The Seahawks may have ended Kansas City’s five-game win streak with a 20-3 win on Sunday, but one Seattle linebacker may end up paying for it. He went too far trying to keep Patrick Mahomes contained, and the win that looked so clean on the scoreboard could get expensive now.
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According to Heavy and Athlon Sports writer Nathan Dougherty, along with the on-field penalty, the league will likely impose a five-figure fine on Seahawks linebacker Uchenna Nwosu for executing an illegal horse-collar tackle on the chiefs’ quarterback.
On Sunday Night Football, the incident happened on a 3rd-and-7 play at the Seattle 30-yard line during the third quarter of the game. Right after Mahomes threw a short pass to Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker, Nwosu grabbed the quarterback by the collar of his jersey, pulling him down. The action was flagged by sideline officials, who issued a 15-yard penalty against the Seahawks.
Although the penalty was offset by Chiefs offensive lineman Joshua Ezeudu also being flagged for holding during the same quarter, it gave the Chiefs an opening to make a drive, which Harrison Butker converted into a field goal. But based on the league’s accountability lists for the previous weeks, Nwosu’s illegal tackle is unlikely to go unpunished.
This season, the NFL and NFLPA are jointly putting more emphasis on player safety, especially when it comes to violations related to high-risk infractions like hip-drop tackle, horse collar tackle, launching, hits on a defenseless player, and blindside blocks.
Although players will begin the 2026 season with a clean slate, players will be subjected to fines depending on the severity of the infraction. Along with the league imposing greater fines on repeat offenders, the third instance of a player committing such violations will also result in an automatic one-game ban.
The NFL has already punished Baltimore Ravens linebacker Trenton Simpson for a horse-collar tackle he committed during the second quarter of the team’s Week 4 game against the Tennessee Titans. Classified under the “Unnecessary Roughness” category, Simpson was fined $17,911 by the league for his first offense.
Meanwhile, Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Chris Blair, Carolina Panthers tight end Feleipe Franks, and New York Giants tight end Thomas Fidone were fined $5,972, $6,750, and $5,791, respectively for committing blindside blocks.
If these past fines are any indication, Nwosu can expect a penalty of $17,911, which is the mandated fine amount for a first offense, according to the official NFL rulebook for the 2026 season.
Seahawks Players Get Fined for ‘Unnecessary Roughness’ in Week 6
Tackles aren’t the only actions the NFL is cracking down on. The league includes moves like leading with a helmet, facemask contact, late hits, and body-slamming in its repertoire of illegal actions. Leg-whipping, tripping, kneeing, and low-zone blocks are also liable to get flagged. In fact, just a day before their Week 7 matchup against the Chiefs, safety Ty Okada and defensive lineman Mike Morris also appeared on the NFL’s official Week 6 penalty list.
Okada was fined for two separate player-safety violations during the Denver Broncos game, both of which occurred in the first quarter of the game. At the 5:46 mark, Okada attempted to trip Broncos running back RJ Harvey, which resulted in a $6,361 fine. Okada also committed a helmet infraction during a tackle against Broncos receiver Jaylen Waddle, which resulted in a second $6,361 fine, bringing his total to $12,722.
Morris’s penalty came at the start of the second quarter, when he charged helmet-first while tackling Broncos wide receiver Troy Franklin. The illegal play earned him a $6,808 fine, as it was his first reported violation of the season. Overall, the two Seahawks players racked up a total of $19,530 in Week 6.