quarterback, Lamb seems likely to consistently cut a bereft figure in what many thought would be a breakout campaign for the Cowboys' WR1.

These two marquee matchups helped produce a story of two disparate teams. One in Minnesota, underrated and blessed with a coach schooled in the league's pre-eminent offense who can put Jefferson in position to further his status as one of the most dangerous weapons in the game. The other, the Cowboys, overhyped and short of the talent or the diversity of thought to get the ball to their extremely gifted wideout.

Week 1 provided plenty of hope 2022 can be the year the Vikings earn the on-field success to match Jefferson's consistent brilliance, but it appears destined to be a season of frustration for Lamb and a thoroughly uninspiring Cowboys team.

Aaron Rodgers urged patience with the Green Bay Packers' young wide receiver group after rookie Christian Watson's early drop of a would-be touchdown proved costly against the Minnesota Vikings.

The Packers, playing their first regular-season game since trading All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders in the offseason, averaged just 5.3 yards per pass in a listless 23-7 defeat to the Vikings in Week 1.

Green Bay would have put up more points if not for a loss of concentration from second-round pick Watson, who beat veteran Patrick Peterson on a downfield route but let a perfectly placed deep ball from Rodgers slip through his fingers on the Packers' first offensive play of the game.

That would have tied the game at 7-7 in the first quarter, and the Packers did not find the endzone until the third, by which point they were in a 20-0 hole.

Rodgers looked visibly exasperated after the Watson drop and cut a frustrated figure during the loss. 

However, he accepts that such moments are going to be part of the process of replacing Adams in part with two rookies in Watson and fourth-round pick Romeo Doubs.

"He [Watson] knew there was gonna be growing pains, this is the real football, it counts, it's different, there's nerves," Rodgers said. 

"I thought Christian ran a great route to start the game. We talked about it during the week, 'Do you really want to start off with a bomb shot?'

"I said, 'Yeah what the hell? Why not? This kid can really fly, let's give him a chance', we've got to make those plays.

"We've got to have patience with those guys, they're young, they haven't been in the fire.

"That patience will be thinner as the season goes on but the expectation will be high, so we'll keep them accountable but it's gonna happen, there's gonna be drops, hate to see it on the first play but there's gonna be drops throughout the season.

"We had a lot of chances today. Not taking anything away from [the Vikings'] defense, but we hurt ourselves many times, myself included. I had a lot of opportunities to score a lot more than seven.

"[We] made a lot of mistakes in the perimeter, missed some throws, so there's a lot to clean up all the way around."

The Packers will look to bounce back in Week 2 when they have a second straight divisional game, this time at home to the Chicago Bears.

Tyreek Hill offered extremely colourful praise of Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel following their 20-7 Week 1 win over the New England Patriots.

The Dolphins delivered a performance to justify their offseason hype with a comfortable defeat of their AFC East rivals.

Miami held a 17-0 lead at half-time, with McDaniel making a decision that will likely increase his players' confidence in him late in the second quarter.

Leading 10-0 with the ball on the Patriots' 42-yard line on fourth down with seven yards to go, McDaniel - making his debut as a head coach - elected to go for it rather than punt the ball.

The move paid dividends, with Tua Tagovailoa hitting Jaylen Waddle on a slant route for a 42-yard touchdown to put the Dolphins in complete command.

And Hill, who arrived in a blockbuster trade with the Kansas City Chiefs in the offseason, found an interesting way to hail the bravery of his coach.

"He's going to need a wheelbarrow for his nuts to carry around," Hill said of McDaniel. "Because he's got a lot of cojones."

Waddle was more conventional in handing out plaudits for McDaniel, saying: "He's just got confidence in us. We're confident in him, every decision that he makes.”

Tagovailoa, who threw for 270 yards and a touchdown in an encouraging start to what many belive is a make-or-break year for the quarterback, added: "I love it. He has the utmost confidence in the entire offense. That's why."

Hill had eight catches for 94 yards in his Dolphins debut.

Trey Lance conceded the San Francisco 49ers made too many mistakes in their shock opening defeat to the Chicago Bears in a game Kyle Shanahan felt they had control of.

The 49ers were seemingly given a soft landing to start the season by going on the road to face a Bears team starting a rebuild under new head coach Matt Eberflus.

