The Dallas Cowboys‘ frustrating Week 15 loss to the Minnesota Vikings just got more expensive. During the second quarter of the game, when Dallas cornerback Caelen Carson threw punches at Minnesota receiver Justin Jefferson, the league was quick to notice and take action.

In its Gameday Accountability report for Week 15, the NFL has fined Carson $5,686 for unnecessary roughness with striking/kicking/tripping/kneeing. This is his first fine of the season.

At the 3:07 mark in the second quarter, on the 1st & 10 play at Dallas 21, as both teams fought for the ball in the middle of the field, Justin Jefferson was involved in a heated contest with Carson. The receiver first pushed the Cowboys player back, then charged up on him before the situation suddenly became violent as Carson threw a punch, which didn’t hit Jefferson. Referees threw multiple flags on the field as safety Marquese Bell came running and took Carson away. While getting away, Carson threw another punch, which again missed the receiver.

The referees penalized Carson 10 yards for unnecessary roughness during the game. We had already claimed that the league is stringent about such plays, and they would definitely impose a fine. The only thing to be seen was whether Justin Jefferson instigated Carson. But the league found no evidence to fine him. Other than that, the Cowboys didn’t play up to expectations and lost.

Another Dallas cornerback, Reddy Steward, was also fined $4,667 under unnecessary roughness with a horse collar tackle in the first quarter.

While the Week 15 loss has almost ended their chances of qualifying for the playoffs, head coach Brian Schottenheimer still wants his unit to put an all-in effort during the Week 16 game against the Chargers. He has identified key areas where they need to work.

Brian Schottenheimer reveals areas of improvement

During the December 19 episode of the Cowboys Huddle, HC Schottenheimer first praised the Chargers’ defense for playing a very physical game. But he then demanded that his offensive linemen step up and protect the quarterback, Dak Prescott, better.

“We got to protect Dak better. That starts with me and the staff putting together a great plan. You got to be good on third down to win the time of possession battle and to stay on the field, and that’ll be a big part of it,” the head coach said.

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The Cowboys’ signal caller has the ninth-most interceptions (10) among the starters for 32 teams. It affects their performance on third downs, which came down to a shockingly low 2 of 12 against the Vikings. If they can control that, they will have a solid chance of controlling the time of possession. Schottenheimer claimed they plan to make the Chargers’ defense play more than their offense.

Dak Prescott has been solid in his individual performance this year, having the highest yards per game (280.8) among all quarterbacks. But the losses have almost ended their hopes of ending the three-decade championship drought. Will a stroke of luck help them along the way? We’ll find out soon.