Alex Singleton could be facing another NFL fine after a helmet-to-stomach hit on Sam Darnold during Thursday Night Football in Week 6. Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos could hear back from the league this week on whether the play draws discipline.
Why it matters now is simple: the hit happened in a game the Broncos won, but the league can still review it after the fact. Singleton was officially credited with a quarterback hit on the play, which came in the fourth quarter after a second-and-10 snap from the Seahawks’ 46-yard line. Darnold completed a 4-yard pass to AJ Barner, Devon Key made the tackle, and the contact that followed is now the focus.
Pro Football Talk posted that the helmet to Darnold’s stomach should have been textbook roughing the passer. That matters because the NFL says roughing the passer can bring fines of up to $17,911 for a first offense and $23,882 for a second. If the league instead classifies the play as impermissible use of the helmet, the financial hit could rise to $23,882 for a first offense and $47,762 for a second, and it would add a strike in another category.
Singleton is already in a difficult spot with the league. He received an $11,492 fine after Week 1 for a late hit on Emmitt Johnson against the Kansas City Chiefs, then was fined $17,911 for a hit on a defenseless player against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2 before that penalty was rescinded. His appeal took away his first strike for the Jaguars hit, but he still has one strike for the Week 1 late hit, and three strikes in one category would trigger a one-game suspension.
The play was not flagged on the field, yet that does not protect Singleton from punishment. The NFL reviews every game, even when officials miss a foul during play, and no Broncos players drew flags for what would otherwise be considered fineable offenses. Byron Murphy was flagged for a face mask in the second quarter on a third-and-10 play from the Broncos 21-yard line, but that was a separate issue from the hit on Darnold.
That wider review lens is why this is more than a single snap. Denver punted on seven consecutive drives before winning in overtime, and the Broncos’ final touchdown came on a direct snap to RJ Harvey seven plays after the face mask penalty changed possession. The league could still decide that Singleton crossed the line, and if it does, the question is not whether the hit mattered. It is whether his next penalty becomes another fine or another step toward a suspension.
