4th and Monday: Protests abound before some awesome football action in Week 3
Sunday was the most exciting day of the 2017 NFL season on the field, but it was what happened before the kickoffs that really had people talking.
Spurred by President Trump's Friday comments and subsequent tweets that NFL players who protested during the national anthem should be fired or suspended, Sunday saw widespread demonstration by players and responses from teams.
The powerful showings started early, during the NFL's first game of the season in London, as several members of the Ravens, joined by former Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, kneeled during the anthem while on the other sideline the Jaguars saw owner Shahid Khan link arms with his players.
The Seahawks, Titans and Steelers skipped the national anthem entirely, the exception being Pittsburgh tackle and ex-Army Ranger Alejandro Villanueva.
After the games, players and coaches sounded off — including high-profile figures like Chiefs QB Alex Smith and Saints coach Sean Payton.
All the protests led to Paste BN Sports' Josh Peter to call for an NFL owner -- any NFLowner -- to hire QB Colin Kaepernick. Kaepernick was the first NFL player to hold such protests during the 2016 preseason.
The protests served as a backdrop for what was a phenomenal day on the gridiron, with stunning finishes across the league.
The Patriots rallied past the Texans with a final-minute TD strike by Tom Brady. The Eagles beat the Giants on a last-second, 61-yard field goal — the longest in the team's lengthy history — by Jake Elliott. The defending NFC champion Falcons moved to 3-0 with a dramatic, and controversial, goal-line stand in the final seconds against the Detroit Lioins. And Aaron Rodgers rallied the Packers to an overtime victory over the Bengals in a game that saw him throw his first pick-six since 2009.
There was a lot to take in Sunday. Here's what you might have missed:
TOP PICS: Best photos from Week 3 | NFL cheerleaders | Anthem protests
DID YOU SEE *THAT*?
- HE. COULD ... GO ... ALL ... THE ... WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! Showboating Bears player costs his team points after being stripped just before the goal line while returning a blocked field goal at the end of the first half.
- Odell Beckham Jr. caught two touchdown passes on Sunday and his two celebrations could not have been more different.
- Touchdown Tommy strikes again as Brady led the Patriots to a comeback victory against the Texans. Oh, yeah, don't forget about Aaron Rodgers' overtime-forcing touchdown pass!
- A game-winning Lions touchdown was overturned with 8 seconds left. So ... why didn't Detroit get another opportunity to score?
- You've got to love these moments in sports. Watch Jake Elliott's family celebrate in the stands after the Eagles kicker broke the franchise record for longest field goal with a 61-yard game-winner over the Giants.
THE RUNDOWN
Jaguars 44, Ravens 7: Jaguars owner Shahid Khan joined his team's national anthem protest before Jacksonville roughed up the Ravens in London.
Bears 23, Steelers 17: While a lot of the attention focused on Pittsburgh's anthem protest, the first overtime game of the day featured the Bears running for 220 yards while the Steelers and Le'Veon Bell failed to reach 100.
Bills 26, Broncos 16: Tyrod Taylor balled out as the Bills bounced back from last week's defeat to hand the Broncos their first loss of the season.
Falcons 30, Lions 26: The defending NFC champion Falcons overcame three Matt Ryan interceptions to beat the Detroit Lions 30-26 on a late-game controversial call.
Colts 31, Browns 28: The Browns were once again left explaining what went wrong after another slow start and another failed late charge against the ailing Colts.
Vikings 34, Buccaneers 17: Case Keenum had a great day at the office filling in for Sam Bradford for the second straight week, throwing for 369 yards and three touchdowns.
Patriots 36, Texans 33: Just when it looked like Deshaun Watson and the Texans were going to upset the Patriots in Foxborough, Tom Brady threw his fifth touchdown of the game to get the win.
Jets 20, Dolphins 6: The Jets proved they aren't the worst team in football, squashing any and all 0-16 talk.
Eagles 27, Giants 24: 61-yard field goal for the win? No problem for Eagles rookie kicker Jake Elliott, who broke the franchise record for longest field goal.
Saints 34, Panthers 13: The Saints beat up on the Panthers, and then coach Sean Payton verbally roughed up President Trump.
Titans 33, Seahawks 27: Ever seen someone get three penalties on one play? You have now thanks to Richard Sherman. Tempers flared but the Titans kept their cool in the win.
Packers 27, Bengals 24: Aaron Rodgers did Aaron Rodgers things, winning his first overtime game while A.J. Green caught his 500th pass and 50th touchdown.
Chiefs 24, Chargers 10: Can anyone stop Kareem Hunt? Nope. He’s the first player in NFL history to score touchdowns from scrimmage of at least 50 yards in three consecutive games to start his career.
Redskins 27, Raiders 10: The Redskins' defense was downright nasty in a dominating defensive performance against Derek Carr and the Raiders. Washington limited Oakland to just 128 total yards and seven first downs.
Rams 41, 49ers 39: It was a rare Thursday night thriller that left Rams coach Sean McVay asking for a beer at the end of the game.
EYES ON THE (FANTASY) PRIZE
The Denver Broncos may have more of a timeshare at running back than many fantasy owners thought.
Starter C.J. Anderson had a huge game last week, but veteran Jamaal Charles had better numbers Sunday — rushing for 56 yards and a touchdown on nine carries. Charles has been a fantasy star before and it looks like he still has something left in the tank.
Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Marcedes Lewis was Week 3's unexpected star with three touchdown catches. But fantasy owners shouldn't be rushing to the waiver wire to pick him up. Lewis didn't catch a pass in either of his first two games, so don't expect a repeat.
If your team needs a tight end, a better choice might be the New York Jets' Austin Seferian-Jenkins, who returned from a suspension to catch five of his six targets for 31 yards, or the Houston Texans' Ryan Griffin, who missed Week 2 with a concussion but returned to catch five passes for 61 yards and a touchdown.
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Taylor Gabriel caught five of his six targets for 79 yards, including a 40-yard touchdown. He has big-play potential with increased playing time.
Week 3 fantasy highlights: Jordan Howard, Odell Beckham bounce back
INJURY UPDATE
- Panthers wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin did not return to Carolina's loss to the New Orleans Saints after suffering a knee injury.
- Los Angeles Chargers running back Melvin Gordon exited the game at halftime with a knee injury but returned in the fourth quarter.
- Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin injured his groin against the Titans.
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David suffered a high-ankle sprain.
- New York Jets running back Matt Forte hurt his toe against the Dolphins.
- Philadelphia Eagles running back Darren Sproles (wrist), linebacker Jordan Hicks (ankle) and defensive tackle Fletcher Cox (calf) didn't return against the New York Giants.
- Oakland Raiders wide receiver Michael Crabtree suffered a chest injury in the fourth quarter against the Redskins and didn't return.
COMING NEXT WEEK
MONDAY: Week 3 wraps up on Monday with the Arizona Cardinals hosting Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).
TUESDAY: Paste BN Sports' NFL experts offer their power rankings for all 32 NFL teams after Week 3. Don't agree with our rankings? Speak up! Submit your own rankings to tell us where our experts got it wrong with our NFL FAN Power Rankings.
THURSDAY: Week 4 kicks off with a Thursday Night Football showdown featuring the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers (8:25 p.m. ET, CBS). Before the game make sure to check out our expert picks for every Week 4 game.