The Washington Commanders were bound to crack at some point — it may have happened for one of them in the first half of a Week 10 game against the Detroit Lions.
That was when Commanders defensive tackle and Pro Bowler Daron Payne shocked viewers by punching NFL All-Pro Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown in the face/neck area after St. Brown scored a touchdown to put his team up 14-3 with 1:54 left in the first quarter.
Payne was immediately ejected from the game and will face a hefty fine when the NFL’s GameDay Accountability team takes a look at the incident this week.
“Yeahhhh you can’t do that,” Commanders reporter Chad Ryan wrote on X. “That was stupid, especially from a veteran. The frustration of these players is boiling over.”
The Commanders entered the season as Super Bowl contenders but were losers of 4 consecutive games and had a 3-5 record headed into their home game against the Lions in Week 10.
Calls For Payne To Be Suspended After Punch
While St. Brown may have said something to Payne when he was walking by him, it was still shocking to see the 6-foot-3, 320-pound defensive tackle punch the 5-foot-11, 200-pound wide receiver.
“As a leader of Washington’s defense, Daron Payne should know better than to throw a punch on the field,” former Commanders quarterback Robert Griffin III wrote on his official X account. “He should be suspended. There is no place for this in sports.”
“Daron Payne (dumbass) has been ejected,” Barstool Sports wrote on its official X account.
Fellow defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw was also flagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty immediately after Payne’s ejection for making contact with a referee.
“Daron Payne punched Amon-Ra St. Brown and Javon Kinlaw hit an official,” The Athletic’s Nicki Jhabvala wrote on her official X account. “The defense is imploding.”
The Commanders made the unusual decision to pay big money to a pair of interior defensive linemen who aren’t regarded as playing on an elite level. Payne signed a 4-year, $90 million contract extension in 2023 and Kinlaw signed a 3-year, $45 million free agent contract in March.
“Daron Payne was ejected for throwing a right hook at Amon-Ra St.Brown, and Kinlaw pushed the official after the 2-pt conversion and is honestly lucky he wasn’t ejected too,” Commanders reporter Josh Taylor wrote on his official X account. “Absolutely embarrassing by this defense.”
Things Might Get Worse Before They Get Better
With the Commanders’ season spiraling out of control just one year after they made it to the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 1991, things don’t seem like they’re going to get better anytime soon.
Washington’s 2 best players from last season, quarterback Jayden Daniels (dislocated elbow) and wide receiver Terry McLaurin (quad), have both missed huge chunks of the season with injuries and it’s not clear when either will return.
The rest of the Commanders’ regular season schedule is pretty unforgiving as well.
They travel to Madrid, Spain, to face the resurgent Miami Dolphins in Week 11 before a bye win Week 12. They come home to face the Denver Broncos — arguably the NFL’s hottest team — in Week 13.
The last month of Washington’s regular season closes with 2 games against the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in the last 3 weeks.
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