The Seahawks-Jaguars fight was 9 months in the making

The Seahawks and Jaguars got into a heated scuffle at the end of their game in Jacksonville, in which the Jaguars got the best of the Seahawks, 30-24.

The fight was sparked after Sheldon Richardson bulldozed the Jaguars offensive line on a kneel down, with Michael Bennett rolling into the legs of offensive linemen.

Richardson was ejected from the game, with the Seahawks picking up a total of two personal fouls. Leonard Fournette also received one for his involvement:

Bennett’s move might not come as such a surprise. He played for Greg Schiano in Tampa Bay, who received much criticism for sending his team on a kneel-down blitz in 2012.

The next play was similar to the previous one, which resulted in another pair of personal fouls on Seattle, including an ejection for Quinton Jefferson. Jefferson began arguing with fans, who then threw a beer at him:

Jefferson tried to get into the crowd, but was stopped by security. After the game, he was stunned as reporters asked him questions on the incident, while Bennett intervened and chased them away.

Because of the incident, the NFL is investigating security.

In March, Bennett was discussing a rule that passed that banned players from leaping over the line of scrimmage to block field goals. He said he didn’t see the point of the rule.

“I don’t see the point [of the rule]. I think a lot of coaches hate that there was people jumping over and blocking the field goals. When people block those field goals, those are the turning points in a lot of games. One point. Most of the NFL games are decided by one point unless you’re playing the Jaguars or something. Then it’s decided by 50,” Bennett said, via ESPN.

Little did he know, that comment would stick.

Jaguars defensive end Yannick Ngakoue brought up the comment after the game:

“We came from nothing last year,” he said. “We were basically a laughingstock last year. We took it personal. I’m not going to say no names but people said that we could get beat by 50 points. But I’m not going to re-quote who said it, but we showed them who is the better team today.”

A.J. Bouye referenced the comments, too:

He said, “There’s a lot of close games man. They all come down to the wire. You’re not gonna win every game by 50, unless you’re playing the Jaguars.”

Blake Bortles, who typically isn’t one to necessarily make headlines with his comments (or his play, for that matter), said that teams just aren’t used to losing to the Jaguars:

Bortles finished the game with 268 passing yards with two touchdowns and no picks, but the Seahawks still trash talked him afterward:

Jalen Ramsey, a quote machine if there ever was one, was honest as he always is in his assessment of the game:

These teams won’t be meeting up regularly, since they are in different divisions and conferences. But it’s safe to say that the next time they face off, things will only be more intense, and a rivalry could very well be brewing between teams on opposite sides of the country.