Brady suffers leg injury in Patriots' win

Tom Brady went from the disappointment of a Super Bowl loss to the devastation of an injury that could keep him out for the rest of the season.

After missing the entire preseason with an unspecified foot injury, Brady left Sunday's season opener in Foxboro, Mass., against the Kansas City Chiefs in the first quarter after being hit on the left leg by Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard. Coach Bill Belichick provided no information on the injury, but Pollard had a diagnosis of his own.

"He was in a lot of pain," he said. "When you hear a scream, you know that."

Various reports Sunday night said Belichick told the players that the injury was serious. The Patriots were already looking for a possible replacement for Brady. A person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press that former Tampa Bay quarterback Chris Simms was coming in today for a physical.

Brady was the NFL MVP last season after throwing for a record 50 touchdowns and leading the Patriots through a perfect regular season to the brink of their fourth Super Bowl title in eight years. But New England lost its chance at an unprecedented 19-0 record when the Giants won the championship, 17-14.

Any chance at redemption might have disappeared when Brady, who has started 128 consecutive games, went to the turf clutching his left knee midway through the first quarter.

Brady, 31, went to the locker room and wasn't seen again on the sideline as backup Matt Cassel led the Patriots to a 17-10 victory.

Cassel, who had thrown only 39 passes as Brady's backup the past three seasons, did surprisingly well, completing 13 of 18 passes for 152 yards and one touchdown.

Jets 20, Dolphins 14

Six months after Brett Favre decided to call it a career in Green Bay before changing his mind, he made a successful debut with his new team. Broadway Brett threw for two scores.

Favre finished 15-for-22 for 194 yards and his 161st victory, extending his NFL record for starting quarterbacks.

Panthers 26, Chargers 24

Jake Delhomme threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dante Rosario as time expired. capping a desperation drive for the win.

After Philip Rivers rallied San Diego with his third TD pass of the game, Delhomme moved the Panthers to the San Diego 14-yard line with 2 seconds left before calling his final timeout.

Cowboys 28, Browns 10

Terrell Owens caught a 35-yard touchdown pass, Tony Romo effortlessly picked apart Cleveland's secondary, and Marion Barber scored on a pair of 1-yard runs.

With Romo completing 24 of 32 passes for 320 yards.

Bears 29, Colts 13

Rookie running back Matt Forte ran for 123 yards and one touchdown in his NFL debut, and Kyle Orton committed no turnovers to help Chicago beat the Colts in the first regular-season game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Cardinals 23, 49ers 13

Kurt Warner passed for 197 yards and led three monotonously effective drives in the second half. Anquan Boldin had all of his eight catches for 82 yards in the second half of the Cardinals' third straight opener against the 49ers

J.T. O'Sullivan passed for 195 yards in his first NFL start for the 49ers.

Titans 17, Jaguars 10

The Titans sacked David Garrard seven times and Cortland Finnegan intercepted him twice in the season opener between the AFC's two wild cards in 2007.

Steelers 38, Texans 17

Willie Parker ran for 138 yards and three touchdowns and a near-perfect Ben Roethlisberger threw two scoring passes to Hines Ward in Pittsburh's rout that began with Houston's fourth-down failure on its opening possession.

Saints 24, Buccaneers 20

Drew Brees passed for 343 yards and three touchdowns, giving fans already jubilant about the Saints' quick return to New Orleans from Hurricane Gustav a triumph to celebrate as well.

Tampa Bay had a shot to win the brutally physical, back-and-forth contest until Scott Fujita intercepted Jeff Garcia's fourth-down pass just inside New Orleans' 20 with under 40 seconds to go.

Falcons 34, Lions 21

Matt Ryan threw for a touchdown with his very first NFL pass, Michael Turner set a team rushing record in his Atlanta debut, and the Falcons were off and running.

The rookie quarterback electrified the crowd with a 62-yard touchdown pass to Michael Jenkins before many fans had settled in their seats. Turner rumbled for 220 yards and two TDs after coming to Atlanta from San Diego in the offseason.

Bills 34, Seahawks 10

Roscoe Parrish scored on a 63-yard punt return, and punter Brian Moorman completed a 19-yard touchdown pass to defensive end Ryan Denney on a fake field goal, sparking Buffalo to a dominating win.

Ravens 17, Bengals 10

The Ravens forced two turnovers and limited the Bengals to 154 yards to make John Harbaugh a winner in his debut as an NFL coach. Cincinnati's Carson Palmer was 10-for-25 for 99 yards, and his interception ended the Bengals' deepest foray into Baltimore territory -- except for a 65-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Johnathan Joseph.

-- AP