Broncos player punished by the NFL ahead of important Rams game

It doesn't get much bigger in the NFL than a primetime game for all to see, and the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Rams have just that tonight. They play each other in Denver for a "Sunday Night Football" matchup.

Last week, the Broncos beat the Jacksonville Jaguars in a 20-13 game, so the Broncos are flying high on that win. Both the Broncos and Rams are 1-1 going into this game, so the stakes are high, and it's already an important early-season showdown.

But one Denver player is coming into the game after getting disciplined by the NFL. He was served with a fine on Saturday for actions taken in that game against the Jaguars.

Alex Singleton gets fined ahead of Broncos-Rams showdown

Each Saturday, the league makes decisions to discipline players for breaking the NFL's rules during the games the week prior. According to the NFL's official website , the league "uses the fine schedule to outline the league's and the union's expectations for players to conduct themselves in a way that honors the sport and respects the game, themselves, their fellow players, the fans and the league."

Over the weekend, the NFL fined Alex Singleton of the Denver Broncos $17,911 for unnecessary roughness after he was penalized for a hit on a defenseless player in Week 3. That's one of the bigger fines of the weekend, too. The NFL announced the news in the league's official accountability report .

He's allowed to challenge the punishment. But if he pays it up, the good news is that the fines collected go to the Professional Athletes Foundation and the NFL Foundation , so it's for a noble cause.