It was a bad day to be a quarterback in the NFL, with a pair of stars suffering ugly injuries to leave their teams facing an uphill battle.
Veteran Aaron Rodgers also had a rough time of it after being brutally blindsided, then pulled late, on a dark afternoon for the Pittsburgh Steelers against the New England Patriots.
Meanwhile, a controversial call midway through overtime between the Kansas City Chiefs and Indianapolis Colts has sparked debate across America.
Read on for all the latest NFL news in our Week 2 wrap!
‘INSANE’ CALL STUNS IN OT THRILLER
The Chiefs were celebrating victory after the Colts’ first play of overtime, after Laquon Treadwell had the ball knocked from his grasp by Nohl Williams after a huge throw from Daniel Jones while trailing 27-30.
But drama would soon ensue, with the officials calling game over but checking whether Treadwell had initially been downed by contact.
Replays showed L’Jarius Sneed had got a hand to Treadwell as he fumbled Jones’ throw, with close-in shots needed to determine whether Sneed had brushed his hip as he finally took control.
“This is insane – talk about game-deciding stuff here!” commentator Cris Collinsworth said.
“Has he maintained control, and does that glove definitively touch his hip?”
Watch an average 6 games per week aof the NFL Season, LIVE with ESPN on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.
“That just cannot be much closer,” co-caller Mike Tirico said.
Chiefs fans were fuming when Treadwell was ruled to have been downed by contact before losing the ball, allowing the Colts to keep possession and leaving the game back alive.
“Absolutely insane,” Collinsworth said.
The Colts tied the game 30-30 with a 38-yard Spencer Shrader field goal.
But given the ball back, the Chiefs would get the last laugh, with Harrison Butker drilling his 40-yard shot to win it 33-30.
STEELERS’ TELLING ACT ON CHAMPION QB
Champion QB Aaron Rodgers was powerless to stop the Pats running away with a 20-3 Week 2 victory over the Steelers, managing just 187 passing yards and completing only 23 of 39 passes.
The 42-year old was sacked four times and fumbled twice, including a heavy blindside hit from linebacker Christian Elliss in the second quarter.
Rodgers finished the game on the bench amid concerns over his physical workload, with backup QB Mason Rudolph coming on with 3:23 remaining.
‘OH S***’: ‘BRUTAL’ INJURIES ROCK BEARS, COMMANDERS
Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels was carted from the field late in the first half against the Dallas Cowboys, after a gruesome-looking arm injury.
The 2024 NFL Offensive Rookie of the year has endured a nightmare run over the last 12 months, missing ten games due to a variety of injuries last season.
The latest blow was perhaps the most unfortunate of all, with Daniels stepped on during a third-down play.
His elbow bent the wrong way as he put his left arm out to brace his fall.
“Oh s***,” NFL icon Tom Brady said on commentary as a replay revealed the extent of the injury.
Worryingly, it is the same elbow he dislocated in 2025.
The injury wasn’t the only major quarterback blow on a day of carnage, with Chicago star Caleb Williams in tears as the free-scoring Bears were brought back to earth with a 9-3 defeat to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.
One week after piling up 59 points in a dazzling season-opening victory over Carolina, Williams and the Bears were restricted to just a single field goal at a rainswept Soldier Field.
A bitterly disappointing home opener for the Bears was compounded by a worrying-looking injury to their franchise quarterback, who hobbled off in the fourth quarter before being taken back to the locker room on a medical cart.
Williams was clearly emotional as he exited the field, with fears of a possible Achilles tear.
“This is so brutal,” Barstool Sports head Dave Portnoy wrote on X.
“I cant imagine how my Chicago guys are feeling. Hope is at an all time high and then this. Just brutal.
“My thoughts are with the city. With modern technology Caleb will be back next year good as new.
“I saw Tom Brady blow out his knee and comeback and win superbowls. Keep your chin up Chicago.”
Williams had been in rampant form in last week’s win over the Panthers, throwing two touchdowns and rushing for two more.
