CHARLOTTE, N.C.-- Bill O'Brien turned to Ryan Mallett in an effort to spark the Houston Texans' offense.
Mallett passed for 244 yards and 1 touchdown and ran for a 6-yard touchdown, but he started slow in his first start this season and the Texans' lost 24-17 to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
"There are obviously plays I could have made that I didn't," Mallett said.
The Texans had just six first downs against a Carolina defense playing without top defender Luke Kuechly, who sat out with a concussion. Mallett (Arkansas Razorbacks) was 4 for 12 for 26 yards to start the game and and completed 27 of 58 passes for the game.
But it was Kuechly's replacement, A.J. Klein, who came up with the big defensive play for Carolina with his team up 17-10.
Klein intercepted Mallett early in the fourth quarter and Cam Newton cashed in with a prefect strike to Brown, who outleaped Jonathan Joseph on a post route for the 24-10 lead.
O'Brien, who picked Mallett over Week 1 starter Brian Hoyer, said he's not panicking after his team's 0-2 start.
"I just told the guys in the locker room we have to stick together," O'Brien said. "... I've been around teams that started off with two tough losses and came back to have good seasons. So we did some good things in the game, but not enough obviously."
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Williams released
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Buffalo Bills safety Aaron Williams has been released from the hospital after having a series of tests to determine the severity of a neck injury.
The Bills provided the update on Sunday, about three hours after Williams was hurt during a 40-32 loss to the New England Patriots. Williams was loaded into an ambulance on the field and taken to the hospital for what coach Rex Ryan called a "cervical precaution."
Williams was hurt while making a diving attempt to tackle Julian Edelman on a 22-yard touchdown catch late in the third quarter. The safety's head bounced as it connected with Edelman's back and both players hit the turf, leaving Williams skidding face down on the left sideline.
Williams was able to move his body and was talking with trainers as he was put on a stretcher. His body was immobilized before being loaded onto the ambulance.
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Cutler in doubt
CHICAGO -- Jay Cutler was doing just fine, leading the Bears up and down the field -- right until he left the game with a pulled hamstring.
Now, Chicago might have to get by without its quarterback.
Cutler got injured trying to make a tackle after an interception, and the Bears fell to the Arizona Cardinals 48-23 on Sunday.
Cutler walked to the locker room after he was stiff-armed trying to take down Tony Jefferson on a 26-yard interception return for a touchdown late in the first half and did not return to the game. That put his status for next week's game at Seattle -- and bend -- in question.
"It takes a while to run tests. Our medical people will inform me and then I will inform you," Coach John Fox said, when asked if he expects his quarterback to play again this season.
Cutler was not available for comment afterward.
Carson Palmer threw for four touchdowns, and the Cardinals pulled away in the second half for an easy victory.
Cutler completed his first eight passes for 120 yards before getting picked off. He threw a 48-yard touchdown to Josh Bellamy. But the injury on Jefferson's interception return was another big blow for a team that was already missing its top receiver with Alshon Jeffery out because of a hamstring problem.
Now, the Bears could be missing their quarterback when they visit the defending NFC champion Seahawks. That would likely mean a start for Jimmy Clausen, who was 14 of 23 for 121 yards after Cutler went down.
"You've just got to keep pushing forward," Clausen said. "I felt the air was deflated a little bit, but guys did a great job just trying to (say) 'let's go, let's go, let's go' and pick up the tempo a little bit, try to move the chains."
He did it all
Arizona rookie running back David Johnson had a 108-yard kickoff-return touchdown and a 13-yard touchdown run in the Cardinals’ 48-23 victory at Chicago. Johnson, who had a 55-yard touchdown reception last week in his NFL debut, is the first player in NFL history with a rushing TD, receiving TD and kickoff return for a TD in his first two games to begin a career. His kickoff return score is the longest touchdown in franchise history. Johnson also is the first Cardinals player to have a kickoff-return touchdown and a rushing touchdown in the same game since Hall of Famer Ollie Matson in 1958.
Odds and ends
The seven touchdowns allowed by Chicago in a 48-23 loss to Arizona tied the Bears franchise record. The Bears who had never given up 48 points in a home game, and also tied a club record with 170 penalty yards. … Cleveland built a 21-0 lead and hung on for a 28-14 victory over Tennessee. It was just its third home-opening victory since 1999. … Baltimore is 0-2 for the first time since 2005.
Sports on 09/21/2015