Chicago Bears tight end Zach Miller operated on after suffering horrific knee injury

Chicago Bears tight end Zach Miller has undergone emergency surgery on a gruesome knee injury he suffered on Sunday.

Miller dislocated his knee making what he thought was a touchdown catch in the Bears' 20-12 defeat against the New Orleans Saints in their week-eight clash at the Superdome.

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ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported on Monday that the surgery involved repairing an artery in Miller's leg and was "more significant" than a regular dislocation.

The 33-year-old, who joined the Bears at the end of 2013, spectacularly hauled in a pass from rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky in the third quarter as his team attempted to mount a comeback.

But his left leg buckled badly as he completed the catch and it was soon apparent that Miller was in serious trouble after brief celebrations from his team-mates in the endzone.

Miller was treated for some time by medical staff before being gingerly carted off and he was later taken to a New Orleans hospital for further treatment.

While Miller was still being treated, umpires also ruled that he had not been in full possession of the ball when he landed and overturned a touchdown that would have given the Bears a chance to close within three points of the home side.