Fine Friday again for Week 14

More may be forthcoming, but we begin with frustrations in Seattle with the blowout loss last week.  (per ESPN's Rob Demovsky):

• Seattle Seahawks:  Richard Sherman:  $18,231 for a cheap shot (not defenseless, or it'd have been far more, he was penalized double for a repeat offender).
• Seattle Seahawks:  K.J. Wright got a big one as a repeat offender.  His defenseless player hit cost him $48,620.
• A third Seattle player, Cliff Avril, escaped a fine for hitting an opponent in the nuts -- probably because it was one of those "in the pile" situations and no one could actually pick it up on the video, or at least that's what Demovsky says.
• Those two large repeat-offender fines catapault Seattle all the way from the middle of the table to threshold-passing range, so the team has another $50,000 to cough up.  (For the record, their opponents last week passed that threshold a couple weeks ago.)

Any other fines I can find:

• Denver Broncos:  Emmanuel Sanders:  For an illegal touchdown celebration -- throwing a football like a fastball in baseball????  Are you SERIOUS, NFL??  $12,154, and he did get flagged 15 for it too.  (Pro Football Talk)

OK, it's clear, and I'm not even sure at this point it's going to wait til next year.

First off, if the league is going to go this far, then it has to finish it:  15 from the previous spot for anything but handing the ball to the ref and going back to the sideline (no Lambeau Leap, no spikes, etc.), and it starts NEXT WEEK, No Fun League.  If you're going to go this far on it, then you might as well go the rest of the way too.

COME ON, MAN!!

• Sanders was chastised by his coach for the penalty, and the team probably added to it.  Denver has now crossed the first threshold, so, if the same penalties apply as in past years, that's $50,000 from the Broncos -- the sixth team to cross.
• Washington Redskins:  DeShazor Everett:  TWO TIME LOSER in the same game, and why wasn't he tossed for the pair???  Injured Brett Celek on a helmet shot, then took out Darren Sproles less than two minutes later!!  $24,309 for each, $48,618 for the pair.  (24-7 Sports)
• And, as you might suspect:  Washington becomes the seventh team to pass the first $50,000 threshold.
• The Aqib Talib situation was NOT FINED.  Talib started a fight after Harry Douglas cheap-shotted one of his teammates on the previous play with a helmet to the knee.  
• Douglas was NOT FINED FOR THE LOW BLOCK!!!
• Cincinnati Bengals:  Carlos Dunlap:  $18,231 for a horse-collar on the quarterback.
• Cincinnati Bengals:  Tyler Eifert:  $18,231 for a crackback block. (Pro Football Talk again for the Bengals fines.)

And more found Monday on Spotrac:

• Houston Texans:  Chris Clark:  $9,115 for a facemask.
• You guessed it:  Houston is also past the first threshold.
• Indianapolis Colts:  Erik Walden:  $9,115 for unnecessary roughness
• Indianapolis Colts:  T.J. Green:  $9,115 for roughing the kicker.
• Chicago Bears:  Cornelius Washington:  $9,115 for a facemask
• Oakland Raiders:  Jihad Ward:  $9,115 for a facemask.
• Atlanta Falcons:  Ra'Shede Hageman:  $18,231 for roughing the passer
• Atlanta Falcons:  LaRoy Reynolds:  $18,231 for a facemask

That's over $237,000 in direct player fines, tacking on another $200,000 for four teams crossing the first threshold this week (Houston, Washington, Denver, and Seattle).

Interesting statistic here, the eight teams (by what I have seen reported) to cross the first threshold for fines, and their current situation vis-a-vis the playoffs:

• New York Giants:  First NFC wild-card at 10-4, only two victories over Dallas this year.  Can win division and homefield throughout with two wins and two Dallas losses.
• Cincinnati Bengals:  Eliminated from the playoffs this week at 5-8-1. 
• Washington Redskins:  Playing Carolina tonight -- if they win, they're second NFC wild-card at 8-5-1.  If not, they're behind Tampa (who would have the wild-card with common games over Green Bay) and Green Bay.
• Seattle Seahawks:  Clinched the NFC West this week at 9-4-1, sit as the #2 seed in the NFC right now.
• Denver Broncos:  In it, but barely.  They're the third team at 8-6, and, hence, the ninth-placed team in the AFC.  They lose a three-way tiebreaker to Baltimore and Tennessee, and then lose head-to-head with Tennessee.
• Houston Texans:  Leads AFC South (#4 seed) at 8-6 and the one game won over Tennessee.  They play again in Week 17.
• Green Bay Packers:  One back from Detroit in the NFC North at 8-6.  Currently #7 or #8, depending on what happens with Washington -- of course, see post below on the division.
• New York Jets:  Just End The Season -- again.

So only two of the eight teams are out of the playoffs.  One is definitely in.  And the other five are all knee-deep or deeper in the run.

Next three teams on the list are Pittsburgh (#3 seed, 9-5, AFC North leaders), Buffalo (7-7, almost out but not quite), and Detroit (see Green Bay, #3 seed, 9-5, NFC North leaders).

So 9 of the 11 most-fined teams this year are in the playoff chase, and there's only 20 teams with any real shot left!