Commanders DT Javon Kinlaw Could Face NFL Punishment After Referee Incident
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Commanders' defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw could be punished by the NFL for making contact with an official in the team's loss to the Lions
Much of the 2025 campaign has been ugly for the Washington Commanders, and that held true in Week 10, as they suffered a 44-22 defeat at the hands of the Detroit Lions. The Commanders endured a complete meltdown on the defensive side of the ball that saw star defensive tackle Daron Payne get ejected early in the game for throwing a punch at Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown.
As it turns out, Payne wasn’t the only player on Washington’s defense who should have been ejected from this game. On the play immediately after Payne was ejected, defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw made contact with an official, which should have resulted in an ejection. While he did end up getting flagged on the play, it sounds like the NFL isn’t ready to let Kinlaw off the hook just because he didn’t get ejected.
NFL Eyeing Punishment for Javon Kinlaw
After making it all the way to the NFC Championship Game last season, expectations were high for the Commanders in 2025. Instead, the team has fallen flat on its face, thanks to a slew of injuries that have decimated their roster. With this loss, Washington now has a 3-7 record, which all but ensures it won’t be making the playoffs this year.
Injuries can’t be the sole reason for a team’s struggles, though, and it’s worth noting that several of the remaining healthy players have struggled this year. That is perhaps most true on the defensive side of the ball, as the Commanders have simply been unable to prevent their opponents from scoring on a weekly basis.
It certainly doesn’t help when some of your best players like Payne are getting tossed from games, but that’s just how this season has gone for Washington. Multiple reports have confirmed that Kinlaw should have been ejected from this game as well for appearing to shove an official, but the crew did not want to eject two players on back-to-back plays. Instead, it appears as if Kinlaw should be bracing for a fine from the league later this week.
“Kinlaw also wasn’t suspended,” Mike Florio wrote for ProFootballTalk. “If he was going to be, it would have happened by now. Instead, it’s likely he’ll be fined this week, with the league including the punishment in the usual Saturday afternoon disclosure of all fines from the prior week.”
Commanders Looking to Keep Dim Playoff Hopes Alive in Week 11
GettyATLANTA, GEORGIA – SEPTEMBER 28: Head coach Dan Quinn of the Washington Commanders looks on during the third quarter against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on September 28, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
Kinlaw sticking around in this game wasn’t enough to save the Commanders, as the Lions still throttled them. Chances are, Payne wouldn’t have made much of a difference in the grand scheme of things if he had stuck around, but this is simply the sort of thing these veterans shouldn’t be doing. The team is already in a tough spot; why go out of your way to make things worse?
Washington is barely holding onto hopes of a playoff push down the stretch of the season, and it will basically have to be perfect over its final seven games. That starts with getting a win in Week 11 when the team takes on the Miami Dolphins in Madrid, Spain. With the game being played overseas, kickoff for this contest is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. ET.
The Commanders can turn a negative into a major positive that will have long-term impact as well on a young player
Payne has been one of the more productive players on defense, even with all of their struggles, and he leaves big shoes to be filled. Quinn talked about how much of a loss it is for the defense, and Johnny Newton will be the starter on Sunday with Payne out.
"Yeah, we'll miss Daron [Payne] for sure inside," Quinn said. "His presence, the physicality. Johnny Newton and Javon Kinlaw will be the two who will feature the most inside. And then Eddie Goldman
and Sheldon Day would be there behind them. But we're pleased with the development that
Johnny's taking, especially on the pass rush side. He has had some injuries coming into last year and
I felt like it took him this season, this preseason, to hit his stride and hit the next spot. And I feel like he's doing that. So, we'll lean in more on him for sure here.”
Newton hasn't played a ton of snaps this season, with 220 through the first 10 games. That's an average of 22 snaps per game, and his total is 92nd in the league. To give context, the Commanders played 70 defensive snaps against the Lions, and they need to see more of what Newton brings.
We haven't heard Newton's name much this season outside of the tipped ball that Mike Sainristil intercepted against the Los Angeles Chargers, but he's quietly put up 13 pressures, nine hurries, and two sacks. They need all the production they can get for a pass-rushing unit that has struggled since they lost Dorance Armstrong for the season. Newton's development is also a huge factor in the rebuild of the defense that will happen this offseason, as a young piece of the roster.
