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Jaguars, Seahawks talk about skirmishes in final minute of Week 14 matchup

In the final minute, the fight got even more physical.

The Jaguars and the Seahawks battled for points and field position during the first 59 minutes of their Week 14 matchup.

In the final minute, the fight got even more physical.

With a 30-24 lead, the Jaguars looked to end the game with a victory formation. The Seahawks had other plans.

As Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles went to kneel down to drain seconds off the game clock, Seahawks defensive linemen Jarran Reed, Sheldon Richardson and Michael Bennett charged the center of the Jaguars' offensive line.

While the effort by the Seahawks' trio wasn't illegal, it was unexpected. Tempers flared as the Seattle defensive linemen became tangled up with the Jaguars' offensive lineman.

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Bennett and Jaguars center Brandon Linder got into a scrum on the ground after the play. Jaguars rookie running back Leonard Fournette then got involved, pushing Bennett as he got up from the skirmish.

Jaguars tight end Ben Koyack had to hold back Jacksonville left tackle Cam Robinson after he was hit in the face by Richardson, who was accused of throwing a punch.

Fournette and Bennett were both given unnecessary rough penalties. Richardson also received an unnecessary roughness penalty and was ejected for the alleged punch attempt.

"We were playing hard today and a guy grabbed me after the whistle blew," Richardson said after the game. "I was protecting myself and things got a little hot. There was some shoving and I was protecting my teammates. That’s the way it goes.”

The unnecessary roughness didn't end there, as the Seahawks' interior defensive linemen attacked the Jaguars' victory formation again on the next play.

Seahawks defensive tackle Quinton Jefferson was whistled for unnecessary roughness and ejected. Seattle head coach Pete Carroll then left the bench to speak to his players on the field and was penalized for it.

“Well, we didn’t have a chance to get the ball back then, and I wanted to make sure, I was trying to get our guys to not carry any further," Carroll said during his post-game press conference.

"They were trying to fight to get the ball back, and there wasn’t the chance to do it at that point. I was just trying to slow them down. I talked to [referee Gene Steratore] a couple of plays before it, and I just tried to make a statement to our guys so we didn’t finish with any more garbage happening out there.”

As Jefferson attempted to leave the field, a Jaguars fans threw an object at him. Jefferson stopped, took off his helmet and addressed the crowd.

More objects were thrown at Jefferson as he confronted a group of fans. Jefferson then tried to climb up a wall to get into the crowd but was pulled away by the EverBank Field security staff.

“I never saw it, but going into the stands is probably not too smart," Bortles said when asked about Jefferson's attempt to go into the crowd.

The Jaguars eventually ended the game with one more kneel down. Most of the Jacksonville roster immediately ran to the locker room.

A few minutes after the conclusion of the game, Jaguars players were quick to point out the Seahawks' actions started the melees.

“It’s just one of those things we had sixty minutes to handle that, the last thirty seconds while we’re kneeling and someone spears someone in the legs," tight end Marcedes Lewis said. "That’s not cool.”

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson said he and his teammates need to be smarter when it comes to confrontations on the field.

“It’s disappointing," Wilson said. "I think we have better judgment than that. It’s such a physical game. We are fighting for every inch, every opportunity. I know those guys are remorseful or whatever. They are fighting for the ball. Fighting for something. Just fighting for a way. I don’t believe there is a necessary excuse for it. I think we can be better as players and as men and everything else."

Despite the animosity on both sides, some Jaguars players were understanding of the Seahawks' frustrations.

“I get it," defensive tackle Malik Jackson said.

"No one likes to lose. At the end of the day, this is our profession and we have to start acting right and be professionals. That is twice now teams have done this to us and want to act out. We just are going to learn how to act."

The fan interaction with Jefferson is likely to be reviewed by league security.

The NFL is also likely to investigate the on-the-field scuffles to determine if added punishment is necessary for the several players involved.

Follow Mike Kaye on Twitter at @Mike_E_Kaye.

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