Why Broncos’ Talanoa Hufanga was fined $11,533 for Week 15 hit on Jordan Love

Head coach Sean Payton stirred up noise this week with a brief line about Jacksonville, calling the Jaguars “a real good team” while also referencing their “smaller market,” a phrasing that caught traction online ahead of a game with real AFC stakes.

With Denver rolling and every detail getting magnified, the conversation quickly moved from opponent-scouting to how the Broncos carry themselves in these tight, late-season spots.

Per Tom Pelissero, the NFL fined Broncos safety Talanoa Hufanga $11,533 for unnecessary roughness after shoving Packers QB Jordan Love’s head following a play in Week 15, and no flag was thrown.

The clip made the reason pretty easy to see. After Love was already down, Hufanga’s follow-through drove Love’s helmet into the turf, the kind of extra contact the league has been targeting even when it happens after the whistle.

The NFL fined Broncos safety Talanoa Hufanga $11,533 for unnecessary roughness — shoving Packers QB Jordan Love’s head after a play last week.

No flag was thrown.

pic.twitter.com/pYs5d3EwCN

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 20, 2025

That’s also what makes the fine stand out, the officials let it go in real time, but the league office still stepped in afterward with a number attached to it.

For Denver, it lands in a week where the spotlight is already bright. The Broncos are 12-2 and headed into Week 16 with playoff positioning on the line, and they’re trying to avoid the little, avoidable stuff that creates distractions, especially when the games get tighter, and the margin shrinks.

A fine doesn’t change a result, but it does become part of the weekly conversation, and it’s the type of thing opponents notice, too.

The Broncos’ defense has been dominant during the win streak, and Nik Bonitto’s mindset matched that tone. He said he still feels Denver has “a lot more,” pointing to details that could have been cleaner earlier in the last game, and he sees those small fixes as the difference between playing well and becoming the defense they believe they can be.

Now Denver heads toward Jacksonville with momentum, pressure, and expectations.

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