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Before the Philadelphia Eagles played the Los Angeles Rams in Week 3, star running back Saquon Barkley had to pay up.
The NFL fined Barkley, the 2024 Offensive Player of the Year, $46,371 for lowering his helmet into a Kansas City Chiefs player during the Eagles’ Week 2 road win.
The play came on a long run, when Barkley lowered the crown of his helmet and led with it into defensive back Chamarri Conner. The league almost always deems that unnecessary roughness, and as it tries to eliminate helmet-first contact, a fine usually follows.
No flag was thrown on the play, but after review, the league announced the fine before the Week 3 kickoff.
The dollar amount stems from Barkley committing a similar violation last season. Under NFL rules, $46,371 is the penalty for a second offense.
Barkley was not the only star fined in this Super Bowl LIX rematch. Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce was docked $14,491 for making an obscene gesture after a big catch.
Kelce hauled in a 23-yard reception while stiff-arming Eagles cornerback Cooper DeJean. To celebrate, he grabbed his crotch — a “huevos” homage to the movie “Major League.” The league didn’t care about the pop culture reference and issued a fine.
Like Barkley, Kelce wasn’t flagged during the game.
Officiating controversies were a theme that day, especially on Philadelphia’s short-yardage plays.
The most notable came on the team’s signature tush push play in the fourth quarter. Replays appeared to show multiple Eagles linemen moving before the snap, indicating a false start. No flag was thrown, and the play set up the game-winning touchdown.
The NFL later admitted officials missed the call, saying a flag should have been thrown. As a result, Week 3 is expected to feature tighter officiating on the tush push during FOX’s “America’s Game of the Week” between the Eagles and Rams.
Barkley will try to torch the Rams’ defense again after his inaugural Eagles campaign in 2024, when he ran for 255 yards on 26 carries with two touchdowns. He also caught four passes from Jalen Hurts that day for 47 yards.
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