The Los Angeles Rams left SoFi Stadium with another painful loss on Monday night. But for left tackle Alaric Jackson, the 37-34 overtime defeat to the Buffalo Bills brought a problem that went beyond the final score.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
“Just in: #Rams LT Alaric Jackson has been suspended 2 games for punching Bradley Chubb after their game on Monday night,” NFL Insider Ari Meirov reported on X on Tuesday. “LA won’t have Jackson in Week 6 vs. Arizona and Week 7 vs Las Vegas.”
The suspension leaves Los Angeles dealing with a significant personnel loss after an already frustrating night.
The incident happened near midfield as players from both teams exchanged jerseys and spoke after the final whistle. Jackson was trading jerseys with Bills defensive lineman Deone Walker when Chubb appeared to say something to him. Jackson then walked toward the Buffalo linebacker and threw a punch with his right hand, knocking Chubb’s hat off.
Rams tight end Colby Parkinson quickly pulled Jackson away as players moved in to separate the two. Chubb did not throw a punch in response, although Bills teammates also held him back as tensions rose.
Chubb later addressed the altercation while speaking to the California Post in the Bills’ locker room. He described the game as emotional and said he chose not to escalate the confrontation.
“It’s just emotions, you know what I mean? Emotional game. It was a close game,” Chubb said. “And you know, they always catch the second guy. So, I let him swing. And then my teammates held me back, and I just chilled.”
Chubb’s remark about officials catching the second person suggested he was aware of the consequences of retaliating. He did not name Jackson during the interview, instead pointing to the footage of the incident.
“Somebody swung, but hey, that’s not on me to tell who,” Chubb said. “There’s cameras out there. I just know, you know what I’m saying, I’m just ready for next week.”
Chubb also played down any concerns about his condition. When asked whether the punch connected, he avoided giving a direct answer and reiterated that he was ready for the next game.
“Like I said, it was emotional game. Tempers got flared,” he added. “But it is what it is. We flushed it and we onto next week.”
Neither team addressed the altercation at its postgame news conference. Bills safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, however, reacted on social media, writing on X: “So what we gone do about dude hitting Chub!”
Jackson has faced NFL discipline before. He was suspended for the first two games of the 2024 season for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. The latest suspension follows a separate incident and comes after he threw a punch following Monday night’s game.
The timing is difficult for the Rams, who dropped to 2-3 after Buffalo’s Tyler Bass kicked a 45-yard field goal with 1:55 remaining in overtime. Los Angeles will host the Arizona Cardinals in Week 6 before facing the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 7, with Jackson set to miss both games.