Getty Dawson Knox runs after a catch in a game against the Cleveland Browns.
The Buffalo Bills made the New York Jets pay for an unnecessary roughness penalty late in last week’s win, and now the NFL is making the linebacker who made the hit cough up some of his salary as well.
The league announced that Jets linebacker C.J. Mosley has been fined $15,450 for the unnecessary roughness penalty he committed on a third-quarter pass attempt to tight end Dawson Knox. The penalty set the Bills up on the one-yard line, and running back Zack Moss banged into the endzone on the next play.
This is not the first time that an opponent has gotten in trouble with the league for actions toward a Bills pass-catcher. Earlier in the season, Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Rashad Fenton was fined for taunting wide receiver Stefon Diggs during a Bills win on Sunday Night Football.
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Knox Returns for Bills
The hit by Mosley may have caused a bit of concern for the Bills, as Knox was returning to the lineup for the first time since missing two games with a broken right hand. Knox had suffered the injury in a loss to the Tennessee Titans, and the Bills struggled without him in the lineup, averaging less than half of the 32.7 points they are scoring on average this season.
Knox has enjoyed a breakout season, catching 22 passes for 303 yards and five touchdowns this season and becoming one of quarterback Josh Allen’s most reliable targets. Allen spoke about Knox’s importance in the offense, as he leads the team in receiving touchdowns.
“[Knox is] a guy that’s big, powerful, strong, fast, and obviously he’s made some plays for us this year,” Allen said, via ESPN. “We’re going to need him to continue to make plays for us if we want to be successful.”
The Bills offense will get a boost today with the returns of RT Spencer Brown and TE Dawson Knox.
Bills Locked in Tight Divisional Battle
Mosley’s penalty helped the Bills to seal what could be an important divisional battle in an increasingly tight AFC East. Though the Bills jumped out to a healthy lead over New England, but the surging Patriots moved a half-game ahead after a Thursday Night Football win over the Atlanta Falcons.
The Patriots under head coach Bill Belichick have had a tendency to finish seasons strong, and Patriots linebacker Jamie Collins expressed some confidence in his team to continue playing strong to close out the season.
Mac Jones during the Patriots 5-game win streak | QBs:
🎯 87.2 PFF Grade (1st)
🎯 102.6 passer rating (2nd)
🎯 1,069 passing yards (3rd)
“It’s just the season,” Collins said, via The Athletic. “It’s a long season. It doesn’t matter how you start; it’s how you finish. It’s how you go through what you’re going through and come out the other side. Guys don’t blink over here. There’s a lot of personalities on the team. It’s fun coming to work every day. I’m excited to come to work every day because of the guys that are in the building. The guys I go to work with are grown men. Everybody takes their job serious. It’s fun, but when we work, we work. At the end of the day, we’re going to have fun working. Business is business.”
The Bills will have a chance to catch up with the Patriots, as the teams still meet twice this season including a Monday Night Football matchup in Buffalo.
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