Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen has taken plenty of hard hits this season, but one of them just cost a New England Patriots player some money.
The NFL announced on Saturday that Patriots defensive tackle Cory Durden was fined for a hit against Allen in last week’s game. Allen was also in danger of facing a fine, but for the second straight week he escaped without punishment.
Hit on Josh Allen Leads for Four-Figure Penalty
The league announced fines for all Week 5 games on Saturday, docking Durden $5,722 for a hit on Allen in the fourth quarter. Durden hit Allen in the head/neck area, the league pointed out in its description of the fine.
Durden was not the only Patriots player to face punishment for last week’s game. Defensive tackle Joshua Farmer was also fined $5,591 for a late hit on Bills running back James Cook in the fourth quarter.
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel spoke out about Farmer’s penalty, saying the rookie defensive lineman did not hear a whistle and hit Cook. Replay showed that referees did not appear to blow the whistle until after Farmer’s hit, backing up Vrabel’s account.
“#Patriots HC Mike Vrabel said that rookie DT Joshua Farmer’s personal foul for a late hit last week on RB James Cook was because there was a late whistle,” noted reporter Evan Lazar in a post on X. “Farmer saw Cook possibly attempting to flip the ball back to Josh Allen, and didn’t hear a whistle, so he hit Cook.”
That was a valid concern given Allen’s history. In a win over the San Francisco 49ers last year, Allen took a lateral from Amari Cooper after the wide receiver’s progress was stopped. The Bills quarterback took the ball and plunged over the goalline, scoring a touchdown.
Allen could have faced a fine this week as well, as replay showed him swearing toward a Patriots player after a late Bills drive stalled and the team had to kick a game-tying field goal rather than push for a touchdown. But the NFL determined that Allen’s expletives did not qualify as taunting.
Allen was also seen making a gun motion during a win over the Dolphins earlier in the season, but he escaped a fine for that as well.
Josh Allen Getting Bumps and Bruises
Allen took some hard hits in last week’s loss to the Patriots, along with several other games. He has already been sacked eight times this year, having been sacked 14 total times all last season.
When asked early in the week whether Allen would have an injury designation, head coach Sean McDermott said he was dealing with some bumps and bruises but would play through it.
“Just sore overall,” McDermott told reporters. “As you saw, he took some shots there, and he plays extremely hard, but just sore overall at this point.”
The Bills had a chance to seize early control of the AFC East last week, but their loss to the Patriots kept New England just a game behind them in the division.
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