The Latest on the NFL’s first Sunday of the regular season (all times eastern):
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4:55 p.m.
There’s another lightning delay stopping the game between the Tennessee Titans and Miami Dolphins.
Their game was stopped for one hour, 57 minutes with 71 seconds left in the first half before play resumed. Titans cornerback Malcolm Butler just intercepted Ryan Tannehill in the end zone and ran the ball back to the Tennessee 32. Officials then stopped play with 6:47 left in the third and Miami up 7-3.
The Dolphins walked slowly off the field.
The stoppage might cool things down. The stoppage came only a few plays after three players received unsportsmanlike conduct penalties for taunting as a result of a fracas between the Dolphins and Titans, which began after Tennessee tackle Taylor Lewan appeared to be knocked out briefly.
Lewan was hurt at the end of interception return by Reshad Jones in the third quarter. Lewan was running toward the sideline when he was hit to the ground. The Titans and Dolphins traded shoves and taunts.
Penalized were Jordan Phillips and Bobby McCain of Miami, and Dion Lewis of Tennessee. The penalties offset. Lewan went to the locker room.
– Steven Wine reporting from Miami Gardens, Florida
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4:40 p.m.
Los Angeles Chargers right tackle Joe Barksdale has been carted back to the locker room with a knee injury.
Barksdale suffered the injury near the end of the Chargers’ third offensive drive of the first quarter. He is questionable to return.
– Joe Reedy reporting from Los Angeles
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4:35 p.m.
Patrick Mahomes has thrown his first touchdown pass as Kansas City’s starter, giving the Chiefs a 14-3 lead over the Los Angeles Chargers.
With a big helping hand from Tyreek Hill on his second TD of the game.
Mahomes threw a short pass to Hill, who went 57 yards for the score. Hill caught the pass at the Chargers 47 and eluded a diving tackle by Jahleel Addae as he found a seam up the left sideline. It is Hill’s second touchdown of the first quarter after he had a 91-yard punt return.
Mahomes, who was the 10th overall pick in the 2017 draft, was 3 for 3 for 68 yards.
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4:30 p.m.
Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota is back in the game after leaving for a play early in the third quarter against the Dolphins.
Mariota appeared to injure his right hand when hit by defensive lineman William Hayes after handing off. Mariota was treated by a trainer, walked off the field and was replaced by Blaine Gabbert with Miami leading 7-3. Gabbert threw incomplete on third down. Mariota returned for the start of the Titans’ next series, and he was intercepted.
That was the second of injuries over three plays for Tennessee. Adoree Jackson hurt his right shoulder at the end of a punt return out near midfield and went to the locker room. Jackson is questionable to return.
– Steven Wine reporting from Miami Gardens, Florida
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4:15 p.m.
The Kansas City Chiefs put up their first points of the season very quickly.
Tyreek Hill took a Drew Kaser punt 91 yards for a touchdown just a minute and 57 seconds into their opener against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Hill fielded the punt near the right hash mark, then quickly found an opening near the left sideline and was gone. It is Hill’s fourth punt return for a touchdown in 32 games over three seasons.
The Chiefs lead the NFL in punt returns for TDs since 2013 with seven.
– Joe Reedy reporting from Los Angeles
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4:10 p.m.
It didn’t take long for the Kansas City Chiefs to get their first points of the season. Tyreek Hill took a Drew Kaser punt 91 yards for a touchdown a minute and 57 seconds into their opener against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Hill fielded the punt near the right hashmark but quickly found an opening near the left sideline and was gone. It is Hill’s fourth punt return for a touchdown in 32 games over three seasons.
The Chiefs lead the league in punt returns since 2013 with seven.
4:10 p.m.
The Tennessee Titans and Miami Dolphins finally are getting back to their game in full sunshine after a nearly 2-hour delay for lightning in the area.
Officials suspended the game at 2:13 p.m. ET with 1:11 left in the first half and the Titans on offense. Miami has a 7-3 lead.
The teams were poised to return after only an hour only to have lightning in the area push back the restart until 4:10 p.m.
The opener for the NFL season featured a 45-minute delay to the first kickoff between the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles and Atlanta Falcons in Philadelphia.
Weather in Charlotte also has pushed back the opening kickoff between Carolina and the Dallas Cowboys. Kickoff has been pushed back 10 minutes until 4:35 p.m.
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3:30 p.m.
It’s already Josh Allen time for the Buffalo Bills.
Nathan Peterman has been pulled from his third NFL start after failing to mount any offense for the Bills against the Baltimore Ravens.
Peterman was yanked with Baltimore leading 40-0 in the third quarter. He was 5 for 18 for 24 yards with two interceptions.
