New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones was fined twice after the team’s Week 16 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Jones was fined $13,367 for his low block attempt against Bengals cornerback Eli Apple. Jones was also fined $10,609 for a separate unnecessary roughness violation after Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson fumbled.
Jones received a lot of criticism for his blocking attempt on Apple. The game happened with just over six minutes left in the game. Jones was pressured on play and tried to get the ball off before taking a sack. Bengals defender Germaine Pratt picked up the ball and started running towards the end zone. Jones chased after Pratt, but was not going to reach him. Instead, Jones looked behind him and dove into Apple’s legs as he ran towards the end zone.
The game was called off after it was determined that Jones threw an incomplete pass.
Jones was not penalized for this game. After the game, Apple called Jones out for being “a dirty player”. Jones addressed that quote ahead of Week 17, saying everyone has an opinion, but his focus is on being “the best teammate” he can be.
Other NFL players echoed the “dirty” player sentiment with Jones.
The play that resulted in the second fine came late in the game. With the Patriots driving, Stevenson fumbled the ball. The camera angle made it hard to see, but Jones appeared to push a Bengals player into the fray after the fumble. The push takes place around the 19th second of this video. Jones enters the pile around the 10 seconds mark.
Jones was penalized for gambling at the time. The show, however, did not show replays of Jones’ unnecessary roughness penalty.
Jones will start when the Patriots face the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. With a win, the Patriots could knock the Dolphins out of the playoffs. At 7-8, the Patriots are currently the No. 8 seed in the AFC. A win over the Dolphins would put New England in the playoffs with just a week left in the regular season.
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