The Houston Texans got the big win over the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 9, but they could also see the NFL double back with punishments, including for Henry To’oTo’o.
To’oTo’o committed one of several finable offenses.
During the second quarter, on a first-and-10 play from the Texans 38-yard line, Chargers running back Kimani Vidal took a handoff that lost 3 yards. To’oTo’o and Will Anderson Jr. combined to make the stop.
However, officials flagged To’oTo’o for a face mask, which gifted the Chargers 15 yards and a fresh set of downs.
Per the NFL, fines for face mask penalties can incur fines up to $11,941 for first offenses.
A second offense could lead to a fine as high as $17,911. Whether or not the NFL decides to levy a fine against To’oTo’o is not certain. The NFL acts at its own discretion, frequently fining players amounts that vary from what they have listed.
The league also frequently opts against pursuing further discipline for players over infractions called in games and fines them for ones that went overlooked in real time.
This would be the first fine of the season for To’oTo’o.
Texans’ Henry To’oTo’o, Jalen Pitre Facing Discipline From NFL
To’oTo’o was the only Texans player to get flagged for a fineable offense, which is good news for head coach DeMeco Ryan. However, another Texan faces discipline from the league over an in-game infraction.
Texans nickelback Jalen Pitre, making his return from a multi-game absence due to a shoulder injury, could also receive an unfortunate notice.
Pitre’s incident occurred during the second quarter.
On a third-and-8 play from the Texans 8-yard line, Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert found wide receiver Tre’ Harris on a pass that lost 7 yards thanks to a hit from Pitre. Officials did not flag Pitre for anything.
However, CBS Sports rules analyst Gene Steratore chimed in during the broadcast to express his belief that Pitre had committed a “hit on a defenseless player.”
“I think Tre’ Harris, he makes the catch,” Steratore told Spero Dedes and Adam Archuleta.
“But I don’t think he has time to protect himself. And we know in those situations, when that hit happens from Jalen Pitre at that point [of contact], he’s got to lower his target area. That contact, initiated to the head and neck, in that quick sequence after possession, I believe, is a foul for a hit on the defenseless receiver.”
Archuleta disagreed with either Steratore’s assessment or the reality, but Dedes noted that players have been fined for lesser infractions. The issue Pitre faces is whether the NFL’s view aligns with Steratore or Archuleta’s.
A hit on a defenseless player can lead to fines up to $17,911 (first-time infractions) and $23,882 (second-time infractions).
It also counts as one strike (out of three) toward a one-game suspension.
Three Chargers Players Could Face Fines
Pitre, To’oTo’o, and the Texans await the NFL’s decisions, but so do the Chargers, who saw three of their players flagged for fineable offenses during the contest.
In the first quarter, officials flagged Chargers cornerback Tarheeb Still for a face mask. It was during a third-and-3 Texans pass play from the LA 47. Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud’s pass intended for tight end Dalton Schultz fell incomplete.
LA’s Elijah Molden was credited with the breakup.
However, officials flagged Still for the face mask. That gave the Texans 15 yards and a first down, and Still now faces the same fine as To’oTo’o.
In the third quarter, Texans running back Woody Marks took a handoff on second-and-10 from Houston’s 11-yard line. He gained 6 yards, and officials flagged LA’s Teair Tart for a face mask, giving the Texans another 15 yards.
He joins To’oTo’o and Still in waiting to see if he will be fined over the call.
Officials flagged another Chargers CB, Donte Jackson, for “unnecessary roughness” in the fourth quarter.
Marks had taken another handoff, but this time for no gain. After the play, Jackson got into a dust-up with Texans tight end Marlin Klein. He delivered a blow to the rookie’s helmet/facemask, which the NFL could label as “striking.”
If so, Jackson could face a fine as high as $12,537.
That would be for a first offense. A second offense would incur a fine up to $18,507, though the NFL’s process is hardly uniform, from fine amounts to decisions on which penalties are fined.
Multiple Players Facing Punishment From NFL After Houston Texans Game