🏈 NFL fines Roquan Smith $17,911 for facemask on Josh Allen

The NFL fined Baltimore Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith $17,911 for unnecessary roughness (facemask) on Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, according to Yahoo Sports, which says the league handed down the punishment on Saturday, Nov 7. Tom Pelissero's post on Twitter that day carried the same figure, as embedded in that report.

Scoreboard first. Yahoo Sports (republishing HEAVY) says the fine covers Smith grabbing Allen's facemask and twisting his head on a goal-line touchdown in Buffalo's 36-10 win last Sunday. The report adds a second $17,911 fine for a hit on a defenseless player, when Smith hit Bills receiver DJ Moore across the middle in the first quarter. Total, per that report: $35,822. Neither play was flagged.

The rule cited, as Yahoo Sports describes it, is unnecessary roughness for the facemask and a separate hit-on-a-defenseless-player violation for the Moore play. The report says the league did not suspend Smith. Capaccio reported that the facemask amount was set higher because it was Smith's second offense this season; he had been fined $11,941 for the same infraction in Week 2.

A separate Yahoo Sports item, from Bills Wire, reports the same fine but names Ravens defender Patrick Queen as the player fined, while quoting Capaccio's figure for Smith. Only the HEAVY-sourced report is relied on here for who was fined.

"not something you want to see in football"

Bills head coach Joe Brady on the play, per Yahoo Sports (HEAVY)

The response

Brady told reporters he did not know about the play until after the game and was surprised there was no penalty, while acknowledging, "That's obviously not my place," per Yahoo Sports. No response from Smith or the Ravens to the fine was found in the reports read. Allen stayed in the game and, per Yahoo Sports, did not appear to be hurt.

What happens next

The reports read do not say whether Smith will appeal, and they state no further league step. What is known: the fine was announced, no suspension was issued, and the reports read give no date for anything further.

Backstory

Yahoo Sports says the Week 2 facemask came on Saints quarterback Tyler Shough's game-winning fourth-down sneak in a 24-17 New Orleans win in Baltimore; officials missed it, and the NFL later fined Smith $11,941. The report also lists earlier fines: a horse-collar tackle against the Kansas City Chiefs in 2024 ($16,883), a facemask against the Los Angeles Rams in 2023 ($10,927) and roughing the passer against the Detroit Lions in 2023 ($16,391). The reports read give no league-wide tally of fines for hits on quarterbacks.

As of Nov 8, 2:49 AM ET, the confirmed part is the fine: $17,911 for the facemask on Allen and $17,911 for the hit on Moore, per Yahoo Sports (HEAVY). Still pending or unknown: any appeal, any comment from Smith or the Ravens, and any league-wide count of quarterback-hit fines. One Bills Wire item names a different player, so that detail stays unresolved.