Pittsburgh Steelers safety Jaquan Brisker, Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown and Las Vegas Raiders safety Jeremy Chinn received NFL fines for Week 8 hits that left opponents in concussion protocol. The league issued 31 fines for the week, its second-highest weekly total this season, behind the 38 handed out in Week 2.
Brisker was fined $17,911 for contact to the head or neck of Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson. The hit came less than 90 seconds into Pittsburgh's victory and resulted in a roughing the passer penalty. Brisker strongly criticized the call afterward, describing it as “Babying the quarterback” and saying he expected a fine despite maintaining that he had made contact with his chest.
Watson left the game briefly, with Shedeur Sanders taking over and throwing two passes before Watson returned to finish the contest. Watson subsequently practiced ahead of Cleveland's Week 9 meeting with the New Orleans Saints and cleared concussion protocol on Saturday. The Browns nevertheless announced that Sanders would start against New Orleans.
Overshown received a $9,528 fine for using his helmet on a hit against Arizona Cardinals running back Bam Knight. The contact knocked the ball out of Knight's hands, and Dallas recovered the fumble. Officials did not penalize the play during the game, but the NFL reviewed it afterward and imposed the financial punishment.
Knight did not participate in practice during the week and will miss Arizona's divisional matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. His absence follows the hit that put him in concussion protocol, one of the three incidents involving the prominently fined defenders.
Chinn's $17,911 fine stemmed from a hit on New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson, whom the league classified as a defenseless player on the play. Wilson caught the ball near the sideline before the players' helmets collided. The incident occurred one snap before Chinn intercepted a pass in the end zone to secure the Raiders' victory.
Wilson remained on the field for the Jets' final offensive snap but reported concussion symptoms the following day. New York placed him in concussion protocol by midweek and later ruled him out of its Week 9 game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Across the first eight weeks of the season, 223 plays resulted in fines. The Week 8 total placed that round of games behind only Week 2 for the number of financial penalties issued by the league.
