Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers, who did not show up on the field for the National Anthem on Sunday, also didn't show up in the defensive stats. He didn't have a sack, quarterback hit or tackle. The only sack the Panthers got against Saints quarterback Drew Brees came from Mario Addison.
Jim Kelly told 97Rock on Monday that NFL players need to lock arms, pray and "thank God" instead of kneeling during the national anthem. Kelly: "One thing we need to do is we need to stand for our country and what it stands for, black and white. Because there's so many people in the military right now that are putting their lives on the line for what we have right here in the United States of America. OK, Trump did his thing. We get it. You made your point. Now let's all unite, come together as the National Football League so we don't have people walking out of stadiums because of what they see. ... But I just pray to God what Marcell [Dareus] said yesterday – finally he's saying something I agree with – is we need to come together. We need to lock arms. We need to pray. We need to thank God for what we got, and come together as the NFL. Come together as the Buffalo Bills. I sure hope when I turn the TV on next week that the people, the players that all kneeled and sat during the national anthem realized, hey, we made our point. We totally disagree – and I'm with them – with what President Trump said at times. The thing is, now we need to come together."
Running back Christian McCaffrey played 69 percent (41 of 59) of the Panthers' snaps on Sunday and caught nine passes for 101 yards. Jonathan Stewart played 44 percent and rushed 12 times for 57 yards. Seems the Panthers have gotten away from being that physical running team Coach Ron Rivera talked about during the preseason.
Jim Kelly to 97Rock on Monday on Donald Trump's tweets about NFL protests: "I am so sick and tired of what's going on in this country. Our president needs to focus on other countries – North Korea, Russia, and everything else that's going on everywhere else. I promote it, I like Donald Trump. I get sometimes what he says, and sometimes he needs to quit on Twitter. He needs to get off of it and focus on what's going on everywhere else instead of what's going on in the NFL. It's driving me nuts, and it's driving people away from the game of football. It's having players do things that I feel is unacceptable. But the thing is, this is 2017. And I'm trying to hope the President understands. This is not the 70s and 80s anymore. And I get it. As a player, I feel what he's saying is wrong. I do. And the thing is, as I stated in my Instagram post, there's only when I will ever kneel, and that is to thank the good lord for what I've been given. Period. I don't care what it is. The thing is, the players, you made your point. I get it. I understand it. I'm a former player. Black or white, it does not matter."
Jim Kelly told 97Rock on Monday he spoke to Marcell Dareus about his anthem protest after Sunday's game. Kelly: "I talked to Marcell Dareus after the game," he said. "I talked to Thurman Thomas last night in detail. We get it. We understand it. You made your point. I agree. But now it's time to not disrespect what our country stands for. I do believe we need to lock arms, stand and realize what and how blessed we are to be National Football League players and to live in the United States of America. If you don't think our country is good enough, then leave! Go somewhere else. But the thing is, my father worked in the military. I talked to Marcell in detail last night. He said he thought he would never be getting on one knee during the national anthem. He had a lot of his relatives, family members that served in the military. I don't know Marcell's family background, but he said he felt very strongly what the President did is very disrespectful and I agree."
A passionate Jim Kelly told 97Rock in Buffalo he lost respect Sunday for LeSean McCoy after McCoy stretched his legs while kneeling during the national anthem. "I like LeSean McCoy, don't get me wrong, but I totally, 100 percent I disagree with what he did," Kelly said. "You want to kneel? Fine. But when you go and do what he did yesterday, that sort of bummed me out. And I lost a lot of respect for him. And you know what? I'm a Buffalo Bill from start to finish. But when people start doing that, that's where I draw the line. You want to kneel? That's your prerogative. I would never do that. I will always stand, thank the good lord for everything I got. But when you disrespect the way he did and just go by his everyday duty in the national anthem being sung? Uh-uh. I won't go for that. I'm just so bummed out right now. We won. I'm so happy. When I left the stadium, there was a guy selling LeSean McCoy's jersey. He goes, ‘I'm getting five bucks for it!' And nobody was buying. And I'm like, ‘C'mon Shady.' That's not right. You just don't do that. But that's my personal opinion."
Chris Carson again got the majority of the playing time among Seahawks RBs yesterday, playing 41 of 73 offensive snaps (27 for C.J. Prosise, 1 for Thomas Rawls, 0 for Eddie Lacy). On defense, six players played more than 70 defensive snaps.
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.”
