The NFL suspended Sam Franklin Jr. one game for unsportsmanlike conduct, which the league said was a spitting incident against the Raiders. The league announced it Wednesday. ESPN reported that Franklin will appeal, per sources. Adam Schefter's report, as relayed on r/nfl, used the same unsportsmanlike conduct wording.

Franklin is the second Bills player suspended this week over spitting at a Raiders player. NFL Trade Rumors noted that the league had just suspended fellow safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson for spitting as well. Yahoo Sports made the same point. The feed summaries we have don't say who the Raiders targets were, when in the game the incidents happened, or whether the two were connected. Outlets also list Franklin differently: PFT and NFL Trade Rumors call him a safety, while ESPN and Yahoo call him a defensive back.

The incident came in the 33-30 Bills win at Las Vegas on Sunday, Oct. 18. That result left Buffalo 5-1 and first in the AFC East, with a two-game winning streak. The Bills also beat the Rams 37-34 on Oct. 12, and their only loss was 29-26 to New England on Oct. 4.

Franklin's role this season looks modest, so the on-field loss may be small. He has played in all six games but has 6 total tackles, 2 of them solo, with no sacks or forced fumbles. Gardner-Johnson has been much more active, with 26 total tackles. The Bills could be missing both safeties at once, and that is a bigger concern than losing Franklin alone. The sources don't say whether Gardner-Johnson is appealing or how his suspension is being handled.

The Raiders are 3-3 and third in the AFC West, and they have lost three in a row. That includes a 45-17 loss at New England and a 30-27 loss to Kansas City. They play the Rams next on Sunday, Oct. 25.

For Buffalo, the next game is against Baltimore on Sunday, Nov. 1. If the appeal fails, the one-game suspension would presumably apply then, though the reports we have don't say which game it covers. The outcome of the appeal has not been reported.