He was replaced by Allen, the seventh overall pick in the 2018 draft. The Bills traded up five spots to draft him at the highest spot Buffalo has ever selected a quarterback.
Allen drove the Bills for a field goal on his second series.
– Dave Ginsburg reporting from Baltimore
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3:20 p.m.
Seattle Seahawks safety Earl Thomas will start against the Denver Broncos just four days after ending his holdout after it failed to produce a new contract or a trade.
Thomas made it through his first week of practice with no issues after holding out of training camp while seeking an extension or a trade. His deal expires after the 2018 season.
He’ll start in place of Tedric Thompson at free safety.
The Seahawks activated Thomas to their 53-man roster Saturday when they placed cornerback Dontae Johnson on injured reserve. He hurt his groin during practice last week.
Johnson was expected to start at right cornerback. The Seahawks didn’t announce who would start in his place, rookie Tre Flowers or veteran Neiko Thorpe.
– AP Pro Football Writer Arnie Stapleton reporting from Denver
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3:19 p.m.
New England Patriots running back Jeremy Hill has been ruled out against Houston after suffering a knee injury early in the second half.
Hill’s injury occurred on a second-down play with 12:09 remaining in the third quarter that ended in a Patriots’ turnover, with tight end Rob Gronkowski fumbling the ball near midfield after reeling in a 25-yard catch from Tom Brady.
He was helped off the field and evaluated in the medical tent before returning to the locker room. He had four carries for 25 yards and was credited with a partial punt block late in the first half.
The 25-year-old joined the Patriots in free agency this past offseason after spending his first four NFL seasons with Cincinnati.
New England led 21-6 at the time of Hill’s injury.
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3:12 p.m.
Never one to shy away from a fashion statement, Panthers QB Cam Newton wore brown cleats with a silver ”sheriff’s star,” taking on a very old Western theme during pre-game warmups against the Cowboys.
Newton can’t wear the cleats during the game, but is allowed to wear what he wants to pre-game warmups.
– Steve Reed reporting from Charlotte, North Carolina
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3:05 p.m.
The Tennessee Titans and Miami Dolphins are expected to resume their game after a 77-minute delay because of lightning in the area.
The teams went to their locker rooms while play was suspended with Miami leading 7-3. First, the game was expected to be resumed at 3:10 p.m., and that now has been pushed back to 3:32 p.m. local time.
The game will resume with 1:11 left in the first half and the Titans on offense. Halftime is to be shortened to 6+ minutes.
– Steven Wine reporting from Miami Gardens, Florida
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3:00 p.m.
Joe Flacco has just thrown his third touchdown pass, and he’s made sure to hit each of the free agent receivers the Ravens signed during the offseason.
Willie Snead caught a 13-yarder in the third quarter to make it 33-0 over Buffalo. Flacco previously connected with newcomers John Brown and Michael Crabtree.
– Dave Ginsburg reporting from Baltimore
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2:55 p.m.
For the first time in franchise history, the Carolina Panthers have their team logo painted at midfield of Bank of America Stadium.
New owner David Tepper made the decision to use the Panthers black and blue logo after purchasing the team in July from Jerry Richardson, the team’s founder and first owner.
The Panthers always had the NFL ”shield” at midfield -per Richardson’s orders- since they began play as an expansion franchise in 1995.
The Panthers host the Cowboys in their season opener.
– Steve Reed reporting in Charlotte, North Carolina
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2:30 p.m.
Andrew Luck’s first half was just about as good as it can get after throwing an interception on his first official pass.
The Colts quarterback finished the half 20 of 25 with 170 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Plus, he marched the Colts 43 yards in 1 minute, 42 seconds to set up Adam Vinatieri for his third goal of the half, a 51-yarder, to give Indy a 16-10 lead.
Luck is back after missing more than 20 months with an injured shoulder.
Vinatieri needs four more field goals to break Morten Andersen’s league record of 565.
– Michael Marot reporting from Indianapolis
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2:15 p.m.
Weather has delayed another NFL game, this time in Miami between the Tennessee Titans and Dolphins.
The game was suspended with 1:11 left in the second quarter because of lightning in the area. The teams went to the locker room – with the sun shining. Rain fell earlier, and there was also thunder in the area. Miami led 7-3.
Weather delayed kickoff 45 minutes for the season opener Thursday night between the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles and Atlanta in Philadelphia.
– Steven Wine reporting from Miami Gardens, Florida
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1:55 p.m.
Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette has a hamstring injury.
Fournette already has nine carries for 41 yards, and he led Jacksonville last season as a rookie with 1,040 yards rushing and nine touchdowns.
