Wembley, London(CNN) There was defiance again, but this time it wasn't as raw.
Once more, all eyes were on the sidelines for the second Sunday in the NFL following US President Donald Trump's remarks about players protesting during the US National Anthem.
In the latest round of matches 52 players chose to sit or kneel during the Anthem -- 30 of them from the San Francisco 49ers -- compared to the 180 who took the knee last week.
At London's Wembley Stadium, three Miami Dolphins players -- Kenny Stills, Julius Thomas and Michael Thomas -- knelt, while the New Orleans Saints' squad knelt and locked arms during the coin toss before standing for the anthem.
On the eve of the 14 Sunday matches, President Trump had urged all NFL players to stand for the National Anthem.
"Very important that NFL players STAND tomorrow, and always, for the playing of our National Anthem," Trump posted. "Respect our Flag and our Country!"
'Everybody vs. Trump'
However, the show of defiance continued -- in London and on football fields in the US.
Buffalo Bills players kneel during the National Anthem before their match against Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars knelt before "The Star-Spangled Banner" was played -- sections of fans booed both teams -- while two members of the Detroit Lions and six members of the Buffalo Bills knelt during the anthem.
Oakland Raiders' Marshawn Lynch wore a t-shirt with "Everybody vs. Trump" printed on the front as he entered the Sports Authority Field and, as he did last week, sat during the anthem while his teammates, who mostly knelt or sat last week, stood.
Ravens' opponents, the Denver Broncos, all stood but Brandon Marshall, who joined Colin Kaepernick in kneeling last season, raised a fist, as did Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod of the Philadelphia Eagles, reminiscent to John Carlos and Tommie Smith's Black Power salute at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.
Steve Longa of the Detroit Lions takes a knee with teammate Jalen Reeves-Maybin during the national anthem before the game against the Minnesota Vikings.
READ: NFL star defends right to protest
READ: Americans split on anthem protests
'Kaepernick's reason has got lost'
Lynch's t-shirt highlighted the divisive nature of Trump's comments.
His speech in Alabama, on September 27, which called on NFL owners to fire players for taking a knee during the anthem, sparked an unprecedented wave of protest in the country's most popular sports league as more than 200 NFL players knelt, sat or prayed during the anthem last Sunday.
According to a CNN poll conducted by SSRS last week, the majority of Americans agreed that Trump did the wrong thing by criticizing players, but people were sharply divided over whether NFL stars were doing the right thing.
Feelings were certainly mixed as fans made their way to Wembley for a match which ended in a dominant 20-0 win for the Saints over the Dolphins.
Lee Collins, from Georgia, said the meaning of the protests -- which began last year when then-San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick refused to stand for "The Star-Spangled Banner" in protest of racial and social injustice -- had been lost.
"I think the initial reason for kneeling, I understand that," the 35-year-old Collins told CNN Sport.
"But the NFL as a whole, someone's ego got hurt and Kaepernick's reason has got lost. I believe in why Kaepernick is doing it but not why the NFL is doing it."
READ: 'I think they're afraid of their players'
Miami Dolphins players kneel down during the national anthem before the NFL game against New Orleans Saints.
'It's about the injustices happening to my people'
After the match, Saints running back Adrian Peterson said those who did not understand the reasons for taking the knee were "part of the problem."
"If fans can listen to the words that are coming out of my mouth, to understand that it's not about disrespecting our military, it's about the injustice that's happening to my people," he told CNN.
Peterson defended the right the take a knee
"People are being killed by officers and nobody is paying the cost for those actions. No one. If we stand for something then we need to stand for liberty and justice for all and that's not happening right now in the US.
"So if people can get past the disrespect they feel is going towards the military and really see and feel and talk about the main issue, then I feel like some type of change can come but until then I feel like it's undermining the true cause.
"We all have family members who have served in the military, they would have taken the knee if they had seen where our country was -- liberty and justice for all, that's what they fought for, and liberty and justice for all is not being applied in the US, that's what people need to be upset about, they need to see that justice is not being applied to people of color and if you can't see that, you are part of the problem."
American football's big earners
Though Aaron Rodgers (left) and Tom Brady are arguably the two best quarterbacks in the NFL, both are outside the elite level of earners this season. Here are the top 20 highest-paid NFL players for 2017, based on average yearly salaries in their contracts. (Source: NFL.com)
After six mostly disappointing seasons in St Louis and Philadelphia, the first overall pick of the 2010 draft has finally found a home. Although Minnesota did not qualify for the playoffs with an 8-8 record, Sam Bradford was mostly error-free, throwing 20 touchdowns and just five interceptions on his way to an excellent 99 passer rating in 2016.
Brock Osweiler has endured a bumpy road on his way back to Denver. Peyton Manning's former understudy experienced a difficult 2016 spell at Texas (15 TDs, 16 INTs) before being traded to Cleveland and subsequently released. The former Arizona State standout was 5-2 as a starter in Denver filling in for Manning, and Broncos fans hope he can restore some of that magic this season.
Ndamukong Suh was signed by the Miami Dolphins for a six-year, $114 million contract in March 2015, making him the highest paid defensive player in history at the time -- hefty numbers for a 30-year-old lineman who has yet to match the 10 sacks achieved during his rookie season with the Detroit Lions.
The MVP of Super Bowl 50 for the Denver Broncos single-handedly badgered Panthers quarterback Cam Newton into submission, with 6 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and 2 quarterback hurries in the title game. Von Miller promptly signed a $114.5 million deal ($70 million guaranteed) with the Broncos, making him the richest defensive player in NFL history.
