The Las Vegas Raiders and Dallas Cowboys didn’t exactly give us a showcase of clean football in Week 11. Flags were flying all around. The one that stuck with everyone, though, was Raiders defensive end Malcolm Koonce taking a swipe at Cowboys’ lineman Tyler Guyton’s helmet. And the league didn’t let it slide.

Koonce has been fined $12,172 for unnecessary roughness after striking Guyton in quarter 2, 2:00. It wasn’t a closed-fist punch, more of a flat-palmed shot, but it was always going to draw a penalty and a fine in today’s NFL.

As per Article 14 of the NFL’s rulebook, striking, kicking, tripping, or kneeing opponents is prohibited and is considered unnecessary roughness. That can also lead to a loss of 15 yards. Koonce was the only Las Vegas player to receive a fine in Week 11.

Koonce was flagged for the act on the field, but it was eventually rescinded. Fortunately for the Cowboys, it was declined because the Raiders also committed pass interference. That penalty moved them further down the field.

Plus, Guyton’s reaction didn’t help. Worried the officials might’ve missed it, he sold the contact hard. Head snapping back, arms up, then dropping to the turf as if he’d been blindsided. By the time he added a little extra roll on the ground, the flag was already out.

Koonce was previously flagged for roughing the passer in a game against the Jaguars and also received a penalty for grabbing a Washington player’s face mask. Plus, it has been a rough stretch for him. After a breakout 2023 that set him up for a bigger role heading into the final year of his rookie contract, he lost all of last year to injury.

This season was supposed to be the bounce-back, but he has managed just one sack through ten games.

And after signing a one-year, $12 million deal in the offseason, it’s hard to see the Raiders rushing to extend him. This latest incident certainly doesn’t help his case. But Koonce wasn’t the only player to feel the league’s disciplinary hand after that game.

The NFL punished two Cowboys players as well

George Pickens is playing the best football of his career, and life in Dallas seems to suit him… maybe a little too well at times. He put on another show against the Raiders, catching nine passes for 144 yards and a score, but he also walked away from that win with some unwanted news.

Pickens was fined $26,085 for unsportsmanlike conduct after his second-quarter touchdown, when he wrapped his arms around the goalpost in celebration. It wasn’t malicious, but it’s still against league rules, and as a repeat offender, the fine came in heavier than most expected.

Seattle Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba also received a similar fine in Week 7. He was fined $14,491 for dunking the ball over the crossbar in a touchdown celebration, but his amount was much less than Pickens’ since it was his first offense.

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Apart from Pickens, linebacker DeMarvion Overshown was fined $8,166 for unnecessary roughness after a late hit near the end of the second quarter.

On the bright side, the Cowboys finally put together a solid outing on both sides of the ball. The offense finally found its groove after a few rough outings, and the defense only conceded 16 points, which seems like a miracle this season. For Las Vegas, on the other hand, things just can’t seem to get any better.