The Detroit Lions are looking ahead to their next game on Sunday, December 14, against Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams, and they have an 8-5 record going into the event. It’s crunch time to make it to the postseason for Detroit.
But, on Saturday, December 6, the NFL announcement disciplinary action for two Detroit Lions players for actions taken against the Green Bay Packers during their Thanksgiving game. Both of these players are in trouble with the league for their Week 13 incidents.
On the subject of the Packers, the team has the strongest odds of any NFC North team this season to make it to the playoffs going into Week 14. Even though the Chicago Bears are No. 1 in the NFC North, the Packers have a better chance of doing than they do. According to NFL research, the Packers have an 88% chance of making the postseason, and if they beat the Bears on Sunday, that’ll go up to 95%. The Bears are at 74%, and if they beat the Packers, that’ll jump to 90%. The Lions have a 54% chance following their win over Dallas, and the Vikings are out.
Detroit Lions Players in Trouble
So, two Detroit Lions players are having to pay up. Each week during the season, the NFL announces penalties for players for actions taken during the previous week’s games. The NFL states on their official website that these actions are “to protect players from unnecessary risk and preserve competitive balance and game integrity.” Also, the NFL and NFL Players Association agree on the game-related rules violations that result in accountability measures before the season begins.
On Saturday, Dec. 6, the NFL announced its Week 13 punishments, and two Detroit Lions players are on the tally. One is Jameson Williams, who’s being fined $17,389 for an “unnecessary roughness” penalty for “taunting,” which took place at the 13:34 mark in the fourth quarter of the game. The other is Jack Campbell, who’s getting a $11,593 fine for “unnecessary roughness” with a “facemask” violation. That incident happened at the 2:42 mark in the third quarter.
Those are costly, but it could have been worse. Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco had the biggest violation in Week 13, with the NFL giving him a $46,371 fine for “unnecessary roughness” and “use of the helmet.” His actions took place in the third quarter at the 13:06 mark.
At least those fines will go to a solid cause. According to the NFL, the funds raised from those fines will go to the Professional Athletes Foundation to “support legends in need and the NFL Foundation to further support the health, safety and wellness of athletes across all levels, including youth football and the communities that support the game.”
Celebrating the Detroit Lions’ ‘Thursday Night Football’ Win
After the Lions’ win over Dallas on Thursday, Lions head coach Dan Campbell praised his team. At the same time, he admitted that there’s work to be done.
“Was it perfect? No,” Campbell said. “We still got some stuff that wasn’t good. We had some of these penalties. We had some young guys that we got to clean some of this up, false starts, stuff like that.”
He added, “But we overcame a lot. That’s what this team does. So, I’m proud of them.”