Though Ryan Tannehill (#17) has shown promise in his five seasons in the league, he suffered a season-ending knee injury in the pre-season. A former part-time receiver in college at Texas A&M, Tannehill has been one of the speediest quarterbacks in the league -- a quality which will be tested after knee surgery. In a 44-26 win against Houston in 2015, Tannehill became the 64th quarterback in NFL history to record a perfect passer rating, throwing four TDs, with 18 completions in 19 attempts.
With five Super Bowl rings, 12 Pro Bowls, four Super Bowl MVP award and two NFL MVP awards, tom Brady is the one player in the list who can claim to be underpaid. At 40, he's on the back end of a two-year, $41 million contract, but has left money on the table in previous negotiations to sign better players around him -- a plan that has yielded a record seven Super Bowl appearances and counting.
"Matty Ice" will attempt to re-earn his nickname, after suffering perhaps the most remarkable blown lead in sporting history at
Super Bowl 51. Up 28-9 going into the fourth quarter, the Falcons handed 25 straight points to New England, with Matt Ryan giving up a crucial fumble and sack in the process. The former Boston College standout and four-time Pro Bowler was inserted as the Atlanta Falcons' starter since being drafted third overall in 2008.
Cam Newton is arguably the most complete player on this list. At 6 foot 6 inches and 260 pounds, he has the size, speed and athleticism -- along with stellar QB instincts -- to take the Carolina Panthers into the playoffs every year. But after a disastrous 2016 season, in which the Panthers went 6-10, "Killer Cam" will again trying to erase his unfortunate Super Bowl 50 performance (0 touchdowns, one interception, sacked six times, two fumble losses).
In his 13-year pro career, Philip Rivers has yet to appear in a Super Bowl, although he has taken the San Diego Chargers into the playoffs five times. The father of eight children has broken most of the major franchise records, surpassing Dan Fouts as the Chargers' all-time touchdown leader, wins leader and consecutive starts leader (185 and counting). In 2014, Rivers broke an NFL record by achieving five consecutive games with a passer rating of above 120.
The two-time Super Bowl MVP led the Giants back into the playoffs last season, only to lose at Green Bay. At times Eli Manning has befuddled New Yorkers with error-prone performances, but his legacy is cemented in New York sporting lore. His active 211-game playing streak is third all-time for QBs.
Though "Big Ben" (#7) has flirted with the idea of retirement, the two-time Super Bowl champion shows no sign of slowing down. Shaking off some niggling injuries, Ben Roethlisberger had an excellent 2016 campaign, earning his fifth Pro Bowl selection before taking his Steelers to the AFC Conference Finals.
It's ironic that Russell Wilson threw the most famous interception in NFL history -- the last-minute gaff which cost the Seattle Seahawks the 2015 Super Bowl -- because the 28-year-old three-time Pro Bowler plays virtually error-free. Though standing at just 5 foot 11 inches, Wilson was the top-rated NFL quarterback in 2015, and is second all-time, trailing only Aaron Rodgers.
That Aaron Rodgers holds the top career passer rating record while playing in frozen Lambeau Field is a testament to his talent. Rodgers led the Green Bay Packers to a 2011 championship, and is riding an eight-year playoff streak into 2017. But despite posting stellar regular-season numbers in the six seasons since the Super Bowl (a mind-boggling 219 TDs and just 41 INTs) the Packers have come up short in the playoffs.
When the Baltimore Ravens offered a three-year, $66.4 million ($44 million guaranteed) deal to Joe Flacco in 2016, it seemed like an aberration. In his 10 seasons, the 32-year-old has yet to make a Pro Bowl. But traditionally the Ravens have thrived on defense, and until Flacco came along in 2008, the team won in spite of its sputtering quarterbacks. The 2013 Super Bowl MVP brings a calm presence to a team which suffered a leadership vacuum after the retirements of Ed Reed and Ray Lewis.
"You like that?" Kirk Cousins, who led Washington to the playoffs in 2015 behind that rallying cry, signed his second consecutive one-year deal in the off-season. Unable to come to a long-term deal with the Redskins, the 29-year-old settled for one year and nearly $24 million.
It's hard to overestimate Drew Brees' value to the city of New Orleans. When the former Charger joined the Saints in 2006, the year after Hurricane Katrina, the team was 3-13. Four years later, New Orleans won its first and only Super Bowl. The 10-time Pro Bowler holds team passing records in every major category. He has also been a face of the community, raising funds for cancer research and other charitable causes.
Carson Palmer, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, is entering his 14th NFL season. The 37-year-old signed a one-year deal with Arizona in the off season.
Andrew Luck -- whose $140 million, six-year deal is still the highest contract total in history -- bounced back from an injury-riddled 2015 to post 31 TDs and just 13 interceptions last season. His off-season shoulder surgery, however, sidelines him for the start of the 2017 campaign.
The Oakland Raiders made Derek Carr their franchise QB this offseason with a five-year, $125 million deal -- briefly crowning the former Fresno State man as the highest paid player in the league. Carr has been a Pro-Bowler two of his first three seasons in Oakland.
Weeks before the start of the 2017 campaign, Detroit made Stafford the highest-paid player in NFL history with a five year, $135 million deal. Though he is yet to win a playoff game, Stafford is the Lions' all-time leader in passing yards and touchdowns. The nine-year veteran's 99-game starting streak is 11th best of all time.
Asked about his team's pre-game decision to kneel before the anthem and then stand, Saints head coach Sean Payton told reporters he was "proud of the leadership on the team."
He added: "We just felt like they were going to meet and spend some time on it and come up with a plan, and we were going to be really unified, and I thought it went real well."