The Buffalo Bills will attempt to recover from a demoralizing defeat last week to the 3-7 Miami Dolphins, a game in which they were never competitive, failing to score at all through three quarters on their way to a 30-13 loss. The 6-3 Bills now prepare to host the NFC South-leading Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who also hold a 6-3 record, in what is certainly Buffalo’s most important game of the season so far. This matchup will be televised to most of the country by CBS Sports on Sunday at 1 p.m. Eastern time.
As if the final score were not humiliating enough, Bills three-time Pro Bowl quarterback Josh Allen, the reigning NFL MVP, suffered what officials during the game deemed an outburst of disrespect from a Dolphins defensive end during a five-yard sack late in the fourth quarter.
### Chubb Hit With Penalty After Allen Sack
Officials threw a flag for unsportsmanlike conduct on Miami two-time Pro Bowler, defensive end Bradley Chubb. Specifically, the 15-yard penalty on Chubb was called for taunting. The call was controversial because at no point did Chubb appear to say anything to Allen or gesture toward him.
Perhaps as a result of this, the NFL determined that Chubb’s conduct—while meriting the penalty that set the stage for Allen’s 26-yard touchdown pass to rookie tight end Jackson Hawes on the very next play—did not also deserve a financial punishment. This spared Chubb from what could have been an $11,593 fine, an amount determined by the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement.
The NFL’s decision to let Chubb keep his money does not necessarily mean league officials disagreed with the call made on the field. The NFL Operations Office reviews all plays, whether flagged or not, and independently decides which deserve disciplinary action in the form of fines.
### Officials Demand Players Respect Opponents
So, what was Chubb’s offense? Rather than rolling to the side and off of Allen after the sack, the seven-year veteran crawled forward, moving his body directly over Allen’s face.
“He crawled spread-eagle over Allen, dragging his crotch across Allen, including his face. If his crotch didn’t touch Allen, Chubb certainly gave Allen a good look at it,” wrote NFL rules expert Mark Schultz, explaining the penalty call for the site Football Zebras.
“Officials always tell players to ‘roll off’ other players and then ‘use the ground’ to get back on their feet. This didn’t happen,” Schultz continued, adding that the NFL requires players to refrain from “acts that disrespect an opponent.” In this case, officials deemed Chubb’s actions disrespectful, and the flag flew.
### Chubb Avoids 6th Fine of Career
The NFL has not always been as merciful with Chubb. The former North Carolina State Wolfpack All-American has been fined five times in his career, with total fines amounting to $72,015.
Allen and Chubb have long been linked in another way as well. In the 2018 NFL Draft, the Denver Broncos selected Chubb with the No. 5 overall pick. Just two picks later, the Bills drafted Allen out of Wyoming, where in 2016 he threw the most touchdown passes in the Mountain West Conference with 28, but also the most interceptions with 15.
### Bills’ Division Title Streak at Risk
The Broncos’ then-general manager and Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway later said that drafting Chubb over Allen was “probably my biggest mistake of my GM days, was not taking Josh.”
The No. 1 overall pick in 2018 went to the Cleveland Browns, who took Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield—now the quarterback for Tampa Bay. Mayfield and the Buccaneers will be trying to put a damper on Buffalo’s hopes of winning the AFC East this season.
https://heavy.com/sports/nfl/buffalo-bills/bradley-chubb-josh-allen-taunting-punishment/