San Francisco looked to be cruising to victory when they led 10-0 early in the third quarter following Robbie Gould's short field goal.

However, Justin Fields' improbable 51-yard touchdown pass to former 49er Dante Pettis on a third-down scramble turned the tide in the Bears' favour.

The Bears scored 19 unanswered points to claim a stunning 19-10 win, with the 49ers unable to mount a comeback after falling behind amid a deluge at Soldier Field.

San Francisco committed two turnovers, a Deebo Samuel fumble in the red zone in the first quarter and a Lance interception that led to the Bears' final touchdown.

The 49ers went one for three in the red zone and had 12 penalties accepted against them for 99 yards, two of which extended Bears scoring drives.

Those mistakes ensured the 49ers lost a game in which they outgained the Bears 331 yards to 204, with Shanahan believing a failure to punch the ball in from the Bears' two-yard line and Fields' subsequent touchdown throw to Pettis to be the turning point.

"We felt very in control... I thought we had every chance to run away with it in those first three quarters, especially those first two drives," Shanahan said. 

"Having a fumble inside the 10, and the next drive getting down there and ending up getting a sack on third down that knocked us out of field goal range.

"Getting all the way down there [in the third quarter] and only come up with the field goal. I thought we had every chance to run away with it. We were going to get it right back to go again, then that penalty on third-and-long gave [the Bears] new life and they scored a touchdown. We never got the momentum back."

Lance pinned much of the blame on himself. Beginning his first season as the Niners' starting quarterback, Lance completed 13 of his 28 passes for 164 yards and an interception and carried the ball 13 times for 54 yards.

The 2021 third overall pick produced some impressive downfield throws but was frustrated by one he missed in the first quarter to tight end Tyler Kroft, who was wide open and likely would have strolled in for a touchdown.

"We made too many mistakes. Defense kept us in the game. I had a big miss to Tyler Kroft in the end zone," said Lance. 

"I tried to throw a perfect ball, but I should've just put it right on him, he was wide open. Turned the ball over, took a sack, then knocked us out of field goal range. I shouldn't have missed Deebo Samuel on the third down, missed another third down to Jauan Jennings – just too many mistakes.

"I have a lot of stuff to clean up for sure. But man, I'm excited. I've still got my head up. I'm excited to get ready to go next week."

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor has explained the reasoning behind two apparent gaffes that occurred during Sunday's overtime defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Last season's defeated Super Bowl side had a rollercoaster ride in Week 1 of the new season, quarterback Joe Burrow having five turnovers – four of which came before half-time.

It was, however, two questionable decisions from the sideline that ultimately paved the way for the Steelers' dramatic win, one of which saw Taylor's special teams unit head out with a running clock to punt the ball early.

That gave Pittsburgh enough time to get into field goal range and win it, with questions asked as to why the Bengals did not run the clock all the way down – and Taylor reasoned it was due to a change in long-snapper, after Clark Harris suffered an early injury and was ruled out.

"New operation. We snapped there with 13 seconds, I understand that, trust me, we'd rather do something different," he said after the game.

"But just trying to make sure the operation ran smoothly, it turned out that we sacrificed some seconds just to make sure that we were all on the same page there."

The Bengals may have been able to avoid overtime entirely had the team elected to challenge the play that saw Ja'Marr Chase score an apparent touchdown that was not caught by the officials, Taylor again admitting mistakes were made.

"Part of it was that that's the hardest place for us to see in the entire field is that spot. I didn't think there was a chance there was a touchdown there initially. So, we got on the ball to run it in quickly," he added.

"It's hard with all the craziness in that moment, all the communication to get that 'Stop, stop. Let's evaluate this.'

"We just couldn't get it done fast enough by the time we'd seen a replay and realised 'Oh shoot, he might have gotten in there.' We've just got to learn from those.

"It's a fine line — when you get the ball on the inch, you just want to punch it in real quick. In hindsight, maybe he was in and we could have given ourselves a chance."

The Bengals travel to Dallas in Week 2 to face a Cowboys side set to be without quarterback Dak Prescott due to injury.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott will be sidelined indefinitely after fracturing his right thumb during Sunday night’s 19-3 season-opening loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, team owner Jerry Jones announced following the game.

