Report: No anthem policy
The NFL has decided not to implement any national-anthem policy for this season, according to ESPN. The league had passed a policy in May that barred onfield protests, but the rules were scrubbed shortly thereafter to allow more dialogue on the issues between the league and the players’ union.
Only two players in Week 1 knelt during the anthem — the Dolphins’ Kenny Stills and Albert Wilson — prompting a tweet of praise from Colin Kaepernick.
“My Brothers [Stills] and [Wilson] continue to show their unwavering strength by fighting for the oppressed,” Kaepernick tweeted. “They have not backed down, even when attacked and intimidated . ... Love is at the root of our resistance.”
Three players raised their fist during the anthem, while four remained in the tunnel.
Buccaneers 48, Saints 40
Playing for the suspended Jameis Winston, quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for 417 yards and four touchdowns.
Fitzpatrick joined Washington’s Mark Rypien (1991 vs. Atlanta) as the only quarterbacks in history to pass for at least 400 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions and run for a touchdown in a single game.
Mike Evans caught seven passes for 147 yards, including a 50yard touchdown, while DeSean Jackson had five catches for 146 yards, including touchdowns of 58 and 36 yards, before leaving the game with a concussion.
Saints quarterback Drew Brees (37-for-45, 439 yards) passed for three scores, giving him 37 in season-opening games to surpass the previous record of 34 held by Peyton Manning.
The combined 88 points set a record for an opener, narrowly eclipsing Philadelphia’s 45-42 victory over Washington in September 1947.
Dolphins 27, Titans 20
Jakeem Grant scored on a tiebreaking 102-yard kickoff return
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with 14 minutes to go in a game that featured two weather delays totalling 3 hours and 59 minutes. At 7 hours, 10 minutes, it was the longest game since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger. The previous longest was a Bears’ overtime victory against the Ravens in 2013 that took 5 hours, 16 minutes. For the Titans, quarterback Marcus Mariota suffered an elbow injury, receiver Delanie Walker had a right leg injury and tackle Taylor Lewan had a concussion.
Chiefs 38, Chargers 28
The Chiefs’ Tyreek Hill had touchdowns on a 91-yard punt return and on 58 and one-yard catches. Hill joined the Cowboys’ Bob Hayes (1968 vs. Pittsburgh) and the Rams’ Tavon Austin (2013 at Indianapolis) as the only players to have a touchdown catch of 50 or more yards and have a punt return of 90 or more yards for a touchdown in a game. Hill has 13 touchdowns of at least 50 yards (six receiving, four punt returns, two rushing, one kick return) in 32 games and is tied with Gale Sayers and Devin Hester for the most touchdowns of 50 or more in a player’s first 35 games in history.
Patriots 27, Texans 20
Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski had seven catches for 123 yards and a touchdown for his 27th regular-season 100yard game of his career, secondmost for a tight end in history, behind only Tony Gonzalez (31).
Coach Bill Belichick earned his 251st regular-season win, passing Tom Landry for third on the NFL’s all-time list.