NFL punishes Stefon Diggs for his major mistake during Commanders’ loss to Eagles that made a comeback harder to attain
Stefon Diggs’ boneheaded penalty cost the Commanders a chance to tie the Eagles with around 10 minutes left in the game and now it cost him thousands of dollars after the NFL’s decision to fine him for the mistake.
The Washington Commanders lost a close game to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1 and Stefon Diggs’ unsportsmanlike penalty played pretty large role in the defeat.
And, it cost him a good chunk of change, as well. Per the NFL’s Gameday Accountability site, Diggs has been fined $14,296 for jumping and hugging the goal post after catching a 10-yard touchdown pass that made it a 17-15 game with right around 10 minutes left in the game.
The penalty backed the Commanders up 15 yards, which eliminated any chance of attempting a two-point to tie up the game. Washington still had a chance to tie the game at 24 later on, but failed to do so after Moro Ojomo sniffed out the shovel pass to John Bates and stopped the veteran tight end in hist tracks.
It was the sixth-highest of 20 fines from Week 1 and it only trailed the punishments handed out to Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs, San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk, Carolina Panthers defensive lineman Derrick Brown, Green Bay Packers EDGE Lukas Van Ness, and Miami Dolphins rookie cornerback Chris Johnson.
It’s easy to understand Diggs’ excitement at the time. It was not only his first touchdown as a member of the Commanders, but it was a crucial score that got the team back in the game. He’s also from Maryland, so it’s safe to assume plenty of friends and family were in attendance to witness the play.
Stefon Diggs is a veteran, so the hope is he doesn’t make another mistake that both hurts the Commanders and results in another costly fine.
Only time will tell on that front, however, and we could find out as early as this week when the Commanders travel to the Dallas-Fort Worth area to take on the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday afternoon.
