One of the stars of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense in recent weeks was slapped with a hefty fine for his actions in the team’s Week 7 loss to the Lions on Monday Night Football. Bucs RB Rachaad White was slapped with a hefty $46,371 fine for an unnecessary roughness penalty against the Lions. At the 11:51 mark in the first quarter, White lowered his helmet as he initiated contact on a run, drawing the unnecessary roughness fine.
It was by far the biggest fine of the week by dollar amount, almost exactly double what Cowboys S Donovan Wilson incurred for a similar unnecessary roughness use of the helmet infraction. White responded to the fine’s announcement on his Instagram story on Saturday, screenshotting a Buccaneers fan page post that shared the news and adding a single tear crying emoji to express his sadness. It’s a big chunk of change even for an NFL player, totaling almost a quarter of one of White’s game checks. White ties Seahawks DT Leonard Williams in Week 5 and Eagles RB Saquon Barkley in Week 2 for the largest fines of the season so far, all for use of the helmet infractions.
On the season, White has 252 rushing yards and four touchdowns, to go with 19 receptions for 91 yards. Over the last three weeks, with starting RB Bucky Irving out, White has seen a significant increase in usage. Irving will be out for a fourth straight game this week against the Saints.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are Looking Over Their Shoulder in the NFC South
Gregory Shamus/GettyDETROIT, MICHIGAN – OCTOBER 20: Rachaad White #1 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is tackled by Erick Hallett #36 of the Detroit Lions in the fourth quarter at Ford Field on October 20, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
As crazy as it would have sounded a few weeks into the season, the Panthers are creeping up on the Bucs in the division. At 1-6, the Saints aren’t much of a threat, and the Falcons have alternated dominating performances with total duds, leaving them at 3-3, but still within striking distance if Tampa Bay slips up.
But the Panthers at 4-3 are just a game behind the Buccaneers and they’ve been closing fast, riding a three-game win streak into Week 8. The Panthers have a tough upcoming schedule, starting this week against the Bills, but they may be a tougher out than originally thought.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers Have One Last Tough Stretch Upcoming
The Buccaneers just got done with a brutal four-game stretch — they played the Eagles, Seahawks, 49ers, and Lions, going 2-2 in that stretch to stay in the mix atop the NFC. With the Bucs dropping the tough road game in Detroit, Tampa Bay is now 5-2 on the season, tied with the Lions, Rams, Seahawks, 49ers, and Eagles for second in the NFC behind the Packers.
Tampa Bay gets a brief reprieve this week against the Saints, but they follow that up with games against the Patriots, Bills, and Rams. Those teams are a combined 14-6, with just two losses apiece. It’s the last tough stretch of the Bucs’ season, and if they can hold serve against some of the NFL’s elite once more, they’ll have positioned themselves nicely down the stretch.
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