TEMPE, Ariz., Oct. 6 (UPI) -- NFL rushing champion Emmitt Smith of the Arizona Cardinals learned Monday he has a fractured left shoulder blade and will be sidelined indefinitely.
Cardinals Coach Dave McGinnis did not give a timetable for Smith's return, only saying that he expected to be without his leading rusher for "weeks."
Making his return to Dallas, where he spent 13 years and set the NFL's all-time rushing record, Smith was stuffed for minus-1 yard on six carries by the Cowboys before leaving Sunday's game in the second quarter with what was originally diagnosed as a sprained AC joint in his left shoulder.
Smith, 34, rushed for 17,162 yards and 153 touchdowns in 13 years with the Cowboys, winning three Super Bowl titles. Last Oct. 27, Smith passed Walter Payton (16,726) on the NFL's all-time rushing list, but his streak of 11 straight 1,000-yard seasons ended in 2002.