But the 24-year-old quarterback was given no respite by the Vikings’ steely defense, suffering three sacks and coughing up an interception before exiting midway through the fourth quarter after pulling up in agony as he scrambled in the red zone.
Team officials later said Williams had suffered a hamstring injury without giving further details.
The Vikings meanwhile improved to 2-0 thanks to three field goals from Will Reichard. Chicago’s lone score came from a 50-yard Cairo Santos field goal.
In other early NFL action on Sunday, the New England Patriots bounced back from their opening loss with a clinical 20-3 defeat of the Pittsburgh Steelers at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough.
Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was sacked four times by the New England defense while the Patriots scores came from a TreVeyon Henderson rushing touchdown and a 19-yard fumble return touchdown from Elijah Ponder.
In Nashville, the Philadelphia Eagles snatched a dramatic 24-20 win over the Tennessee Titans thanks to a last-gasp Darius Cooper touchdown.
The Titans had edged into a 20-17 lead inside the two-minute warning with a Joey Slye field goal.
But Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts led a nine-play 65-yard drive which culminated with a three-yard pass to Cooper to score a touchdown with nine seconds left on the clock.
In Baltimore meanwhile, the New Orleans Saints scored 15 unanswered fourth quarter points to turn a 17-9 deficit into a 24-17 defeat of the Ravens.
Saints quarterback Tyler Shough hit Chris Olave for a 21-yard touchdown before a successful two-point conversion tied the score at 17-17, before Shough’s one-yard rushing touchdown with 1min 28sec remaining gave New Orleans the winning score.
WEATHER DELAY WITH BUCS-BROWNS ON THE BRINK
A thrilling finish was at hand between the Buccaneers and the Browns in Tampa.
With the Browns leading 23-19 after much-maligned quarterback Deshaun Watson roared back into form with two touchdown passes, the Buccaneers were driving deep for a chance at a game-winning touchdown with two minutes to go.
But officials called a halt to proceedings as the weather turned foul, with a mandatory lightning delay leaving the game on a knife’s edge.
The NFL’s lightning policy requires play to remain suspended until the danger has passed, with repeat lightning strikes extending the delay beyond two hours.
Amid the stoppage, the ground quickly became waterlogged in the Florida deluge.
The Buccaneers and Browns started in bright sunshine… (Photo by Parker S. Freedman / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)Source: AFP… and ended in pouring rain. (Photo by Parker S. Freedman/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
The fans still around to brave the conditions even took to the field in an attempt to entertain themselves, only for security to quickly intervene.
When the game was eventually able to resume, the Browns were able to maintain their 23-19 lead and claim a badly needed win.
The New Orleans Saints scored 15 unanswered fourth-quarter points to turn a 17-9 deficit into a 24-17 defeat of the Ravens in Baltimore.
Saints quarterback Tyler Shough hit Chris Olave for a 21-yard touchdown and a successful two-point conversion tied the score at 17-17, before Shough’s one-yard rushing touchdown with 1:28 remaining gave New Orleans the winning score.
The comeback came a week after the Saints forced overtime from 21-0 down to the Detroit Lions, but lost that game with a failed two-point conversion. This time they made no mistake.
“Sometimes you have to learn how to win, learn how to finish. And I think we’re right on time,” said Saints defensive edge Chase Young.
Elsewhere, the Philadelphia Eagles snatched a dramatic 24-20 win over the Tennessee Titans thanks to a last-gasp Darius Cooper touchdown.
The Titans had edged ahead 20-17 inside the two-minute warning with a Joey Slye field goal.
But Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts led a nine-play, 65-yard drive that culminated with a three-yard pass to Cooper for a touchdown with nine seconds left on the clock in Nashville.
The Green Bay Packers grabbed a tense 20-17 overtime win after coming from 17-7 down in the fourth quarter at the New York Jets.
The Jets failed to score on the first possession of overtime, before a defensive penalty for unnecessary roughness took Packers kicker Trey Smack comfortably into field goal range for the victory.