The Carolina Panthers were staring at a clean runway not too long ago. Everything felt lined up, and momentum was building after their last win over the mighty Los Angeles Rams. Then came the stumble, and the loss to the New Orleans Saints did more than hit the standings. And now, the NFL is stepping in with a punishment decision tied to a Bryce Young incident, which only adds more weight to an already tense moment.

On Saturday, the league announced a fine that landed squarely on Carolina’s side. Panthers offensive tackle Ikem Ekwonu was hit with an $11,593 fine for unnecessary roughness.

The play came after a late sequence near the sideline. Ekwonu retaliated following contact on the quarterback. Meanwhile, Saints defensive end Cam Jordan walked away clean.

After Jordan delivered a shove, Ekwonu reacted. He grabbed the veteran defender while Jordan was already out of bounds. He jostled him, and flags followed. The officials penalized the response, not the initial contact. Jordan was not called for anything.

However, the story did not end there. Even after the final snap, Jordan kept chirping. The Saints pass rusher posted the clip and took another shot online.

“The play the slovenly feller took a cheap Shot at me like a confused rhino in heat,” Jordan posted on X. “After reviewing, [I] walked em down, pushed (Bryce Young) out of bounds, while he was where? In bounds.”

Finally, Ekwonu addressed it head-on.

“I feel like it’s a pretty simple thing in the league, you know,” Ekwonu told Carolina Blitz after the game.

“[If a] guy hits your quarterback late out of bounds, there’s retaliation involved in that. I’m not talking about the refereeing, but I was a little surprised that there wasn’t a flag for a late hit on that, if I’m being honest. At the end of the day, I have to be smarter. I don’t want to negatively impact my team. I want to defend my guys to the highest capability I can, but I don’t want to stall the drive like I did there, so I’ve got to own that.”

However, this is not the only punishment the NFL provided in this matchup.

After the Bryce Young incident, NFL fined four more players

The Saints pulled one out of the fire in Week 15, as they edged the Panthers 20-17. And it was dramatic. With two seconds left, Charlie Smyth drilled a 47-yard kick to seal it. That swing handed New Orleans a season sweep and sent the Saints into a frenzy after one of the wildest NFC South finishes of the year.

Before that kick, the Saints had work to do. They entered the fourth quarter down 17-10. Still, the fight never dipped. Rookie quarterback Tyler Shough stayed calm. He moved the chains. He found Chris Olave for the tying score. Earlier, Devin Neal had already powered in a short rushing touchdown to keep things close. Eventually, that late push flipped the game and silenced Panther Nation.

Meanwhile, the noise did not stop after the final whistle. On Saturday, the league dropped its Week 15 fines list. Notably, the Saints topped the chart. Three New Orleans players landed on the list for on-field conduct. No other team crossed that mark. As a result, the win came with a financial sting.

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Specifically, the league handed out three separate fines. Offensive tackle Kelvin Banks took an $11,593 hit for taunting during a third-quarter moment. Linebacker Danny Stutsman followed with a $6,095 fine tied to unnecessary helmet use. Then Devin Neal picked up a $5,015 fine for what the league called a violent gesture. Not one other team had more than two players fined, including the Panthers.

The NFL also fined Panthers corner Michael Jackson $20,611. That number stood as the second-highest fine league-wide in Week 15. The punishment stemmed from unnecessary roughness and helmet use on Olave with 7:44 left in the fourth quarter. Notably, officials did not flag the play during the game. Still, the league made its stance clear afterward.