There were no fines for Saturday’s Wild Card Round matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Buffalo Bills, with one play in particular standing out for avoiding a fine. Late in the third quarter, Pittsburgh Steelers CB Joey Porter was hit from behind by Buffalo Bills OG Connor McGovern, a play that concussed Porter and knocked him out for the game. There was no flag on the play, and the NFL decided the play wasn’t enough to fine McGovern for.
It’s not a huge surprise that there was no fine given the lack of a flag, but it’s a play that got the attention of the Steelers. Pittsburgh S Eric Rowe said it was a “dangerous play,” with McGovern coming from behind to hit a defenseless Porter at the end of the play as he tried to make a tackle.
“It’s a dangerous play,” S Eric Rowe said after the game per Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “On the fact of player safety, he’s focused on trying to make a tackle, and it’s just like a block in the back they would call. It’s him just teeing off.”
I don’t think there was any malicious intent from McGovern, who appeared to launch into the block as Porter was falling back into him to finish the tackle. Had Porter been upright, it may have been a block in the back but the contact to the head would not have occurred. Still, it’s a hit from behind on a player not anticipating it, and it feels like the type of hit that would’ve been flagged and/or fined if it occurred on an offensive player.
There were four fines across the Wild Card round, with Detroit Lions safety Kerby Joseph, Houston Texans safety Jalen Pitre, Los Angeles Rams cornerback Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson and Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker K.J. Britt all getting fined for unnecessary roughness.
As of Mike Tomlin’s end-of-year press conference on Thursday, Porter was still in concussion protocol. Allen Robinson II also suffered a concussion in the game against Buffalo, hitting his head on the field after getting tackled the series after Porter’s injury. Hopefully both are able to recover quickly.
McGovern and the Bills, who beat Pittsburgh 31-17 on Monday, are preparing to take on the Kansas City Chiefs tomorrow in an AFC Divisional Round matchup at Highmark Stadium.
