The Kansas City Chiefs have already won their Week 6 matchup, but on October 14, cornerback L’Jarius Sneed was fined by the NFL for a moment from Week 5.
The NFL announces their financial penalizations on the Saturday after each game week, and NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero reported that Sneed was fined $13,659 “for unsportsmanlike conduct” against the Minnesota Vikings.
Pelissero went on to explain that the Chiefs cornerback was penalized for “removing his helmet to argue a flag against him late in last week’s win over the Vikings.” Despite the flag getting picked up by the officials in Minnesota — and no flag being thrown for Sneed removing his helmet in the first place — the league office has decided to take action after the fact.
Minnesota Writer Argues Vikings Were ‘Wronged’ After NFL Fines L’Jarius Sneed
A lot of times, fans and analysts see the NFL’s decision to fine players as an admission of wrongdoing — let’s say a penalty flag was not thrown in real-time like in the case of Sneed. FanNation Vikings writer Chris Schad made that case on October 15.
“The incident occurred as the Vikings were driving for a potential game-tying score,” Schad reminded. “A penalty flag was thrown after an incompletion on fourth down from Kirk Cousins to Jordan Addison and Sneed, who was in coverage at the time, took his helmet off to argue the call.”
“Sneed appeared to be told by the officials to put his helmet on but was not flagged for the infraction and the initial pass interference flag was picked up, giving the Chiefs a turnover on downs,” he continued. “Had the pass interference call stood, the Vikings would’ve had the ball first-and-goal from the 1-yard line. Had Sneed’s helmet infraction been flagged, the Chiefs still would’ve had the ball but starting from deeper in their own territory.”
Either decision would have obviously been helpful toward Minnesota’s chances in Week 5, but the referees decided to go with door number three — no flags.
Schad concluded that “instead, the league docked $13,649 from Sneed’s paycheck instead of enforcing the rule during the games.” His headline also voiced that the fine “proves [the] Vikings were wronged.”
Chiefs Sitting Pretty as Week 6 of the NFL’s Sunday Slate Kicks Off Around the League
The Chiefs are now the first AFC team to five wins after defeating the Denver Broncos on Thursday night. It’s been a tremendous turnaround after the Week 1 loss to the Detroit Lions, as head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes II have got their team back on track with the help of Chris Jones and Travis Kelce among others.
Only the Miami Dolphins could tie Kansas City’s win number in Week 6 on the AFC side. They are favored at home against the 0-5 Carolina Panthers on October 15.
Of course, things are a little different in the NFC. The top-heavier of the two NFL conferences currently flaunts two undefeated teams in the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles. The aforementioned Lions are also 4-1, while the Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are sitting at 3-1.
Either way, the Chiefs are in great shape as Sunday football kicks off around the league in Week 6. They hold the No. 1 seed in the AFC conference at the moment, which would mean yet another AFC championship game at Arrowhead Stadium if KC were to make it that far during the 2023-24 postseason.
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NFL Hits Chiefs CB L’Jarius Sneed With 5-Figure Fine: Report