Keith Smith will be parting with a hefty sum soon. Recent updates from the NFL’s transparency site indicate that the Atlanta Falcons’ fullback was slapped with an $87,418 penalty for excessive force following his move in the recent game against the Detroit Lions.
Now in his fifth year with the Falcons, Smith seemed to use his helmet first when he blocked Detroit’s Zonovan Knight. This resulted in the Lions’ running back hitting the turf.
This incident occurred during a kick return, and notably, the officials did not penalize the move.
In addition to Smith, the Falcons’ Kaden Elliss also faced a fine for excessive force. His tackle on wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown in the third quarter led to a $16,391 penalty. Interestingly, like Smith’s case, Elliss wasn’t penalized during the game.
However, the Lions weren’t free from penalties. Alex Anzalone from their team was penalized $13,922 for excessive force on a hit involving rookie running back Bijan Robinson, a hit that happened during Atlanta’s opening offensive play.
Detroit’s Brian Branch was hit with two penalties. He was penalized for his tackle on Robinson, incurring an $8,103 fine. Later, an incident where Robinson’s helmet was knocked off by Branch led to another $8,103 penalty for Branch.
Summing up, the entire game saw fines amounting to $133,937, according to the NFL’s transparency site.
