Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen has drawn renewed scrutiny after two incidents in consecutive weeks: a taunting “violent” celebration after a rushing touchdown versus Kansas City, for which the NFLfined him $14,491, and a disputed reaction in the loss to Miami in Week 10.
In the Dolphins game, Allen tossed his head back onto the turf after minimal contact, a motion many fans call embellishment or “flopping.”
Many are arguing that the league should pursue stiffer penalties for these plays, saying that the theatrics are aimed at drawing 15‑yard roughing‑the‑passer calls.
Unfortunately, this pattern isn't new for Allen; social media has long accused him of embellishing contact to influence officials.
In the fourth quarter of Week 9 against the Chiefs, Allen slid to the turf and immediately snapped his head backward after a Kansas City defender lightly tapped his helmet.
Even Tony Romo, calling the game for CBS Sports, reacted in real time and labeled Allen's behavior “a little acting.”
After the game, Fox Sports’ Nick Wright called the play “egregious” and labeled Allen “the biggest flopper in the league for five years,” while also offering a new proposal for the league.
“Here’s a rule that I think could be implemented and have an instant effect. If you make that whiplash motion with your head, it automatically triggers that you have to be checked for a concussion,” Wright said on his podcast.
“If you’re going to try to take advantage of the fact that the NFL has put a real emphasis on protecting you and concussion protocols and try to get a cheap 15 yards, the tax on that is, ‘Alright, go in that blue tent, miss a few plays.’ That’s what it should be. You gotta own it.”
The NFL fined Allen for the Week 9 celebration as league policy explicitly covers violent or taunting celebrations, which made that fine straightforward, but the rulebook does not currently define or penalize flopping the way the NBA recently did.
That makes supplemental discipline for the Miami incident unlikely under present NFL rules and precedent.
However, if public pressure persists, the NFL could either broaden existing roughing definitions, adopt an embellishment rule, or use medical-protocol triggers as deterrents - any of which would change how quarterbacks, defenders, and officials operate going forward.
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