The Miami linebacker, a second-generation Cuban-American, brought down Kaepernick short of the end zone on the final play of the game, which the 49ers lost 31-14. Afterwards, Salguero caught up with Alonso. "I didn't read your article, to be honest. But I did see what happened. So, yeah, there were some feelings on my part," Alonso told him, later adding, "There was some bad blood there for me with Kaepernick."Salguero also wrote that he received texts from lots of "NFL people" after the game claiming they saw something extra out of Alonso's performance on Sunday.To be sure, Alonso had a fine game, recording 12 tackles, an interception, and a recovered fumble. Kaepernick played pretty well himself, passing for 296 yards and three touchdowns, and rushing for 113 more yards. It just so happens that the game ended in a way that allowed for maximum narrative.This is bound to happen with Kaepernick. From his protest about police brutality and systematic oppression of minorities in the United States to his decision not to vote in the presidential election—and now, belated reaction to him wearing a shirt that featured Castro—he has been an inescapable part of the NFL this year. It's fair to say that we haven't seen anything like his 2016 season and may never see it again—not in the NFL, home to a culture in which the word "distraction" is used to define and eliminate behaviors or viewpoints even a little out of the norm.Read More: No Tackling In Practice? Not a Problem in Ivy League Football
Really Have to Wonder About a Quarterback Who Won't Chop Off His Pinky
The Oakland Raiders beat the Carolina Panthers 35-32 on Sunday to clinch their first winning season since 2002. They survived a scare on both the scoreboard and the injury front to get there, though, giving up a 17-point lead in the third quarter and watching quarterback Derek Carr leave the game after dislocating his finger on an especially unfortunate encounter with his center's butt.Carr hardly missed any time and the Raiders rallied to win, but it was a reminder that the most successful seasons can be wiped away in an instant if your starting quarterback gets injured and isn't willing to chop off one of the fingers on his throwing hand. Rest assured, I have zero doubt that Romanowski, a former NFL linebacker, is entirely sincere in this conviction, and that he could win a staring contest with a klieg light.That broken finger of Carr has gotten into his head. I dislocated a finger & I was ready to chop it off to show nothing can get in my way.
— Bill Romanowski (@billromanowski)November 28, 2016
The Attack of the Byzantine Rulebook
In the final play of a close game against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Baltimore Ravens were able to run out the clock to secure the win by having their punter run around for 11 seconds before taking a safety as the clock hit zero. This was only possible because Baltimore committed egregious holding on the play, worse than the garden-variety holding you can call on just about any play. Because there are no time-extending penalties for the team that possesses the ball, it didn't matter that the Ravens were penalized, since the Bengals wouldn't get another play anyway. I'm not sure you can correct this in the rulebook without getting maddeningly specific, so for now I'll just say it's a canny bit of strategy by the Ravens, and something tremendously on-brand to happen to the Bengals.Ravens win by holding Bengals intentionally and delaying safety, there's no time extension for the flags — Vikings Blogger (@firstandskol)November 27, 2016
The Sideline Stops the Clock, Except When It Doesn't
Speaking of minutiae in the rulebook, one bit that has cropped up lately is the rule stating that a player driven backward by a hit going out of bounds cannot stop the clock. On one hand, going out of bounds seems like something that should be the same across the board; on the other, it's hard to take too much exception with a rule that benefits the defense, since those are increasingly rare in the NFL.Clarification on last play of half in — Dean Blandino (@DeanBlandino)November 28, 2016
The Gregg Williams Depantsing Game
The New Orleans Saints had a grand ol' time running up the score on their former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, who is now with the Los Angeles Rams. With a 49-21 victory, New Orleans' offensive totals on the day marked near-record highs against a Williams-coached defense. Only the 2007 New England Patriots have scored more points in a single game versus Williams—52 while Williams was at Washington—and the Saints' 555 total yards ties the regulation-time high set by the Colts against the Williams-coached Bills in 2001.This was Williams' first visit to the Superdome since being implicated in the Saints' bounty program, mainly during the 2009 season. It's unclear whether New Orleans head coach Sean Payton harbors any particular animosity toward Williams, but he clearly was giddily hopping around on the sideline after calling trick plays up 20-plus points in the fourth quarter. I am of the belief that running up the score is fun on anyone, let alone former coworkers, so it's hard to blame Payton for his glee.Going through video, Superdome security guard asked to see Gregg Williams' credential — Robert O'Shields (@BobbyO504)November 27, 2016
Y'all Mean, Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons rolled the Arizona Cardinals 38-19. Wide receiver Taylor Gabriel accounted for more than 100 yards of offense and scored two touchdowns against the Cardinals, so the Falcons' Twitter account felt like reminding the Cleveland Browns, who released Gabriel in September, of what they were missing. Cleveland, of course, was busy falling to 0-12 and having the seventh player this season attempt a pass for them.Look, we can all agree that pettiness against Gregg Williams is good and deserved, but kicking the Browns while they're down, especially when not engaged to head-to-head competition, just seems unnecessarily cruel. Besides, we all know that Falcons' Super Bowl trophy case is as barren as the Browns'.Thanks! — Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons)November 27, 2016
'Football in the Butt' Had a Football in the Butt
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Five Winners Who Covered Their Bloodline in Glory
2. Khalil Mack, Oakland Raiders. It was a banner Sunday for the AFC West's premier pass rushers. While a lot of attention was paid to the condition of Carr's right pinky finger, the Raiders linebacker was putting on a show, getting a pick-six on an incredible interception of a Cam Newton screen pass, and later sealing the win with a strip-sack.3. Justin Houston, Kansas City Chiefs. That Kansas City was even in the game against Denver at halftime, much less leading, had a lot to do with Houston, who shredded anything put in front of him on the right side of the Broncos line. Houston finished with three sacks, including one that forced a fumble that led to a safety for the game's opening score.4. Von Miller, Denver Broncos. As underwhelming as the quarterback matchup was at times on Sunday night, it was a chance for some of the NFL's top edge rushers to tee off. Miller had three sacks, as well, along with four hurries, to lead an impressive effort by the Denver front seven that would have been part of a winning effort had the offense found any traction before the second half.Kicker memes — Mike Tunison (@xmasape)November 28, 2016