A New York Jets defender is in hot water for his hit against the Buffalo Bills late in the season finale.
The league on Saturday announced all fines for the final week of the regular season, including two against the Jets from Sunday’s game against the Bills. That included one player fined for the final competitive play of the game.
Jets Defender Handed Fine for Hit on Ty Johnson
The NFL announced that Jets cornerback Ja’Sir Taylor was fined $6,111 for a fourth-quarter hit on running back Ty Johnson. The hit came on a 4th-and-1 play just before the two-minute warning, with Taylor credited with a tackle on Johnson after the Bills running back iced the game with a first down.
The Bills were able to kneel out the clock after the first down, giving them a 35-8 win at the final game at Highmark Stadium before it closes this offseason.
Taylor was not flagged for the play, but the NFL regularly reviews games and issues fines even for plays that were not initially caught by on-field officials.
Former Bills defensive end Kingsley Jonathan, who signed with the Jets this season, was also fined for taunting in the third quarter.
The Bills rested many of their starters in the season finale, preparing for their wild-card round game after being eliminated from contention in the AFC East with a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles the previous week. Backup quarterback Mitch Trubisky had a stellar day against New York’s defense, throwing for four touchdowns.
Johnson also had two touchdowns in the win over the Jets, one rushing and one receiving.
Ty Johnson Suffers Injury Before Playoff Game
Though it is not clear if he was hurt on that play, Johnson has been nursing an ankle injury during the week and was listed as questionable for the team’s playoff game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
Johnson plays a critical role as the team’s third-down back and has been a steady receiving target for quarterback Josh Allen. As reporter Matt Parrino of Syracuse.com noted, the Bills would likely hand a bigger role to another backup to James Cook if Johnson is unable to play.
“If the Bills don’t have Johnson against the Jaguars, backup running back Ray Davis stands to get an increased workload,” Parrino wrote. “He’s found a new role as the team’s primary kick returner, and he’s thrived. He led the NFL with a 30.4 kick-return average during the regular season.”
The Bills have several other players nursing injuries, but head coach Sean McDermott said they were all trying to be ready for the game.
“The guys, they always want to play, but in particular, they all want to play in the playoffs,” McDermott said. “So you have to figure out what they can do. What’s functional level in order to function and do the job to the level we need them to do it at. If they’re not, if they can’t do that, then you’re going to have to make a hard decision. That’s been some of the conversations we have during the week.”
NFL Announces Punishment to Jets Defender for Hit Against Bills