He caught a pass on the play before the Jaguars’ last series and was being stretched out on the sideline when the Giants had the ball.
– Tom Canavan reporting from East Rutherford, New Jersey
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1:55 p.m.
Panthers three-time tight end Greg Olsen (back) appears to be ready for Carolina’s game with the Dallas Cowboys.
Olsen was added to the team’s injury report on Saturday after practicing full all week. Asked Sunday if he expects Olsen to play, Panthers general manager Marty Hurney replied ”as far as I know.”
– Steve Reed reporting from Charlotte, North Carolina
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1:50 p.m.
Houston Texans right tackle Seantrel Henderson has left the game against New England with a left ankle injury.
Patriots defensive lineman Keionta Davis landed on Henderson’s ankle while trying to rush quarterback Deshaun Watson. Henderson was tended to on the field for a few minutes and then walked off under his own power.
After the training staff looked at him on the sideline, Henderson was helped onto a cart, hopping on his right leg, and driven into the tunnel beneath the stands.
It was a few plays after Houston defensive lineman Christian Covington needed medical attention. He is questionable to return with a thigh injury, according to the Texans.
– Jimmy Golen reporting from Foxborough, Massachusetts.
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1:40 p.m.
Kirk Cousins has thrown his 100th career touchdown pass and his first for the Minnesota Vikings.
The new quarterback found Stefon Diggs in single coverage by San Francisco cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon on a fade route on third-and-3 from 22 yards out in the second quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. The ball was perfectly placed along the edge of the end zone to give the Vikings a 10-0 lead over the 49ers.
Cousins spent the first six seasons of his career with Washington. He signed a three-year, $84 million, fully guaranteed contract with Minnesota in March.
– Dave Campbell reporting from Minneapolis
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1:26 p.m.
Andrew Luck is getting off to a bit of a rocky start in his return for the Indianapolis Colts.
After receiving a loud ovation during introductions, Luck made it onto the field for his first regular-season series in more than 20 months at the Bengals 7.
It didn’t last long.
Following a first-down run, rookie guard Quenton Nelson was called for a hold. On second-and-14 from the Bengals 14, Luck was picked off by linebacker Preston Brown on his first official pass since returning from shoulder surgery.
It got worse. Cincinnati Bengals safety Shawn Williams has been ejected after making a helmet to helmet hit on Luck. The Colts quarterback ran for 7 yards before being hit in the head by Williams while being tackled.
Luck did not leave the game.
– Michael Marot reporting from Indianapolis.
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1:05 p.m.
The Ravens and Bills kicked off a new season on a wet field.
It’s been raining in the Baltimore area all weekend, at times heavily. Throw in a stiff wind and temperatures dipping below 60 degrees, and it’s as if this game was taking place in the middle of the season.
The Ravens are seeking to improve their record in openers under coach John Harbaugh to 8-3. Baltimore has won 18 of its last 20 home games in September.
This is the third career start for Buffalo quarterback Nathan Peterman, who enters with a career QB rating of 38.4.
– Dave Ginsburg reporting from Baltimore.
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1:10 p.m.
Miami Dolphins wide receivers Kenny Stills and Albert Wilson are the only NFL players seen kneeling during the national anthem of early games in protest of police brutality and social injustice.
Dolphins defensive end Robert Quinn raised his right fist, and San Francisco wide receiver Marquise Goodwin raised his right arm with fist clenched during the anthem in New Orleans.
Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey and linebacker Telvin Smith Jr. stood during the national anthem after staying in the locker room for ”The Star-Spangled Banner” during the preseason before playing the New York Giants.
Titans wide receiver Rishard Matthews also was on the sideline after staying in the tunnel or locker room during the anthem much of last season.
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10:10 a.m.
President Donald Trump has tweeted his disapproval of the NFL on Sunday morning before the first full slate of games.
The president has criticized players for their demonstrations protesting social injustice during the national anthem, and the league for not requiring players to be on the sideline at attention when ”The Star-Spangled Banner” is played.
He made reference to lower ratings on NBC in Thursday night’s season opener in which Super Bowl champion Philadelphia beat Atlanta 18-12.
”Wow, NFL first game ratings are way down over an already really bad last year comparison,” Trump tweeted. ”Viewership declined 13%, the lowest in over a decade. If the players stood proudly for our Flag and Anthem, and it is all shown on broadcast, maybe ratings could come back? Otherwise worse!”
The NFL unilaterally passed a policy requiring players to stand at attention for the anthem or to stay in the locker room or in the tunnel under the stands. When that policy met with heavy criticism, it was put on hold while the league and players’ association discussed other options. Those discussions are continuing.
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