Buffalo Bills’ wide receiver Gabe Davis and defensive end A.J. Epenesa both received supplemental punishment from the NFL for their actions in Buffalo’s week 13 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Davis received a $6,500 fine for “unnecessary roughness,” on a play that was deemed “use of the helmet.” Davis caught a pass from Josh Allen on a quick slant in the red zone in the final two minutes of the first half. After catching the pass, Davis lowered his helmet as he initiated contact with the Steelers defender tackling him.
According to the NFL, this was ruled an improper use of the helmet, leading to the $6,500 slap on the wrist for Davis.
Epenesa received a heftier fine of $11,593 for “unsportsmanlike conduct.” Epenesa made a tackle on Pittsburgh’s Jaylen Warren in the third quarter, and though it wasn’t clear on TV, he must have said something that led to the fine for taunting.
No flag was thrown on the field, but it was ruled taunting by the NFL afterwards.
Davis and Epenesa Both Helping Bills Resurgence Lately
The Bills are playing some of their best football of the season in the last month, and have a massive game with the New England Patriots coming up in week 15.
Davis was signed in the middle of the season to help supplement the wide receiver corps. The 26-year-old spent the first four seasons of his NFL career with Buffalo, when he was an impact player for the team, catching 27 touchdown passes.
Davis and the Bills parted ways last season as he spent the year with the Jacksonville Jaguars, though he only caught 20 passes in 10 games. This season, though he’s been in a limited role in his four games, Davis has helped strengthen the WR depth for Buffalo and give Allen another option on the outside.
Epenesa has been a huge help for the Bills on the defensive side of the ball. The 27-year-old has 2.5 sacks, two interceptions, and 25 tackles this season. One of those interceptions came this past weekend as the Bills survived a scare against the Cincinnati Bengals in a snow game up in Buffalo.
Bills Look To Stay Alive In AFC East Race Against Pats
Buffalo fell in it’s first meeting with the Patriots this season, back in week five at Orchard Park. Now, with the AFC East title hanging in the balance, the Bills will have pick up a win on the road to stay afloat in the hunt for a top-four seed in the AFC playoff picture.
With New England at 11-2 and Buffalo at 9-4, the Patriots will clinch the AFC East with a win. A Bills win would elevate their chances from 11 percent to 24 percent, though they’d still need the Pats to lose at least one more game.
Buffalo has won the AFC East in each of the last five seasons, but are at a great risk of losing that title this weekend. With a high temperature of 34 degrees and potential snow on the radar for Sunday in Foxborough, Buffalo might be in a familiar climate for this heavyweight battle.
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