https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/week-1-had-no-fines-for-lowering-the-helmet
Seven years after the NFL made an unexpected rule change that has resulted in rare flags but many fines, the league started the 2025 season with, from the perspective of those who hand out the financial punishments, no infractions.
No player was fined for lowering the helmet and making forcible contact with an opponent.
It’s unclear whether it was a fluke or whether it shows that defensive players have figured out how to comply with a rule that was widely viewed when it was passed as virtually impossible to satisfy.
Then there’s the possibility that the league has revised its standard for fining players. In 2023, the NFL started announcing the weekly fines for on-field infractions. The league does not, however, disclose the outcomes of the appeals. And we’ve heard that plenty of the fines for lowering the helmet have been quietly overturned through the joint NFL-NFLPA review process.
Whatever the reason, it was surprising to see no fines for impermissible use of the helmet. We’ll see if any fines are imposed for the Week 2 games.
https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/week-1-had-no-fines-for-lowering-the-helmet
