One Las Vegas Raiders player will be a little light in the wallet during this bye week. The Silver and Black defense had a challenging Week 7 in the 31-0 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, and a fine adds more insult to injury for one defender.
On October 25, the NFL announced the Week 7 Gameday Accountability fines for player violations. The fine structure, agreed upon by both the NFL and NFLPA, is shared with all players ahead of the season.
Players who are fined can file an appeal. These appeals are evaluated by a panel of officers, which includes former NFL players Derrick Brooks, Ramon Foster, and Jordy Nelson. The panel members are jointly appointed and compensated by the NFL and NFLPA.
The Raiders’ Isaiah Pola-Mao has been hit with a fine for unnecessary roughness after using his helmet during a first-quarter play at the 8:51 mark. As a result, the NFL is fining him $17,278, marking the second time this season that Pola-Mao has faced a league-issued fine.
In Week 3, Pola-Mao earned a $17,278 fine for the same incident as he used his helmet on a play. It will be interesting to see if the Raiders defender can avoid a third fine this season.
The Chiefs Also Had a Key Player Receive a Fine
Nonetheless, Pola-Mao wasn’t the only player fined in this game. Xavier Worthy of the Chiefs was hit with a fine after an unsportsmanlike conduct incident. The NFL said the penalty stemmed from a taunting episode that occurred with 10:10 left in the third quarter. Worthy was fined $11,593 for his actions.
While no player wants to lose money, Worthy can at least know that his side came away with the win, so it’s a tolerable fine. On the other hand, Pola-Mao and his teammates fell to 2-5 heading into their bye week, and rumors of potential departures ahead of the NFL trade deadline.
Raiders Will Need to Resolve Offensive Struggles In Their Bye
The Raiders are facing criticism for how they have performed on offense over the last few weeks. According to ESPN, Las Vegas ranks fourth from the bottom in the NFL for passing, averaging 182.7 yards through the air per game. Only the Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, and Tennessee Titans have struggled more in the passing department than the Raiders.
Las Vegas’ issues go beyond just moving the ball, Geno Smith has thrown 10 interceptions while managing only seven touchdown passes. Although the veteran quarterback has taken much of the heat, NBC NFL analyst Chris Simms is placing blame on offensive coordinator Chip Kelly.
“I think Chip Kelly is probably the first guy they’re looking at and go, ‘I don’t know if we should have done that,’” Simms said on the October 20 edition of “Pro Football Talk.“ “He looks like he’s in over his head as far as an offensive coordinator.
“His offense is too simple. It’s too easy to figure out. For a guy like [Steve Spagnuolo], he was like, ‘What is this? This is kindergarten stuff for me. I got it. ‘ And I think that’s where you have to give Geno the benefit of the doubt.”
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