DENVER — Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips was carted off the field midway through the second quarter of Sunday’s game against San Diego after a Chargers player inadvertently barreled into him after going out of bounds.
Phillips was knocked off his feet and fell backward appearing to hit the back of his head when he went down to the ground.
The game was stopped for several minutes with players on both teams taking a knee and watching medical staff tend to Phillips, who also has coached with the Chargers during a distinguished NFL career.
Phillips was placed on a stretcher and immobilized before being lifted onto the cart and driven off the field. He was taken by ambulance to a hospital.
The Broncos said he was alert and had movement in all of his extremities.
Phillips was seen wagging his index finger in a No. 1 sign as he was taken off the field in the cart.
Broncos rookie running back Devontae Booker also left the game in the first quarter after suffering a shoulder injury during Denver’s opening series.
–ATLANTA — Atlanta Falcons tight end Jacob Tamme against the Green Bay Packers in the first quarter with an injured right shoulder.
Tamme was hurt when he was driven to the turf after catching a 13-yard pass from quarterback Matt Ryan on the Falcons’ first possession of the game.
Tamme, a nine-year veteran from the University of Kentucky, has 21 catches for 204 yards and three touchdowns this season in his second year with the Falcons.
–The New England Patriots added to their running back corps by signing Tyler Gaffney to the 53-man roster off the practice squad.
Gaffney, 25, spent the 2014 and 2015 seasons on injured reserve and has yet to make his NFL debut in a regular-season game. The Stanford product was cut by the Patriots in training camp before being signed to the practice squad on Oct. 17.
–Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith left the game against the Indianapolis Colts for the second time and did not return after it was determined he suffered a concussion.
The Chiefs also lost running back Spencer Ware to a concussion during the game against the Colts in Indianapolis.
Colts cornerback Vontae Davis suffered a concussion as well during the game.
Smith first went out of the game in the opening quarter to be evaluated for a concussion after a hard hit but returned in the second quarter after he was cleared.
Ware did not return for the second half and finished with 19 yards on seven carries in the first two quarters.
–CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Arizona Cardinals starting safety Tyrann Mathieu was ruled out of the rest the game against the Carolina Panthers with a shoulder injury.
Mathieu, a fourth-year pro, did not return for the second half.
–Dallas Cowboys rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott could be suspended as part of domestic violence accusations that surround the former Ohio State star from this past summer.
Elliott was accused last summer of five domestic abuse instances, but Columbus authorities declined to press charges. His former girlfriend filed a police report in July alleging that Elliott assaulted her in a car.
And even though no charges were brought against Elliott, the NFL is reserving the right to suspend him, some speculate for as many as six games.
–Troubled Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon has been released from a rehabilitation facility after completing a 30-day stay.
Gordon was released last week from the inpatient treatment facility in New Hampshire, league sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Gordon has been on the NFL’s reserve/suspended list.
–Starting linebacker Shaq Thompson and starting center Ryan Kalil of Carolina left the game against the Cardinals with injuries in the second quarter.
Thompson suffered a left knee injury early in the second quarter and Kalil went out with a right shoulder injury midway through the quarter.
–Buffalo Bills linebacker Lorenzo Alexander the game against the New England Patriots with a hamstring injury and did not return.
Alexander, who leads the NFL with nine sacks, was injured during a Buffalo punt return in the second quarter. Rookie Shaq Lawson replaced Alexander in the Bills’ defensive lineup.
Bills wide receiver Brandon Tate is being evaluated for a concussion after leaving the game.
Tate was injured when he caught a pass over the middle in the third quarter and was hit by Patriots safety Devin McCourty.