The NFL's Thanksgiving game didn't just break viewership records, it was full of controversies. We're talking about the controversy from KaVontae Turpin's 26-yard kick return.

Ahead of Week 15, the NFL finally confirmed fines for the incident.

Cowboys safety Markquese Bell was fined for unnecessary roughness after a facemask penalty on Kevin Knowles.

Markquese Bell Receives a Fine From the NFL

Fortunately for the Cowboys, this was Bell’s first offense and he received the minimum fine of $11,593. Should Bell repeat the offense, he will be fined $17,389.

Bell has quietly become an important part of Dallas’ defense under head coach Brian Schottenheimer, and his growth has been easy to see through his one interception, three pass deflections, and 15 tackles this season.

Interestingly, while Bell came under scrutiny Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson had some good news. During the game, he jumped into the Salvation Army kettle after scoring a touchdown. However, it was eventually overturned, and the NFL is not fining him for the celebration.

For Dallas, the victory gave a major boost in the NFC, thanks to big performances from Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and George Pickens. It was the first step in trying to make it to the playoffs. However, after the loss to the Lions, that might just stay a dream.

As for their Thanksgiving opponents, the loss hurt even more deeply. The Chiefs went down to 6-6, and Week 14 just hurt them even more. After the loss against the Texans, they're now behind the Colts and the Ravens.

In the end, this entire story asks one clear question: as the playoff race gets tighter and every mistake becomes costly, which teams will stay disciplined enough to survive and which ones will let moments like these decide their season?

Written by

Mohd Mudabbir Ansari

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar