NFL Week 1 – Dolphins kneel during anthem; Raiders stun Saints; Keenan Allen injured

Players in Philadelphia joined military personnel and Vice President Joe Biden in holding a field-sized American flag during the performance of the national anthem. The scene was similar in Jacksonville prior to the game between the hometown Jaguars and the Green Bay Packers.

In Kansas City, the Chiefs interlocked their arms during the playing of the anthem, while cornerback Marcus Peters raised his fist, according to reports. In Seattle, members of the visiting Miami Dolphins, including Arian Foster and Michael Thomas, took a knee. The host Seahawks, who touted a display of some kind throughout the week and welcomed members of the New York police and fire departments to the team’s practices, stood arm in arm during the playing of “The Star Spangled Banner.”

Entering the day, some thought Sunday would see some players joining the ongoing protest of San Francisco 49ers backup quarterback Colin Kaepernick over the killings of unarmed African-Americans by police. Peters voiced his support for Kaepernick on Friday, but did not say he planned an protest during the anthem, according to ESPN’s Adam Teicher.

Kaepernick ignited a massive and polarized debate — between those who believe he’s disrespecting the country, its flag and military and others who believe he’s calling attention to an important social issue — two weeks ago when he chose to sit during the playing of the national anthem prior to the 49ers’ third preseason game. He subsequently adjusted his approach for the team’s fourth and final preseason game by kneeling instead of sitting. That time he was joined by teammate Eric Reid and has since been joined by other athletes such as women’s soccer star Megan Rapinoe and the Denver Broncos’ Brandon Marshall during the league’s opening game Thursday night.

As the NFL’s opening Sunday falls 15 years to the day after the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, there was some question about how such protests would be viewed given the patriotic overtones of 9/11. Kaepernick himself won’t take the field until Monday night when the 49ers play the Los Angeles Rams.

The issue dwarfed all other talking points ahead of Sunday’s games, topics that begin with, ironically the Patriots. Today marks the first game of Tom Brady’s four-game suspension for his actions in Deflategate. Jimmy Garoppolo, will replace him for New England, one of six teams that will start a new quarterback. That number includes Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys, who made his regular season debut, filling in for injured starter Tony Romo as the Cowboys take on the New York Giants. He led the Cowboys to field goals on his first two drives of the game, though the Giants countered with a touchdown from Eli Manning to Larry Donnell to push ahead 7-6.

Rookie Carson Wentz of the Philadelphia Eagles has already earned his first win as an NFL quarterback, beating the Cleveland Browns and their new quarterback, Robert Griffin III. Wentz authored a touchdown on his first NFL drive, finding Jordan Matthews to put the Eagles ahead of 7-0 en route to a 29-10 win. Griffin was unremarkable while throwing for 190 yards and an interception, struggling on short and mid-range passes.

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