The NFL is all about cracking down on certain rules in 2024 and its not having any trouble handing out accompanying fines in order to prove a point/curtail certain behaviors on the football field.
Three Chicago Bears were fined for multiple infractions during the team's Week 2 matchup against the Houston Texans. The biggest one being starting linebacker T.J. Edward's fine for a hip-drop tackle on Texans running back Joe Mixon. Edwards was fined $16,883 dollars on Saturday, which is tied for Week 2's second-biggest fine. Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase was fined over $31k for his unsportsmanlike penalty during Cincy's matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs.
The other two Bears players are defensive lineman Zacch Pickens and cornerback Tyrique Stevenson. The former was fined $7k for a roughing the passer call that involved a blow to the head of Texans quarterback CJ Stroud and the latter was fined $8,143 for taunting.
Edwards' penalty stirred up some controversy, however, because he wasn't flagged during the game. It was a bit confusing, especially since it looked like the infamous call the NFL is putting a lot of emphasis on stopping in 2024. At the same time, the league doesn't have a 100%, objective definition of the play, so calls like Edwards' can be missed during a game.
Mixon won’t play in the Bengals' Week 3 matchup against the Washington Commanders, due to the ankle injury he suffered on the following play:
Mixon also called out the NFL because no flag was thrown.
No one likes having money taken away from them, but at the same time, the NFL's inconsistency with the hip-drop tackle stuff is only going to lead to more frustrations until the league gets it fully figured out. It's a big reason why waiting until 2025 was a better idea than going ahead and starting the "revolution", now.
