The Atlanta Falcons shocked the NFL with their offensive performance in Thursday's35-14 win over the Green Bay Packers. Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Michael Penix Jr. all shined in the team's highest-scoring output of the season, but the offensive line made it all possible.
The group opened up holes for Robinson in the running game and allowed Penix time to operate in the pocket. While offensive linemen rarely get the credit they deserve, left tackle Jake Matthews received a different type of recognition from the NFL after Week 3.
Matthews was fined $11.941 by the league for an unnecessary roughness (face-mask) penalty in the second quarter of Thursday's win over the Packers, ESPN's Marc Raimondi reported.
#Falcons LT Jake Matthews was fined
$11,941 by the NFL for a face-mask unnecessary roughness penalty in the second quarter of the team's Week 2 game against the Panthers.
— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) September 26, 2026
The league has been cracking down on fines this season. According to NFL insider Tom Pelissero, the league issued over $300,000 worth of fines in Week 2. Many excessive celebration penalties have been handed out this year, some of which have been highly questionable.
We're not sure why players aren't allowed to celebrate when they literally put their lives on the line while playing a game. That's just life in the NFL, though. Luckily, most players make enough to afford the fees.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Falcons offensive tackle fined by NFL for unnecessary roughness
