The NFL has fined New England Patriots center David Andrews $10,300 for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty during the third quarter of his team’s 33-21 loss to AFC East rivals, the Buffalo Bills, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport.
Andrews wasn’t the only Patriots O-Lineman fined and penalized for an unsportsmanlike conduct during the Bills game as Trent Brown also felt the officials and league office’s wrath.
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Many People Had a Problem With the Penalties Against the Patriots
Morey Hershgordon of WPRI12 captured video of the plays that led to the penalties and subsequent fines for Andrews and Brown. As you can tell by the use of the word “soft,” and the clown emoji, Hershgordon was not a fan of the on-field rulings. It’s pretty safe to say he probably doesn’t care much for the fines that were attached either.
The Providence Journal’s Mark Daniels Also expressed his displeasure with the calls.
Matt Milano got flagged for the hit, but David Andrews got flagged for “taunting.”
That’s another big penalty on the Patriot’s offensive line. The crowd is chanting “bullshit.” I agree.
During the postgame presser, Andrews didn’t get into the validity of the official’s call, but he did express regret for “hurting the team.”
David Andrews on taunting penalty: I have to be better. I take pride in not hurting the football team. I hurt the team.
As you can tell from the video above, Andrews’ penalty came as he was coming to the aid of rookie quarterback Mac Jones. After a rare scramble from Jones, he took what looked like a hard hit and many of the Bills defensive players were hovering over him.
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Andrews and a few other offensive lineman rushed over to ensure Jones had some space. Quite honestly, there probably shouldn’t have been a penalty on the play. It wasn’t as if a major fracas ensued. You can see this level of jawing on several plays in the NFL every weekend.
Still, it was called and the ruling only added salt to the Patriots’ wounds after the team produced a less-than-stellar effort in a game they really needed to win if they hoped to finish atop the AFC East this season.
As it is, the Patriots have an excellent chance to rebound on Sunday in their Week 17 matchup with the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars. While capturing the AFC East crown doesn’t seem probable at this point, a playoff berth is likely and they could potentially wrap it up with a win over Jacksonville and a little help from others.
Expect a Physical and Focus Performance From the Patriots vs. the Jaguars
One of the biggest potential issues the Patriots could have against the 2-13 Jaguars is overconfidence. However, considering New England is now on a two-game losing streak and desperately in need of a bounce-back performance, that probably won’t be the case.
It’s smarter to expect the Patriots to lean heavily on their offensive line and run game as they try to press the air out of the Jags early to regain some confidence en route to what Patriots Nation hopes is an easy win.
The Patriots will meet the Miami Dolphins in the final game of the regular season. There is a chance they will already have a playoff spot wrapped up by that time, but it’s still likely the Patriots will have something to play for when they clash with their division rivals.
The Jaguars game should set the table for a cracking finale.
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Patriots Lineman Gets Hefty Fine After Questionable Play