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Howie Long's sons feud on the field during Rams-Bears game

In just two quarters, the Long Bowl became infinitely more interesting than the Manning Bowl.

Facing off against each other for the first time in their lives, the sons of Howie Long, Chris and Kyle Long, were involved in a minor scuffle on Sunday after Chris, the Rams defender, ran off the sideline to shove his brother, a Bears offensive lineman, out of the way during a fracas.

A Bears pass fell incomplete in the second quarter of Sunday’s game and some extracurriculars broke out between members of each team. Kyle was involved in a skirmish with a Rams player who was on the turf. He could be seen shoving and attempting to kick his opponent as referee Jerome Boger came over to break up the fight. Chris, who was standing on the sideline arguing about a missed penalty flag on the play, saw the incident and sprinted onto the field. He made a beeline for Kyle and pushed him out of the way while other players tried to intervene.

It appeared to be a case of a big brother helping out his little brother. Kyle was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct for his kick, but Chris’s intervention may have prevented a more serious incident. Yes, perhaps Chris pushing Kyle prevented his brother from doing something that would have gotten him kicked out of the game (something that would theoretically help Chris’s Rams) but he also stepped in to protect a teammate. No one can, or should, blame Chris for his decision. (Unlike in the NBA, there is no automatic ejection for a player leaving the sideline to engage in a fracas.)

Sunday’s game was the first time Chris, 28, and Kyle, 24, were ever on the same field as either teammates or opponents. Their dad, Hall of Famer Howie Long, had an off day from his Fox studio duties to watch his sons play.

“What’s great is that our entire family will be there—the first time all five us [dad, mom, Kyle, Chris and younger brother Howie Jr.] have been together at an NFL game,” Chris Long told Peter King this week.

Though it would have been nice to see Howie’s reaction to the on-field skirmish, Fox cameras didn’t cut to him.

See other photos from around the league in Week 12

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(GIF via @SBNation)

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