Patriots lose Rodgers, Chiefs drop first game

LOS ANGELES – Agence France-Presse

In a major setback for a Super Bowl championship contender, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers suffered a broken right collarbone Oct. 15 and could miss the remainder of the NFL season.

The 33-year-old signal caller suffered the injury in the opening quarter of the Packers' 23-10 loss at Minnesota, leaving both teams with 4-2 records.

"Losing Aaron Rodgers speaks for itself," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. "In my opinion, he's the best player in football."

In other games on Oct. 15, Adrian Peterson made a successful debut for the Arizona Cardinals in their 38-33 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the New England Patriots cooled off the red-hot New York Jets and the Pittsburgh Steelers ended the Kansas City Chiefs' unbeaten run.

Rodgers was hurt after taking a hard hit from Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr and falling on his throwing shoulder. X-rays showed the extent of the damage.

"QB Aaron Rodgers suffered a broken collarbone. There's a chance he could miss the rest of the season," stated the Packers' Twitter announcement.

Rodgers missed seven games in 2013 after suffering a broken left collarbone.

Rodgers was the Super Bowl 45 Most Valuable Player in 2011 as he led the Packers to a 31-25 victory over Pittsburgh.

Elsewhere, Le'Veon Bell rushed for 179 yards as the Steelers defeated Kansas City 19-13, handing the Chiefs their first loss of the season.

Bell carried 32 times and scored on a three-yard run early in the second quarter.

In Phoenix, Peterson rushed for a pair of touchdowns as Arizona defeated Tampa Bay.

Peterson ran 26 times for 134 yards in his Arizona debut as the Cardinals stormed to a 31-0 lead.

In New Jersey, quarterback Tom Brady connected with Rob Gronkowski on a 33-yard touchdown in the third quarter to give New England the lead for good as the Patriots defeated the Jets 24-17 to claim sole possession of first place in the AFC East.