Two Kansas City Chiefs players - running back Samaje Perine and cornerback Jaylen Watson - have been fined for incidents that occurred during their Week 3 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons.
Perine received a $8,333 fine for lowering his head to initiate contact with his helmet. It took place late in the first quarter on an 8-yard reception by Perine and he was not flagged on the play.
As for Watson, he was fined $5,591 for an illegal horse-collar tackle on the Falcons' last drive of the game. Unlike Perine, Watson did receive a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty on the play. Despite that, the Chiefs' defense was able to hold Atlanta's offense out of the endzone and secure the 22-17 victory.
In Perine's case, the NFL is cracking down hard on plays in which helmet-to-helmet contact occurs. The officials don't always see it at game speed, but the league reviews every play throughout the week. Watson's penalty was pretty cut and dried and shouldn't come as a surprise that he was fined.
Kansas City is doing a good job as a whole with penalties so far this season, tied for the fifth-lowest in the NFL. However, two Chiefs players have been fined each week of the season, and the Chiefs organization itself has received a fine. Let's hope K.C. can get through its matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday without the NFL hitting any player's pocketbooks.
