Justin K. Aller/Getty Images Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks to pass against the Cincinnati Bengals on November 15, 2020.
On Saturday Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Sam Hubbard was fined $5,778 for his low hit to the right knee of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The hit—which occurred in the middle of the second quarter of Pittsburgh’s 36-10 win over the Bengals—drew a 15-yard roughing the passer penalty.
As you can see from the video clip below, the hit caused Roethlisberger’s right leg to bend awkwardly, and after he fell to the turf he clutched at his right knee. But he remained in the game and the Steelers capped off the drive with an eight-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster.
Bengals DE Sam Hubbard was fined $5,778 for this #Steelers
Bengals WR Tee Higgins Fined for Unsportsmanlike Conduct
Yet the fine assessed against Hubbard seems decidedly modest, especially when you consider that Bengals rookie wide receiver Tee Higgins was fined $9,291 (per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network) for dunking the ball over the crossbar after scoring on a two-yard pass from Joe Burrow at 10:37 of the second quarter.
Burrow and Higgins connect on 4th down for the TD! #SeizeTheDEY
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Higgins—Cincinnati’s second-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Clemson University—was not flagged on the play.
It’s also perhaps worth noting that Tampa Bay pass rusher Jason Pierre-Paul was fined $15,000 for a hit on Carolina Panthers quarterback Teddy Bridgewater–a low hit that went unpenalized by officials on the field. On the other hand, Bridgewater suffered an MCL sprain in his knee and is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions, so perhaps Bridgewater’s injury status played a role in the NFL’s decision.
Chiefs Visit with Stefen Wisniewski
In other news from Saturday, Field Yates of ESPN reports that the Kansas City Chiefs have had former Steelers offensive lineman Stefen Wisniewski in for a visit. Wisniewski—who entered the NFL as a second-round draft pick of the Oakland Raiders in the 2011 Draft—started two regular season games and all of Kansas City’s postseason games last year en route to the club’s Super Bowl title.
The Steelers signed Wisniewski, 31, as a free agent during this past offseason and he started the season opener at right guard in place of an injured David DeCastro. But he suffered a pectoral injury during the game, which landed him on injured reserve on September 18th. The Steelers activated him off IR on November 4th, only to release him just days later.
In addition to playing for the Raiders, Steelers and Chiefs, Wisniewski spent one season with the Jacksonville Jaguars (2015) and three years with the Philadelphia Eagles (2016-18), where he made 20 starts and appeared in 41 games. During the course of his career he has started a total of 104 games, winning a Super Bowl with the Eagles in 2017.
If he signs with the Chiefs (8-1) he should be available in time to play on Sunday November 29th versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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