Clay Matthews Late Hit On Colin Kaepernick

A late hit on quarterback Colin Kaepernick led to a scuffle between the Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers early in the marquee game between the two top teams. The 49ers had a third-down play deep in Green Bay territory in the second quarter, and Kaepernick scrambled to his left in an effort to reach the first down. While he went out of bounds short of the marker, Clay Matthews didn't let up on the play. After Kaepernick had stepped out of bounds, the Packers linebacker brought him down to the ground hard. Matthews dove and wrapped Kaepernick after he stepped out of bounds, slamming him to the ground. San Francisco offensive lineman Joe Staley rushed over to retaliate, causing a scuffle out of bounds. The officials called a personal foul on Matthews and penalized Staley for unsportsmanlike conduct, resulting in offsetting penalties and no play. Days before their Week 1 meeting, Matthews spoke to local media about hitting the quarterback who is running the read option.After the disregard for the rules and the obvious cheap shot that the Packers delivered to Kaepernick, you can expect to see Clay Matthews getting a letter in the mail with a hefty fine from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. At the time of this post, the 49ers were hanging on to a one touchdown lead, 14-7, with a few seconds to go in the first half.