The ghosts of the past are finally catching up to Josh Allen’s offense. Merely a week after the Buffalo Bills secured a 23-20 road victory over the Cleveland Browns, the NFL has rained down with some tough decisions. That, too, against a player who isn’t really known for making blatant mistakes as he did in his last game.

As per the Week 16 Gameday Accountability report, Bills’ offensive tackle Dion Dawkins was handed an $11,593 fine for Unnecessary Roughness attributed to a ‘Helmet Opening’ offense.

The play in question reportedly occurred in the fourth quarter at the 13:39 mark last Sunday. On a third-and-4, Josh Allen dropped back and fired an incomplete pass toward Khalil Shakir. Dawkins, meanwhile, was locked in with Browns’ defensive end Garrett off the edge. As the rush closed, his hands rode up into Garrett’s helmet, popping it off.

The move may have looked unintentional, which explains why a flag was not thrown back then. However, the league rulebook defines helmet opening as “illegally grabbing, pulling, or twisting an opponent’s facemask/helmet opening, leading to penalties (15 yards) and post-game monetary fines”.

Notably, this marked the seventh fine or penalty-related discipline for Dawkins, and his first since December last year (unsportsmanlike conduct against the Los Angeles Rams). Incurring a total of $88,825 in penalties in his career, Dawkins’ past infarctions ranged from chop blocks to fighting and taunting, in addition to unnecessary roughness.

INGLEWOOD, CA – DECEMBER 08: Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Dion Dawkins 73 walks off of the field after an NFL, American Football Herren, USA game between the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams on December 8, 2024, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA. Photo by Jordon Kelly/Icon Sportswire NFL: DEC 08 Bills at Rams EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon2412083344

There’s no question how important he is to Josh Allen and this offense. But discipline does matter. Dawkins has been flagged nine times this season and ranks near the bottom among tackles in penalties.

Meanwhile, as Week 17 approaches, all eyes will be on the Philadelphia Eagles game, a test especially because…

Josh Allen loses critical weapons

The Buffalo Bills are barely a day away from their Week 17 matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles, and at least there’s some good news to start with. Josh Allen will be out there. After an injury scare in last week’s win over the Browns, the quarterback has progressed well through the week and is good to go. But that might be where the comfort ends for Buffalo.

The Bills could be thin on offense. Tight ends Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox are both listed as questionable for Sunday, as both are dealing with knee injuries. While they returned to practice Friday on a limited basis, they had back-to-back DNPs earlier in the week.

If neither can go, the depth chart gets uncomfortable fast. Fifth-round rookie Jackson Hawes is the only tight end currently on the active roster behind them. There’s also undrafted rookie Keleki Latu on the practice squad.

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On the other side of the ball, defensive tackles Jordan Phillips and DaQuan Jones have already been ruled out for the home finale. That’s a lot of size and experience missing up front against an Eagles team that doesn’t mind leaning on you for four quarters. So yes, it sets up as a tough night for Buffalo and Josh Allen.