Jameson Williams was penalized during the game for his interaction with Tyrique Stevenson on Thanksgiving, but it was the Bears cornerback who ended up with a fine.

What initially appeared to be an exciting matchup between Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams and Chicago Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson in Week 13 turned out to be relatively uneventful, with Williams catching just one pass on one target for eight yards when lined up against Stevenson on Thanksgiving Day.

However, Williams and Stevenson did have a separate incident later in the game. With under 10 minutes remaining, Williams was forced out of bounds near the Bears’ sideline, with Stevenson close by.

Williams received a 15-yard penalty for throwing the ball at Stevenson, hitting him in the face, which Williams admitted was a mistake immediately after the game. The penalty could have been damaging to the Lions, forcing them to settle for a field goal, if not for the Bears fumbling the end of their final drive.

Stevenson apparently said something provocative to Williams, which led to a response from Williams and the ensuing throw. The accuracy of the throw was almost too precise to seem entirely accidental, but the “second guy always gets caught” rule applied when Williams was flagged.

Upon closer inspection, Stevenson also appeared to trip Williams after he was out of bounds. The league likely took note of this potential unsportsmanlike conduct, as well as the possible attempt to injure, when reviewing the play. It added an ironic twist that Stevenson was no longer even in the game when the incident occurred.

Tyrique Stevenson faces a significant fine for his role in the play with Jameson Williams.

Although it seemed improbable that Williams would face any additional penalties after the fines were handed out for Week 13 infractions, that turned out to be the case. However, Stevenson did receive a notable fine.

Stevenson was fined $19,697 for tripping Williams. This fine was notably larger than those given to players like Lions safety Brian Branch for similar offenses this season. The league determined Stevenson was in the wrong, confirming what any objective analysis of the play would have concluded.