Through the first four games of the season, the Buffalo Bills looked like they were well on their way to fulfilling expectations in a year when they were considered among the top Super Bowl favorites. Roaring out of the gate with four convincing wins by a collective score of 133-90, reigning MVP quarterback Josh Allen looked more than ready to lead the Bills to Levi’s Stadium on February 8.
But after two straight losses, including one to divisional rival the New England Patriots, followed by a dismal defeat to the Atlanta Falcons in which Buffalo managed only 14 points, the Bills seemed off the rails.
The Carolina Panthers in Week 8, coming-out of the Buffalo bye week, was exactly what the doctor ordered. The Bills righted the ship â a week in advance of a season-defining matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs â with a crushing 40-9 victory that saw running back James Cook gain 216 yards as score a pair of touchdowns.
But for one Bills star, the victory was costly one â literally.
Pro Bowl Edge Rusher Punished by NFL
With just 30 seconds remaining in the first half at Bank of America Stadium, Bills five-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Joey Bosa put Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton on the ground, recording his fourth sack of the season.
Or was it?
Bosa was flagged for tripping on the play, negating the sack and leading to a field goal try for Carolina â which as time ran out on the half, Panthers kicker Ryan Fitzgerald missed from 32 yards out.
But after reviewing the play, as they review all plays each week in the league, officials in the NFL operations department decided that Bosa deserved further discipline for the tripping offense.
According to the NFL’s Gameday Accountability report for Week 8, the “Unnecessary Roughness â Striking/kicking/tripping/kneeing” call will cost the 30-year-old Bosa $12,172.
Bosa a Frequent Fine Recipient
Bosa has the right to appeal the fine, but there has been no public report that he has decided to do so. Though NFL fines have been made public each Saturday during the season since 2023, players are generally notified of the disciplinary actions against them by a written letter delivered during the week.
The former Ohio State Buckeye, drafted by the then-San Diego Chargers No. 3 overall in 2016, is no stranger to the NFL’s punishment process. In fact, the fine announced on Saturday is the seventh of Bosa’s career.
All told, Bosa has been required to pay out $162,160 in fines over the course of his 10 year career â a total that now rises to $174,332. Previous offenses for which the league has seen fit to discipline Bosa include four roughing the passer calls, most recently in a game against the New York Jets in 2023 â and two cases of “verbally abusing officials.”
His most recent call for the latter offense came in the Chargers’ playoff loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2023, a game in which Bosa’s team blew a 27-0 lead to suffer elimination by a 31-30 score.
Bosa was obviously frustrated â and was playing injured as well.
“I think I need to be more accountable for my actions, obviously,” Bosa said later, as quoted by SI.com. “But it’s a heated game and I’m hurting out there, I’m playing on half a leg, I’m getting dragged to the ground. It could hurt me, along with screwing our team.”
That fine was the costliest of Bosa’s career, setting him back $55,546.
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