The Washington Commanders’ frustrating 2025 season boiled over in a big way on Sunday, and unfortunately for them, it came at the expense of one of their best defensive players. During the second quarter of today’s game between the Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders, veteran defensive tackle Daron Payne was ejected after punching Amon-Ra St. Brown in the helmet, a moment that immediately went viral.
With Detroit already in full control of the game, tensions were running high, and Washington found themselves down 22-3. That frustration boiled over when Payne and St. Brown got tangled up inside the red zone. After the whistle, Payne threw a clear punch directly to St. Brown’s helmet, and the officials wasted no time tossing him from the game.
DaRon Payne punches Amon-Ra St. Brown
What happened on the play?
According to the broadcast, Payne was called for unnecessary roughness after the punch was shown on replay. The video angle clearly caught him throwing the blow, and the NFL rulebook leaves zero wiggle room for that kind of behavior. Punching another player, especially after the whistle, is an automatic ejection.
You can see Payne and St. Brown on the right side of the clip. Payne winds up and delivers a haymaker, instantly drawing a flag and immediate ejection.
The play stunned Detroit’s sideline, and even St. Brown looked surprised by how quickly Payne snapped.
How pissed off and stupid does somebody have to be to punch a dude wearing a football helmet?
(H/T @AryePulliNFL)
pic.twitter.com/miFdGimWHy
— Armando Salguero (@ArmandoSalguero) November 9, 2025
A massive mistake for Washington
Payne is one of Washington’s most important defenders, and losing him early only made things worse on a day where the Commanders were already getting dominated on both sides of the ball. Down three scores at the time of the incident, Washington simply couldn’t afford the mistake, and now they were forced to try and mount a comeback without their Pro Bowl-level interior defender.
It’s been a rough stretch for Washington this season, but throwing punches is never the answer. Payne will likely hear from the league office again this week, as fines or possible supplemental discipline could follow.
Still, the immediate impact was clear: the Commanders’ day went from bad to worse, and Detroit took full advantage.