NFL Notes: Jets’ Holmes benched

First came a squabble in the huddle. Then, Santonio Holmes found himself on the bench.

The New York Jets’ receiver and captain was yanked as his team tried to rally in the fourth quarter Sunday and avoid elimination from the playoff race. To compound the soap opera, coach Rex Ryan said he thought Holmes took himself out of the game.

“I looked out there and was wondering why he wasn’t out there,” Ryan said. “So, I did not bench Santonio.”

The Jets lost 19-17 to the host Miami Dolphins. Following a spat with teammates, Holmes was replaced by Patrick Turner.

“It was a coach’s call,” Holmes said. “Patrick came in and tapped me on the shoulder and told me to come out.”

The decision may have come from an assistant coach aware that Holmes had argued with teammates. Running back LaDainian Tomlinson said they were unhappy about Holmes’ effort, demeanor and body language.

“It’s tough for guys to follow a captain that kind of behaves in that manner,” Tomlinson said. “You’ve got to lead by example, and you’ve got to play your tail off until the last play.”

Holmes was held without a catch for the first time in his 88-game career.

Allen comes up short

Jared Allen gave the Minnesota Vikings a show in an otherwise-meaningless game at the end of a forgettable season.

After 31/2 of the Vikings’ seven sacks of Bears quarterback Josh McCown, Allen finished one half sack short of the all-time NFL single-season sack record of 221/2 set by Michael Strahan of the New York Giants in 2001.

Allen tied Mark Gastineau of the New York Jets in 1984 for the second-highest total in history and bested Chris Doleman’s franchise record of 21 in 1989.

Raiders break record

The Oakland Raiders have broken the NFL records for most penalties and yards penalized in a season, finishing with 162 infractions for 1,359 yards.

A holding penalty on Rock Cartwright during the return of the second-half kickoff against San Diego eclipsed the marks set by the 1998 Kansas City Chiefs, who had 158 penalties for 1,304 yards.

Gonzalez inks extension

Record-setting tight end Tony Gonzalez has signed a one-year contract extension with the Atlanta Falcons, ending speculation he would retire after the season.

The extension was announced before Sunday’s 45-24 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The 35-year-old Gonzalez has enjoyed a strong season, starting every game. He finished with 80 receptions for 875 yards.