Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen has been fined $10,927 for taunting during his team’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals last Sunday, via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk.
Allen pointed at a Bengals player as he was punching in a rushing touchdown to tie the score in the first quarter. He was hit with a 15-yard penalty for the incident. The signal-caller went 26-for-38 with 258 yards, a touchdown and an interception through the air while carrying the ball eight times for 44 yards.
Cincinnati ultimately won the game by a score of 24-18.
Allen’s fine is peculiar, considering other players received lesser penalties for unnecessary roughness fouls. The fact that he was fined more for pointing at someone than other players were for plays that could have caused injury is certainly strange, to say the least.
Then again, the NFL has been widely criticized for quite some time now for the way it hands out penalties and fines, so the weird variance shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.
Allen has thrown for 2,433 yards, 18 touchdowns and nine interceptions (which is tied for the league lead) while completing 71.3 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 99.6 this season. In addition, he has rushed for 233 yards and six scores while averaging 5.3 yards per carry.
The 27-year-old has certainly posted MVP-caliber numbers over the first half of the year, but the Bills’ lack of team success could absolutely hinder his chances of winning the award.
Buffalo is just 5-4 on the season and has probably been the most frustrating team in the NFL in 2023. It has looked thoroughly dominant for stretches, like between Weeks 2 and 4 when it reeled off three straight wins and outscored its opponents 123-33. Then there have been moments when the Bills have looked extremely vulnerable, like in their ugly losses to the New York Jets and New England Patriots or when they barely beat the depleted New York Giants several weeks ago.
Buffalo has made four straight playoff appearances, a streak that definitely seems to be in jeopardy this season.
Josh Allen and Co. will aim to get on track when they take on the Denver Broncos on Monday night.
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