Right guard Tyler Steen was at the center of a huge fourth-quarter scrum in the Philadelphia Eagles‘ Week 16 win over their NFC East rival, the Washington Commanders, but according to ESPN insider Adam Schefter, Steen won’t face suspension for his role in the fisticuffs. Per Schefter, no players involved will.
The fight happened with over four minutes left in the game, right after Saquon Barkley’s successful two-point conversion pushed Philadelphia’s lead to 19 (the score was 29–10 at that point).
Commanders defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw threw the first punch, after which Steen got involved, going after Kinlaw. Not to be outdone, Commanders safety Quan Martin entered the fray and began throwing random punches at random players. It escalated quickly, but the league deemed that it wasn’t ultimately serious enough for anyone involved to miss any time.
Heading into Week 17, Steen will very likely be fined, but he’s expected to be available, which is huge for the Eagles, who are still battling for playoff positioning in a very talented NFC.
Eagles HC Nick Sirianni Comments on Tyler Steen Fight vs. the Commanders
GettyGuard Tyler Steen of the Philadelphia Eagles won’t be suspended for fighting against the Washington Commanders Week 16.
Two days after the Eagles’ win over Washington, head coach Nick Sirianni was asked whether he spoke to Steen about the fight. Sirianni confirmed that he did, but kept details in-house.
“He’s been doing a lot of good things,” Sirianni said about Steen. “Really athletic, great on the second level. He’s had a lot of good moments this year.”
“We never want anything like that to take place,” Sirianni added, referencing the brawl. “We want to play fast and physical, and we wanna be able to do that all within the rules of the game. I understand that the game gets chippy, but we always want to make sure we’re keeping our cool.”
The Eagles coach also discussed the overall dynamics a rivalry game like that can bring.
“It’s always back-and-forth in a division game,” Sirianni added. “That’s a team we played in the NFC Championship Game last year. I know how badly they wanted to beat us, I know how badly we wanted to beat them. We always gotta keep our cool in moments like that. But I think that’s NFC East football. It’s back-and-forth. They’ve got tough guys, we’ve got tough guys. I’ve got a lot of respect for this football team and their coaches.”
It’s a good thing for Philly Steen won’t face suspension, because they’re going to need him for a huge showdown looming Week 17.
Eagles Face Huge Test Week 17 vs. Buffalo Bills
Week 17 will be huge for Philly, as the Eagles head to Buffalo to face a streaking Bills team that can score in bunches. Buffalo is averaging 28.9 points per game (that’s fourth in the NFL), while Philadelphia is averaging 23.3.
On the defensive side, the Eagles are giving up 19.3 points per game, while the Bills are allowing 22.9. Both teams enter this game on winning streaks, with Philadelphia winning back-to-back games and the Bills winners of four straight.
One matchup to watch will be the Bills’ run defense, which is allowing 144.3 yards per game and is ranked 30th in the NFL, against Barkley and a Philadelphia’s ground game that has been looking better and better in recent weeks.
Both Jalen Hurts and Josh Allen are comfortable attacking off script, and both are used to playing in cold weather, so this one will likely come down to red-zone efficiency and whichever team plays better defense on third down.
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