In N.F.L. Week 8, About 40 members of the Houston Texans knelt during the national anthem in protest of their team owner’s “inmates running the prison” remarks. In an exciting, back-and-forth game, the Texans lost to the Seattle Seahawks, 41-38.
The rich got richer in a Week 8 when the top teams like Philadelphia and New England continued to roll, and there were no meaningful upsets. Here is what we learned in N.F.L. Week 8:
■ Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson is remarkably fun to watch, even in a loss. Watson is a rookie, and will make some rookie mistakes — like the interception he served on a platter to Earl Thomas, who returned it for a touchdown, or the two times Watson failed to account for Richard Sherman in coverage and paid for it with interceptions — but Watson went out and nearly beat the Seahawks in Seattle on Sunday, outdueling Russell Wilson for much of the game. Wilson ended up winning with a stunning touchdown pass in the final minute, but Watson showed absolutely no fear of Seattle’s secondary and threw for 402 yards and four touchdowns, two in the fourth quarter. And he did most of it with a smile.
■ It is no fun to play in Buffalo. The Bills won again, making them 4-0 at home and 5-2 over all. The defense forced four turnovers despite injuries to two starters and the team’s having traded away Marcell Dareus, and the offense continued to hum along in its quiet way, with Tyrod Taylor passing for one touchdown and running for another, while LeSean McCoy rushed for 151 yards. Next week the Bills will take their act on the road, where they have been far less fearsome.
■ The Cowboys have a lot riding on Monday’s court ruling. Dallas got its record back over .500 thanks to two rushing touchdowns by Ezekiel Elliott, and appear to have salvaged the season after a 2-3 start. But a district court is expected to rule on whether the N.F.L. can enforce Elliott’s six-game suspension, which was given to him before the season after a lengthy investigation into domestic violence accusations.
■ More of Mitchell Trubisky is not such a good thing, at least not yet. Trubisky, the Chicago Bears’ rookie quarterback, attempted just seven passes in a Week 7 win, but in Week 8 he threw 32 times in a loss. Despite the sharp increase in attempts, Trubisky still has yet to crack 200 passing yards in a game.
■ The 2008 Detroit Lions might have some company. Both the Cleveland Browns and the San Francisco 49ers reached the season’s midpoint with 0-8 records, and neither team has seemed to show much improvement along the way. They have a chance of joining those 2008 Lions as the N.F.L.’s only 0-16 teams, though three other teams since 1944 have finished seasons winless in fewer games.
Texans kneel during anthem to protest owner’s ‘inmates’ remark.
In what is sure to reinvigorate the debate about N.F.L. players protesting or demonstrating during the playing of the national anthem, an overwhelming majority of the Houston Texans players knelt during the playing of the song.
Coming into the game, the Texans had been widely expected to engage in a mass demonstration after their owner, Bob McNair, was quoted as saying “we can’t have the inmates running the prison.”
They stood before, but majority of #Texans chose to #TakeAKnee in response to team owners “inmates” comment. pic.twitter.com/38t34nVrzk
— HOUmanitarian (@HOUmanitarian) Oct. 29, 2017
McNair apologized to the players for the comment, and subsequently claimed he had actually been discussing the relationship between team owners and the league office led by Commissioner Roger Goodell, but players were unconvinced of his sincerity and several discussed potential plans for how to handle the anthem on Sunday. DeAndre Hopkins and D’Onta Foreman reportedly walked out of the team’s practice on Friday after hearing of the remarks.
CBS, which was broadcasting a golf event until 4 p.m. Eastern, did not air the anthem. Pictures and video showed more than 40 members of the team kneeling, with only a few standing.
On Friday, Texans’ offensive lineman Duane Brown told reporters the team would respond to McNair’s words.
“I think it was ignorant,” Brown said. “I think it was embarrassing. I think it angered a lot of players, including myself. We put our bodies and minds on the line every time we step on that field, and to use an analogy of inmates in prison, that’s disrespectful. That’s how I feel about it.”
On the opposite sideline Sunday, several members of the Seattle Seahawks sat on the bench during the anthem, including Michael Bennett, Sheldon Richardson and Cliff Avril. Linebacker Michael Wilhoite again took a knee.