The Kansas City Chiefs are in the spotlight again, this time with Patrick Mahomes and company set for a “Sunday Night Football” meeting with the Indianapolis Colts. The Chiefs are coming off a 31-10 win over the Denver Broncos in Week 1, and the early signs point to a team that looks sharper and hungrier than it did at this stage a year ago.
But just before that primetime matchup, the NFL handed down punishment tied to the Broncos game. On Saturday, the league fined Chiefs guard Trey Smith $6,750 for a play at the 9:50 mark of the fourth quarter.
Smith was flagged for a “chop block” on the sequence, and the penalty came with a 15-yard mark against Kansas City. The Chiefs had the ball at their own 34 when running back Emmett Johnson went left and officials threw the flag on Smith.
The NFL’s fine system is part of its standard disciplinary process, used when a player’s actions meet the league’s criteria for punishment. According to the NFL’s official website, the league "uses the fine schedule to outline the league's and the union's expectations for players to conduct themselves in a way that honors the sport and respects the game, themselves, their fellow players, the fans and the league."
Not every fine follows a game-time penalty, either. In some cases, the league reviews a play afterward and decides it calls for discipline. In Smith’s case, the review led to a financial hit, and the money will go to the Professional Athletes Foundation to help Legends in need and the NFL Foundation to help "support the health, safety and wellness of athletes across all levels, including youth football and the communities that support the game."
In Other News...
Broncos Run Game Just Lost A Piece Sean Payton Needed
RJ Harveys availability has become a fresh concern for a Broncos offense trying to lean on its run game early in the season. The rookie back was already coming off a game in which his workload was limited, and missing practices late in the week points to a hamstring issue that now puts him on the sideline for the upcoming matchup with Jacksonville.
J.K. Dobbins is expected to step into the lead role in Harveys absence, giving Sean Payton a more established option to carry the load. For a Denver offense that wants balance and consistency on the ground, losing Harvey removes a piece the staff had hoped to use, and leaves the backfield alignment a little thinner heading into a tough test. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Land In Another Chiefs Flashpoint After Mahomes Hit
A brief NFL review of Nik Bonittos hit on Patrick Mahomes has landed Denver back in one of the leagues most closely watched rivalries, but not with the kind of punishment the Chiefs might have hoped for. The Broncos edge rusher got to Mahomes after a short throw in Kansas City, with the contact appearing to come around the quarterbacks head and neck, yet the league ruled it legal and did not issue a roughing-the-passer penalty or fine.
The game itself still produced its share of discipline, with Chiefs guard Trey Smith and Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton each fined for separate infractions. For Denver, though, the Bonitto ruling keeps alive another familiar Chiefs flashpoint, the kind of moment that tends to linger long after a matchup the Chiefs ultimately won. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Win Helps But Bo Nix Still Leaves A Bigger Concern
The Broncos got the kind of early-season result they needed in Week 2, beating the Jaguars and moving back to .500, but the win did not exactly erase the questions that followed them off the field. There were useful contributions around the roster, and the defense did enough to tilt the game Denvers way, yet the overall performance still had the uneven feel of a team trying to settle its identity on the fly.
What lingers is the offense, where execution was spotty, penalties kept piling up at bad moments and the coaching choices did not always make life easier. Bo Nixs issues against zone coverage remain the bigger concern for Denver, because even with the standings in better shape, the Broncos know their margin for error will tighten fast if the passing game keeps running into the same problems. [Read more 🡒]