NFL Week 13’s matchup between the New England Patriots and New York Giants turned into the kind of bruising, chippy game that usually leaves a trail of fines. Plenty of hits bordered on the edge; a few crossed it. One of the players who paid for it was Patriots veteran safety Jaylinn Hawkins.

Hawkins, in his sixth season and still without a previous fine to his name, won’t be able to say that anymore. The league docked him $9,944 for unnecessary roughness, the first fine of his career.

The play came early in the second quarter, an incompletion from the Giants’ QB Jaxson Dart to Theo Johnson. Craig Woodson had the coverage, Hawkins came in to finish the play, and he led with his helmet. It wasn’t malicious, but it was the kind of contact the league watches pretty closely.

It wasn’t his best afternoon overall. Later, Hawkins got caught flat-footed on a 30-yard catch-and-run by Darius Slayton, who turned him around and sprinted into the end zone. Still, New England walked away with a comfortable 33–15 win, their tenth straight, and improved to 11–2. Hawkins will take the fine over a loss any day.

The bigger theme, though, was just how physical the game became. Giants tight end Theo Johnson was fined $6,488 for unnecessary roughness, and corner Andru Phillips was hit with a $7,292 bill of his own. It added insult to what was already a long afternoon for New York.

But the surprising part? Christian Elliss, responsible for the two biggest hits of the game on Dart and returner Gunner Olszewski, wasn’t fined or flagged.

Christian Elliss escapes punishment

The hardest hits of the night didn’t come from Jaylinn Hawkins, Theo Johnson, or Andru Phillips. They came from the Patriots’ LB Christian Elliss. And somehow, he walked away without a fine.

The first one was the kind that stops a sideline cold. Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart broke loose along the boundary, trying to squeeze out a few extra yards instead of stepping out. Elliss closed in at full speed and detonated the play, sending both players sprawling.

Top Stories

NFL Makes Punishment Decision on Josh Allen Incident

NFL Makes Punishment Decision Against Cowboys on Chiefs’ Incident in Thanksgiving Game

Chiefs Owner’s Wife Sends Public Message to President Donald Trump Amid Calls to Rename NFL

Clark Hunt Gets Major News on Arrowhead Stadium After Chiefs Considered $800M Move

Michael Irvin Doesn’t Hesitate to Call Out George Pickens as Cowboys WR Responds to Richard Sherman’s Criticism

A few series later, he drilled returner Gunner Olszewski, a hit that left Olszewski with a concussion.

Regardless, the Patriots’ linebacker believes he did nothing wrong that night.

“I saw the scramble, I started chasing him down. He started tiptoeing on the sideline. I thought he was just going to go out of bounds, but then I saw him tiptoeing. So I was like, He’s staying in bounds — what am I supposed to do? We play hard on defense. We try to bring life to this team. I was just doing my job and hit anything in the whites,” he said.

The Giants clearly didn’t see it that way. Tempers boiled over immediately after the Jaxson Dart hit, with tight end Theo Johnson charging at Elliss on the sideline. Johnson picked up a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty for the shove after the whistle, and then, of course, the fine.

So when the league announced fines this week, Giants fans were already bracing themselves. And when Elliss wasn’t on the list, frustration only deepened.