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On an NBCSports podcast, Schwartz said he had spoken to Savage about his appearance on the show and said the quarterback was comfortable with his message.

“They told me they were going to defend me, and I said OK,” Savage said. “I didn’t really go through what they were going to say or anything like that. It was just one of those deals.

“I felt the need to talk to the team about it, because by any means, I do not want to be a distraction to this team. That’s not my goal. I will be here, I will support this team.”

Watson, who made his first NFL start, scored the lone touchdown on a 49-yard run and finished with 67 yards on five carries. He completed 15-of-24 passes without a touchdown or interception.

“Listen, we just won,” Savage said. “The headline should be about [Watson], not about this bullcrap.”

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The NFL had until Friday to respond to arguments from Elliott’s camp against Mazzant putting his injunction on hold pending hearings. In that scenario, Mazzant wouldn’t have ruled until next week.

“If this court declines to grant relief, respondents intend to seek a stay from the Court of Appeals and believe it is important to give the Court of Appeals the opportunity to act promptly,” NFL attorneys wrote.

The 22-year-old Elliott was suspended by commissioner Roger Goodell last month, and attorneys representing Elliott for the NFL Players Association contended in a lawsuit that Elliott didn’t get a fair hearing in an appeal that was denied.

Elliott was suspended after the league concluded he had several physical confrontations last summer with Tiffany Thompson, a former girlfriend. Prosecutors in Columbus, Ohio, decided about a year ago not to pursue the case in the city where Elliott starred for Ohio State, citing conflicting evidence.

In their latest filing, attorneys for Elliott argue that the NFL can’t meet the standard for irreparable harm because the league can still suspend the Dallas star if it wins on appeal.

The league argues that the harm is in Mazzant’s ruling interfering with a labor deal that was approved by both sides.

“Petitioner should not be allowed to evade its CBA obligations by delaying suspensions indefinitely through the courts,” NFL attorneys wrote.

A notice has been filed with the federal appeals court, but future filings with the three-judge panel in New Orleans have been on hold while the league followed the procedure of asking Mazzant for a stay of his ruling.

The NFL said its conclusions in suspending Elliott after a yearlong investigation were based on photographs, text messages and other electronic evidence. The running back denied the allegations under oath during the appeal.

The league has argued that it acted within the parameters of a labor agreement that gives Goodell broad authority to suspend players and that the appeal process was consistent with its personal conduct policy.

Attorneys for Elliott contended that the appeal hearing before Harold Henderson was unfair because Henderson barred Thompson and Goodell from testifying and excluded notes from the investigation that were favorable to Elliott. Mazzant’s ruling for the injunction largely agreed.

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Johnson, who spent the previous two years with the Cardinals, likely will assume the featured back role in David Johnson’s absence.

David Johnson was placed on injured reserve Tuesday. He is expected to miss two to three months after undergoing surgery to repair a dislocated wrist, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported.

Chris Johnson will likely get most of the carries against the Colts on Sunday in Indianapolis, followed by Kerwynn Williams, Andre Ellington, Elijhaa Penny and D.J. Foster. With each running back having a separate strength, Arizona’s rushing game will likely be by committee instead of relying on one player.

Johnson played in just four games last season before suffering a groin injury that required surgery and sent him to injured reserve. Before he was hurt, he had 25 carries for 95 yards as the primary backup. In 2015, he was the NFL’s third-leading rusher (814 yards) before he fractured his tibia in Week 12.

Before 2015, Johnson had never missed a game because of an injury.

He enters this season with 9,537 rushing yards. He told ESPN this offseason that his goal before he retires is to reach 10,000 yards.

Johnson, who will turn 32 on Sept. 23, re-signed with Arizona the day before training camp started, with the understanding that his role would expand compared to last season. Fumbling issues in training camp helped lead to Arizona releasing him before Week 1.

Johnson earned the nickname CJ2K after he rushed for 2,009 yards in 2009, when he played for the Tennessee Titans.