Cowboys edge Washington as Chiefs survive late Indianapolis scare
by AFP · The42THE DALLAS COWBOYS beat arch-rivals Washington 37-20 in a game marred by a gruesome injury to Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, while the Chicago Bears lost their own signal-caller Caleb Williams in defeat to Minnesota on a brutal NFL Sunday.
Elsewhere, Kansas City survived a late Indianapolis scare, but a number of favourites including the Baltimore Ravens fell to upset losses on week two of the 2026 season.
Dak Prescott threw for 279 yards and four touchdowns in Texas, surpassing former Dallas great Tony Romo for the most touchdown passes in Cowboys history, with 249.
“There’s a lot of bigger numbers out there that I want — a championship — but we’re just getting started,” said Prescott, whose team improved to 1-1 after an opening-weekend loss to the Giants.
But his opposing quarterback Daniels bent his left elbow backward while tumbling from an accidental stamp by his own guard in the first half, and was carted off the field with a towel covering his head.
The 25-year-old re-injured the joint he dislocated last year, in another crushing blow to a Commanders franchise that the talismanic Daniels had carried to within a game of the Super Bowl in his thrilling rookie season.
“It was a dislocation. The X-ray showed no fracture,” said Washington coach Dan Quinn.
“Man, are we bummed for him. I thought he was really playing his ass off.”
After Daniels’ departure Dallas stretched their 17-10 half-time lead, despite Washington backup QB Marcus Mariota finding Stefon Diggs for the receiver’s second touchdown.
Advertisement
Earlier, Chicago’s Williams pulled up in agony while scrambling in the red zone late in the Bears’ rain-drenched loss 9-3 to the Vikings.
The disappointing home opener saw the Bears restricted to just a single field goal, one week after piling up 59 points against Carolina.
Williams was given no respite by the Vikings’ steely defense all game, forced to scramble under repeated blitzes, suffering three sacks and coughing up an interception before his injury.
“A hamstring could be pretty damaging… We’ll see how bad it is tomorrow,” said Bears head coach Ben Johnson.
Patrick Mahomes’ Kansas City beat the Colts in the final second of overtime.
Kansas City had settled for a field goal on their first overtime possession. Colts receiver Laquon Treadwell appeared to fumble after catching a 50-yard pass, prompting wild Chiefs celebrations.
But after lengthy review, he was ruled to have already been brought down by marginal contact before the fumble, and Indianapolis tied it with a field goal.
The reprieve was not enough. Kenneth Walker III rushed the Chiefs into field goal territory again, and Harrison Butker sealed victory 33-30.
“We had a lot of errors, but I thought the guys were resilient,” said Mahomes.
Among several upsets, the New Orleans Saints scored 15 unanswered fourth-quarter points for a shock 24-17 defeat of the Baltimore Ravens.
The comeback came a week after the Saints forced overtime from 21-0 down to Detroit but lost.
“Sometimes you have to learn how to win, learn how to finish… We’re right on time,” said Saints defensive edge Chase Young.
The Los Angeles Chargers suffered a second straight ignominious loss, falling 26-14 to unfancied AFC West rivals Las Vegas.
Cleveland’s under-pressure quarterback DeShaun Watson fired the Browns to a surprise 23-19 win in Tampa Bay, while Cincinnati receiver Ja’Marr Chase scored two touchdowns in a 20-6 Bengals win against Houston’s highly rated defense.
Reigning champions Seattle shrugged off their quarterback Sam Darnold’s injury absence, going 2-0 under backup Drew Lock with a 31-7 rout of Arizona.
The Philadelphia Eagles snatched a 24-20 win over Tennessee thanks to a last-gasp Darius Cooper touchdown, while New England bounced back with a clinical 20-3 defeat of Pittsburgh.
There were further injury woes in New York, as the Green Bay Packers grabbed a tense 20-17 overtime win.
Packers receiver Jayden Reed collided with a defender’s shoulder pads and collapsed.
Reed has feeling and movement in all his extremities but will stay in hospital overnight, the team said.
“Doing much better,” Reed posted on social media.