NFL decides on Super Bowl punishments after Patrick Mahomes incident

Jalen Carter was not punished by the NFL for his hit on Patrick Mahomes, but two of his Philadelphia Eagles teammates were fined for their actions during the Super Bowl triumph over the Kansas City Chiefs.

Many fans thought that star defensive tackle Carter would be fined for unnecessary roughness after dealing a wicked blow to Mahomes’ helmet during a strip sack in the fourth quarter of the blowout Lombardi Trophy triumph in New Orleans on Feb. 9.

Carter, who was fined $17,445 for striking Washington Commanders center Tyler Biadasz in the helmet in the NFC championship game, was not flagged for the play, which resulted in Milton Williams landing on the loose ball. Williams, however, was fined for his celebration, dunking the ball over the crossbar as Philly closed in on a 40-22 victory at Caesars Superdome.

The officials did not throw a flag, but the NFL’s Football Operations department was not impressed by Williams’ conduct. The 25-year-old defensive tackle – a third-round pick in 2021 – was fined $14,069 for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Outside linebacker Jalyx Hunt also was punished for a celebration in the Super Bowl. After dragging Mahomes to the deck midway through the second quarter, the third-round rookie made a bow-and-arrow gesture. The celebration was a violation of the league’s rules on violent gestures and he was hit with a $5,690.

Money raised from fines is passed from the NFL to the Professional Athletes Foundation and the NFL Foundation to support former players in need and invest in safety research. Around $4 million has been donated to the causes each season since 2011.

Both players will doubtless be frustrated by having to send hefty cheques to the league, but that will certainly outweighed by the satisfaction of securing their first Super Bowl rings.

Mahomes and the Chiefs were chasing an unprecedented third straight Super Bowl win, but they proved no match for the Eagles, who physically dominated throughout the contest. Led by big contributions from both quarterback Jalen Hurts and a fearsome defense, the Eagles romped to a 24-0 lead at the half and rapidly extinguished any hope of a second-half fightback from the Chiefs by stretching the winning margin to 34-6 at the end of the third quarter.

Mahomes, who threw two interceptions in what was perhaps the worst performance of his career, took responsibility for the defeat. “Credit to the Eagles they played better than us from start to finish, he said.

“Obviously, the turnovers hurt – I’ve just got to take all the blame for that. Those early turnovers swung the momentum of the game, and they capitalized on them. It was kind of 14 points that I gave them and it’s hard to come back from that at the Super Bowl. I just didn’t play to my standard and I have to be better next time.”