INQUIRER Sports

FOXBORO -- National Football League star quarterback Tom Brady suffered what could be a season-ending left knee injury Sunday early in New England's 17-10 season-opening victory over Kansas City.

The reigning league Most Valuable Player when he was struck in the back of the left knee by Kansas City safety Bernard Pollard and crumpled to the turf, clutching the knee with 7:27 left in the opening quarter.

Brady was attended to by team medical staff on the field before hobbling off to the locker room. He completed 7-of-11 passes for 76 yards.

Multiple media reports has said Brady suffered major ligament damage and that diagnosis is expected to be confirmed when the NFL star has an MRI exam on Monday.

Boston radio station WEEI reported Brady suffered a torn anterior cruciate knee ligament.

Even New York Jets quarterback Brett Favre heard the reports in Florida after a 20-14 victory over Miami.

"That's terrible. I guess it's an ACL or something," Favre said. "They've always overcome injuries and things like that but that's pretty difficult."

New England receiver Randy Moss sounded resigned to losing Brady when he spoke after the game, offering support to reserve turned new starter Matt Cassell.

"I think it hurts. By him being the face of the New England Patriots and Tom being who he is, it hurts to be honest with you," Moss said.

"I know the show must go on and hopefully Matt Cassel is ready to step in. From a team standpoint, we are ready to embrace him and let him lead us."

Moss called the tackle by Pollard a dirty play.

"I didn't really see anything because I was running down the field. It looked dirty to me," Moss said. “I have never been a dirty player. I honestly don't know how to play dirty. I just play the game.”

"Any time you see something like that that looks foul and looks dirty it opens your eyes. To me personally, it looked dirty."

After the loss, Pollard expressed regret for the play.

"Things happen but I can't do anything but send my prayers out to him," Pollard said.

"He's a competitor and tough guy. As soon as I heard him scream, I knew something was wrong. That's something you don't want to see happen to another competitor," said Pollard.

Brady, who threw an NFL-record 50 touchdown passes last season, has started 128 NFL regular-season games in a row, the third-longest streak among NFL quarterbacks behind Favre and Peyton Manning of Indianapolis.

Brady guided the Patriots to an unbeaten regular season last year and into the Super Bowl, but New England's bid for a perfect championship season was thwarted when the New York Giants beat them in the Super Bowl.