Some thoughts from snap counts -- D.J. Hayden and Nevin Lawson as a battle for cornerback No. 2 could be something to watch. Playing Theo Riddick still tips off the Lions are going to pass. The Lions still seem to be managing Ezekiel Ansah's snaps a bit.
Colts cornerback Rashaan Melvin on why he took a knee during the national anthem: "Reading the comments and statements that were made by the president it kind of touched home. It's not just about a flag, it's about what's wrong and what's right with America. If everybody doesn't see it the same way, there's something wrong with somebody. I try to stay away from politics as much as I can. I know in the eyes of God what's wrong and what's right. That's my stance on that."
Colts safety Darius Butler on why he took a knee during the national anthem: "First and foremost I want to thank Mr. Irsay for his support with his statement. Chuck Pagano. Secondly, we all respect military, policemen, servicemen deeply. We all have roots there. My father served in the military, my brother served in the military, so it's no disrespect to the flag or the country. Obviously the comments made by Trump earlier in the week had some guys stirred up. Personally, it drew a line in the sand almost to where I wanted to be clear which side I was on. I have kids, I have a younger brother. I have people that look up to me and this is my platform to keep the conversation going."
CB Richard Sherman disagreed with the pass-interference and unnecessary roughness penalties that were called against him. The latter came on what officials deemed to be a late hit out of bounds on Titans QB Marcus Mariota. Sherman: "No, he was still in bounds, so I play until the blow of the whistle. If the quarterback slides, or kind of gives himself up or does something like that, then you stop. But, if there's still yards that he's gaining, you're taught to play to the whistle. It's so crazy the way the game is nowadays. (Mariota) came up to me and said 'good hit' because he understood that I'm playing till the blow of the whistle. I'm not waiting until you took two steps out of bounds. It's a game of inches and you can't give up anything, and it's just one of those plays. It's football. It seems like the world is getting a lot softer in terms of the way it's officiated and the way it's seen, but it's football at the end of the day."
CB Richard Sherman said the Seahawks met for several hours and considered different proposals before deciding to remain in the locker room for the national anthem: "This is a world-changing, life-changing event. Once in a lifetime. You have to capture a moment like that, and the moment doesn't affect everyone the same. Some people, it's a moment that has no effect, has little effect. It won't move their needle either way, which is fine, but they sympathize with their teammates so they do want to do something. Going out there and sitting down during the national anthem for some guys was unacceptable, and that's fine. That's fine. We made that decision with that in mind. For some guys, there was a suggestion that we kneel with the flag half-staff because that symbolizes that there's an issue going on in our country, and there is, obviously. So, there were a ton of things thrown around but I think we came to a good decision and we stand by it."
Oakland was 0-for-11 on third-down conversions. "That's not good," said Raiders QB Derek Carr. "It sucked."
Derek Carr: "This isn't alarming, but we did get punched in the mouth."
Pete Carroll said WR Doug Baldwin has "a groin strain of some degree." Asked if he thinks he'll play next week, Baldwin said: "I would love to." LB Dewey McDonald, one of the Seahawks' top special teams players, injured his knee early in the game. Pete Carroll said "there's ACL concerns" with McDonald's knee.
Khalil Mack: "They served us a humble pie"
Kirk Cousins threw for 365 yards and 3 Pass TD on Sunday night. It's his 6th career game with 350 Pass Yds and 3 Pass TD, 2 more than the next-closest QB in franchise history, Hall-of-Famer Sonny Jurgensen.
Cardinals president Michael Bidwill came out with a statement today in response to President Trump's comments on Friday regarding NFL players protesting during the national anthem: "I am extremely proud of our players and the contributions they make that extend well beyond the playing field. There are countless examples of positive influence and extraordinary impact these players have on our community. Football is something that has always united us as Americans and, particularly in times like these, has the ability to inspire rather than divide. It's a responsibility in which we have always taken great pride and will continue to embrace."
Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald called Cowboys tight end Jason Witten to discuss a possible pregame demonstration, a source told ESPN. It's still unknown if either team has decided to do anything before Monday night's game at University of Phoenix Stadium.
The Giants issued a statement after the game about their players and their right to recognize the anthem however they deem appropriate:
Holy heck. Eli Manning got rid of the ball on average in 1.86 seconds on Sunday, per Pro Football Focus. That is crazy fast, almost .40 faster than any other QB.
Where's the offense? Chargers still trying to figure that out after 0-3 start
The Chiefs showed their big-play defense is back in win over Chargers.
Jake Elliott's 61-yard FG is tied for the third-longest game-winning kick in the final 10 seconds in NFL history. He hadn't hit from more than 40 in an NFL game prior to Sunday,
Rishard Matthews on negatives against athletes' protests: "I'm tired of hearing stick to sports. It comes down to right and wrong in this world. If you see wrong and don't say anything that's wrong. As minorities, what do you want to happen before we say anything? They tried to have a silent protest and look what happened. It's your right to stand or sit down. You have that right and you're not allowing that to happen.”
Brian Orakpo thought about his son when he heard Donald Trump's comments: “Very, very sad. Very, very disrespectful. To call us SOBs, it's very sad because I have the utmost respect for that position. Raising kids, like my little man, you always say you want to grow ‘em up and be a president one day. It's all the ultimate goal. Right now, I would never say that to my son especially with this man in office.”
Delanie Walker on Titans' protest: "When 45 tweeted, it made it feel like he was trying to segregate us. We showed that won't happen in this league. You not going to divide us."
Russell Wilson on the Seahawks' slow start on offense, during which they punted on their first six possessions before driving for a touchdown at the end of the second quarter: "I put that one me. I think we could have been better early."
Asked what went into Al Villanueva leaving tunnel while others stood back, Cam Heyward said "I don't want to get into that, but we support our guy Al. He feels he had to do it. This guy served our country and we thank him for it." Villanueva was not spotted during the post-game locker room media availability.
Derek Carr had not thrown an interception in any of his last three starts dating to last season, which was tied for the longest streak of his career.
Seahawks WR Doug Baldwin: "I think it's scary that we have a man in office that was elected to protect our basic rights and yet he has shown recently the opposite."
CB Richard Sherman said the Seahawks weren't going to protest in any way before the game unless every player agreed to it. He said they didn't want to force anyone to do something they weren't comfortable with and that the team discussed several options during a long meeting before reaching a decision.
