Roquan Smith was not flagged for either play on the Bills’ opening drive, but the league office saw both. The NFL fined the Ravens linebacker $17,911 twice, $35,822 in all, in its Week 8 discipline list released Saturday at 4 p.m. ET. The list also included three hits that sent opponents into the concussion protocol, and one notable name was missing: Steelers guard Mason McCormick was not fined for slamming Browns edge rusher Jared Verse on an extra point.
The league handed out 31 fines for Week 8, the second most of any week this season behind 38 in Week 2. Tom Pelissero was first with most of the big ones.
Two fines, no flags for Roquan Smith
Both of Smith’s fines came on Buffalo’s first possession of a 36-10 win over Baltimore. Forty-seven seconds into the game, as Josh Allen hit Dalton Kincaid for 7 yards, Smith drew a $17,911 fine for a hit on a defenseless player: receiver D.J. Moore, who was running a route across the middle. Nine plays later, Allen finished the 60-yard drive with a 1-yard quarterback sneak, and Smith grabbed his facemask and twisted him to the ground. That earned another $17,911. No penalty was called on either play.
The NFL fined Ravens LB Roquan Smith $17,911 for a facemask — twisting Josh Allen’s head on this TD last week — and another $17,911 for a hit on a defenseless player on a different play.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 7, 2026
The hit on Moore matters beyond the money. Under the system the NFL and the NFL Players Association adopted this season, five health and safety categories are tracked: hip-drop tackles, horse-collar tackles, launching, hits on defenseless players and blindside blocks. A player cited three times in those categories in one season gets a one-game suspension, while a player with just one violation gets half of that fine back at the end of the year. Smith now has one.
Three hits, three players in the protocol
Three Week 8 fines came on hits that left an opponent in the concussion protocol. Steelers safety Jaquan Brisker was fined $17,911 for his hit on Deshaun Watson less than a minute and a half into Pittsburgh’s win over Cleveland. Brisker was flagged for roughing the passer and said after the game that he disagreed with the call and expected a fine. Watson entered the protocol a day later and has since cleared it, but Shedeur Sanders is expected to start Sunday in New Orleans.
The NFL fined Steelers safety Jaquan Brisker $17,911 for this hit on Deshaun Watson last week.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 7, 2026
Watson entered the concussion protocol a day later and has since cleared. Shedeur Sanders is expected to start Sunday vs. New Orleans.
Raiders defensive back Jeremy Chinn was also fined $17,911 for a hit on a defenseless player. Their helmets collided as he hit Jets receiver Garrett Wilson along the sideline, one play before Chinn sealed the win with an interception in the end zone. Chinn was penalized on the play. Wilson stayed in for the final snap, reported symptoms the next day and has been ruled out for Sunday against the Chiefs.
Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown was fined $9,528 for use of the helmet on a hit that knocked the ball loose from Cardinals running back Bam Knight. Dallas recovered the fumble, and no flag was thrown. Knight did not practice this week and will miss Arizona’s game against Seattle.
The NFL fined Cowboys LB DeMarvion Overshown $9,528 for use of the helmet on this hit that knocked out Cardinals RB Bam Knight last week.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 7, 2026
More unflagged helmet fines
Overshown and Smith were not the only players fined for plays officials missed. Patriots linebacker Robert Spillane was fined $23,882 for use of the helmet with 54 seconds left in the third quarter of New England’s win over Miami. He was not penalized, Mike Reiss reported, while teammate Christian Elliss was not fined for the penalty he did draw. Last week, the league fined eight players for use of the helmet in Week 7, and only one of those plays was flagged.
Taunting, the quarterback and the slam that cost nothing
Washington paid for its loss to Philadelphia. Defensive end Charles Omenihu was fined $14,926 for unsportsmanlike conduct, and outside linebackers Odafe Oweh and K’Lavon Chaisson were fined $17,911 apiece for hits on the quarterback, Nicki Jhabvala reported. Detroit receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams were fined $11,941 each after drawing taunting flags on back-to-back first-quarter drives against Minnesota. Broncos defensive lineman Eyioma Uwazurike was fined $6,361 for a facemask against Kansas City.
McCormick was not fined at all. The Steelers guard drew a 15-yard penalty for dumping Verse on an extra-point try, and Verse was unhappy about it after the game, but the league did not add a fine. Steelers fans online were quick to point out that taunting cost St. Brown and Williams almost $12,000 each, while the slam cost McCormick nothing.
All fine money goes to the Professional Athletes Foundation and the NFL Foundation. Players can appeal, and Brisker has already said he disagrees with his. The Week 9 list, which will include Thursday night’s Jaguars-Ravens game and the Madrid game, is due next Saturday. For the previous week’s discipline, see the Week 7 fines.
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