Jones said Prescott’s injury would require surgery and will keep the star quarterback out for "several weeks" when speaking to reporters afterward. Prescott said he would undergo the procedure Monday while wearing a brace on his right hand during his postgame press conference.

"I was told it was much cleaner than it could have been," Prescott said.

Prescott sustained the injury when his hand struck the helmet of Tampa Bay pass rusher Shaquille Barrett with about six minutes remaining in the game. Cooper Rush replaced the two-time Pro Bowl selection for the rest of the contest.

The seventh-year veteran struggled prior to departing, completing just 14 of 29 passes for 134 yards and an interception.

Dallas, who played without one of its top receivers in Michael Gallup, and traded wideout Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns in the offseason, managed only 244 total yards and finished 3-of-15 on third-down attempts.

After missing most of the 2020 season with a fractured right ankle, Prescott bounced back with an outstanding 2021 campaign in which he threw for 4449 yards and a career-high 37 touchdown passes in leading the Cowboys to a 12-5 record and an NFC East title. Dallas signed the 29-year-old to a four-year, $160million extension in March.

"It’s not the worst thing that has happened to me," Prescott said of this injury. "It’s just a bump in the road, and I will keep moving forward."

The Cowboys went 4-7 in Prescott’s absence in 2020 with three different quarterbacks making at least one start, with veteran Andy Dalton getting the bulk of playing time.

Rush is expected to make his second career start when the Cowboys host the defending AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals next Sunday. The former undrafted free agent helped Dallas to a 20-16 win at Minnesota in Week 8 of last season by throwing for 325 yards and two touchdowns with one interception.

How quickly the Kansas City Chiefs’ offense would adjust to the loss of Tyreek Hill was the question on everyone’s minds entering the 2022 NFL season – but Patrick Mahomes and his teammates had a quick and emphatic answer.

Mahomes was nearly flawless and the offense unstoppable at times as the AFC powerhouses started their campaign with Sunday’s 44-21 victory over the Arizona Cardinals, extending the NFL’s current longest active wining streak in season openers.

The Chiefs didn’t miss a beat in their first outing since trading Hill, a six-time Pro Bowler who amassed a team-high 111 catches and 1,239 receiving yards in 2021, to the Miami Dolphins in March. Kansas City scored touchdowns on each of their first three possessions, with each drive 75 yards or longer, to build a 20-7 lead midway through the second quarter and force the Cardinals into catch-up mode right from the outset.

Mahomes capped each of those series with touchdown passes – two to running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire – while completing a razor-sharp 16 of 19 throws for 163 yards over the course of those three drives.

"Guys were just ready to go," Mahomes said. "They were excited to get out there and show what we had. Everybody’s asked us the questions of what this offense, what this team’s going to look like. We’ve always believed that we were going to go out there and put on a show and I thought guys did that."

Mahomes didn’t stop there, finishing with five TD passes while completing 30 of 39 attempts for 360 yards without an interception to lead Kansas City to their eighth consecutive season-opening win under coach Andy Reid.

The 2018 NFL MVP has started the past five of those lid-lifters, and thrown for 18 touchdowns and no interceptions in those games.

"It’s coach Reid getting more weeks to game-plan," Mahomes said of his history of early-season success. "That’s always a good thing for me because he’s getting guys kind of running wide open.

"But then I think it’s (also) how we do training camp. It prepares you to be ready Week 1. Coach has a great game-plan in, you have guys flying around that are ready to go, ready to play a game and not be at practice against each other. We’ve done a great job of just executing in Week 1."

Mahomes’ rapport with the two players brought in to help replace Hill was instant as well. Former Pittsburgh Steelers wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster produced six catches for 79 yards (all in the first half) in his Chiefs debut, while ex-Green Bay Packer Marques Valdes-Scantling hauled in all four of his targets for 44 yards.

Six Kansas City players finished with at least three receptions on a day when Mahomes emphasised spreading the ball around, though star tight end Travis Kelce unsurprisingly was the focal point with 121 yards and a touchdown on eight catches.

"With the amount of tight ends, running backs and receivers that we have, it’s going to be everyone,” Mahomes remarked. "It’s going to be a lot of guys catching passes. It’s going to be running the football, it’s going to be throwing the football. It’s going to be the short game. It’s going to be the deep passes.

"I think that makes this a hard offence to stop."