The Latest on Week 1 in the NFL (all times EDT):
3:05 p.m.
Some NFL players’ long-awaited debuts didn’t last long on opening weekend.
Lions linebacker Jamie Collins was ejected in the first half against the Bears when he made contact with an official.
And several players have left their games with injuries.
Among them are Packers nose tackle Kenny Clark (groin) and guard Lucas Patrick (shoulder), who got hurt at Minnesota.
Buffalo Bills starting linebacker Matt Milano has been ruled out from playing the second half against the New York Jets with a hamstring injury. Milano had a leaping interception at midfield of Sam Darnold’s pass late in the second quarter.
Colts running back Marlon Mack left the game at Jacksonville with an ankle injury just before halftime and has been ruled out.
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2:35 p.m.
James Robinson has made NFL history with the Jacksonville Jaguars today.
Robinson carried 10 times for 61 yards in the first half against Indianapolis, breaking the league’s previous best mark of 44 yards for undrafted rookie running backs in season openers.
Washington’s Ralph Nelson held the previous high for rushing yards by an undrafted rookie in Week 1, gaining 44 yards against New Orleans on Sept. 21, 1975.
Robinson became the first undrafted rookie running back in 30 years to start in Week 1. Several undrafted rookie fullbacks have started openers over the years.
But the feat has been much rarer for tailbacks.
Tampa Bay’s Bruce Perkins and Seattle’s Derek Loville were the last to do it, getting Week 1 nods in 1990.
The Colts lead the Jaguars 17-14 at halftime.
–Mark Long reporting from Jacksonville.
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2:15 p.m.
Detroit Lions linebacker Jamie Collins has been ejected in the second quarter against Chicago after making contact with an official with his helmet.
It didn’t look like an aggressive gesture — Collins may have been trying to demonstrate something that had happened on the field — but the result was that Collins made contact with the official’s chest.
-Noah Trister reporting from Detroit.
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1:50 p.m.
Both the Seahawks and Falcons honored the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis, an icon of the civil rights movement who died in July after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
The Falcons and the Seahawks wore white armbands featuring the initials of the late Georgia Democratic congressman and logos of each team.
The Falcons also wore shirts that featured a quote from Lewis on the front and the team’s Rise Up & Vote logo on the back during pregame warmups. The quote from Lewis: ”The Vote is the most powerful, nonviolent change agent you have in a democratic society.”
In a statement issued by the team, defensive end Steven Means said, ”We’re taking this moment and making it a movement, not just as a race, a community or a team, but as a nation, … It’s time to stand up, rise up and vote.”
The Falcons also honored Lewis as an honorary captain for the game.
–Paul Newberry reporting from Atlanta.
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1:35 p.m.
Players and coaches kicked off the 2020 season in different ways when it came to social justice messages. Some knelt. Some stood. Some didn’t come out for the national anthem.
The Minnesota Vikings locked arms in the end zone about a half-hour before their game against Green Bay for the recorded performance of ”Lift Every Voice and Sing,” after nine family members of the late George Floyd were recognized on the video board from their perch in the upper concourse.
The group included three brothers and one sister of Floyd, the handcuffed Black man who died on May 25 about three miles from the stadium when a white police officer pressed his knee against Floyd’s neck for nearly eight minutes.
In Detroit, the Lions lined up shoulder to shoulder at the goal line and the Bears faced them as they stood side by side 80 yards away. After a moment of silence, the videoboards showed Alicia Keys singing ”Lift Every Voice.”
In Jacksonville, Colts coach Frank Reich took a knee during the national anthem, the only one on the sideline to do so. The Jaguars were in the locker room.
Neither the Bills or Jets were on the field in Buffalo for the ”Star Spangled Banner.”
In Cleveland, Browns star defensive end Myles Garrett one of three Cleveland players who knelt during anthem in Baltimore. Baker Mayfield announced yesterday on Twitter he had changed plans and stood.
–Dave Campbell reporting from Minneapolis.
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1 p.m.
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It’s here! The 2020 NFL season kicks off today with 14 games after a strange offseason in which teams learned their playbooks via videoconference and didn’t play any preseason games.
Some stadiums are empty, others have a spattering of fans but mostly empty seats because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Players and coaches have been tested daily for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
Teams also are planning different ways to stand up against racial injustice following a summer of protests across the globe sparked by George Floyd’s death in police custody in Minneapolis.
Some players are kneeling during the national anthem like Colin Kaepernick did several years ago when he started bringing attention to social injustices.
The Washington players and members of the Philadelphia Eagles lined up together, forming an oval prior to their game.
–Arnie Stapleton reporting from Denver..
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More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP-NFL
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