The Buffalo Bills were undefeated going into theirWeek 5 game last Sunday against the New England Patriots, but they ended up falling 23-20 to Drake Maye and company.
It was something of a shocker, but the Bills were in good company, because the other undefeated NFL team going into Week 5, the Philadelphia Eagles, also lost their matchup.
During that game, Patriots defensive tackle Cory Durden committed a roughing-the-passer penalty on Bills quarterback Josh Allen. The refs flagged Durden in the fourth quarter for hitting the signal-caller on the helmet after he had already gotten rid of the ball. Then, on the next play, Patriots defensive tackle Joshua Farmer was flagged for unnecessary roughness for a late hit on Bills running back James Cook.
Those back-to-back penalties set the Patriots back 30 yards and helped Allen get in position to throw a touchdown pass to Keon Coleman. Now, both Durden and Farmer are getting punished by the NFL for their actions taken on the field.
Every week during the regular season, the NFL penalizes players for actions taking during the previous week’s games. The NFL states on its website that these actions are “to protect players from unnecessary risk and preserve competitive balance and game integrity, the NFL and NFL Players Association have agreed on a set of game-related rules violations that may result in accountability measures.”
In the NFL’s report for Week 5, Durden was slapped with a $5,722 fine for a hit on a quarterback (blow to the head/neck) and Farmer was also fined $5,591 for unnecessary roughness (late hit).
Funds raised from these fines will go to a good cause. According to the NFL, those fines will go to the Professional Athletes Foundation to “support legends in need and the NFL Foundation to further support the health, safety and wellness of athletes across all levels, including youth football and the communities that support the game.” So, while it’s nice to know the fines will go to charity, these players would likely rather just avoid getting fined at all.
“If the discipline is upheld, the league withholds the amount of the fine from the player’s next check,” the NFL says on its official website. “If the player’s fine is rescinded, he will receive notification of the decision, and no money will be taken from his check.”
Next up, the Bills play with Falcons on Monday, and the Patriots go up against the Saints on Sunday.
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