Michael Crabtree and Aqib Talib needed just four minutes to make an otherwise unremarkable game eminently watchable. Granted, the Raiders wide receiver and Broncos cornerback had to resort to fighting like they were in junior high school, but that's what happens when the two worst teams in the AFC West get together for an mostly meaningless late-season game.
Behold:
Raiders Broncos fight pic.twitter.com/9vqhJ7HSjz
— Dieter Kurtenbach (@dkurtenbach) November 26, 2017
There's more:
Crabtree and Talib 2.0 pic.twitter.com/vPBngrIrKv
— Dieter Kurtenbach (@dkurtenbach) November 26, 2017
When it was over, Crabtree was helmetless, Marshawn Lynch had to escort Talib through a sea of Raiders players, and Crabtree, Talib and Raiders offensive lineman Gabe Jackson were all ejected.
This isn't the first time Crabtree and Talib have been at odds. The two got into it on the sidelines last in January and that run-in ended with apparently unfinished business.
ICYMI: #Broncos CB Aqib Talib broke Michael Crabtree's chain necklace, then laughed about it: https://t.co/lb4gi5g4ag pic.twitter.com/gftimX02G7
— Jon Heath (@JonHeathNFL) January 1, 2017
"He has just been wearing that gold chain all year; it's just been growing on me," Talib explained at the time. "I said if he wears that chain in front of me, I'm going to snatch it off. He wore it in front of me, so I had to snatch it off. He started crying to the ref. He didn't say nothing to me though."
Crabtree's response: "I looked like I wanted to hit him ... I'm not even that type of dude. I play football. I don't get up in anybody's space doing all that extra cut blocking. I could've cut him. I could've hurt him, but I'm playing football. I don't like that man. ... I really don't like No. 21, though. I think he's fake. ... You aren't tough. You aren't defending anybody up like that. You're acting. You're snatching chains up on the field. What do you accomplish? Are you hard? Are you tough? Does that make you tough? You're snatching chains in front of the police and take off running. That was childish man."
We guess Crabtree had a change of heart because he not only looked like he wanted to hit Talib on Sunday, he actually connected.
One more thing: The impetus for the latest throwdown? Talib ripped off Crabtree's chain again.
TALIB RIPPED OFF HIS NECKLACE AGAIN. @bustedcoverage 😂 #Broncos #Raiders pic.twitter.com/0TGg3g0LOZ
— \/\/ '/ /\/ (@WynHere) November 26, 2017
Just a thought, but maybe Crabtree shouldn't wear his chain when facing Talib and the Broncos. In related news, this may be Photoshopped but still accurate nonetheless:
wow that stat pic.twitter.com/C6lZQIwgN5
— Harry Lyles Jr. (@harrylylesjr) November 26, 2017
You can keep up with all the action in the Broncos-Raiders game in our GameTracker.