The NFL is penalizing a New England Patriots linebacker ahead of the team’s matchup with the Houston Texans on Sunday, a win that would advance them to the AFC championship game.
The league announced Saturday that Christian Elliss was fined $17,389 for unnecessary roughness/facemask on a play against the Los Angeles Chargers during the wild card round. The incident occurred in the second quarter with 9:16 remaining. Elliss retains the right to appeal the fine.
A Chargers player from last week’s game was also disciplined. Linebacker Denzel Perryman was fined $10,367 for unnecessary roughness in the fourth quarter with 14:01 left on the clock. These are the only fines of the season for both linebackers.
Christian Elliss Developing a Reputation of Facemasks Penalties
At 26 years old, Elliss is steadily making a name for himself, though facemask penalties have become a recurring issue. He was fined in late December for a facemask against the Baltimore Ravens.
This weekend’s fine ranks as the second-largest among NFL fines, a reflection of the reduced number of games and infractions during the postseason.
Back in Week 13 against the New York Giants, Elliss drew attention by aggressively tackling rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart along the sidelines on a scramble. The play was technically legal, as Dart remained in bounds, and Elliss was not fined, though many Giants fans on social media called for disciplinary action.
With the stakes high on Sunday, Elliss will need to stay disciplined—New England cannot afford costly penalties in the postseason.
In his second full season with the Patriots, Elliss has established himself as one of the team’s top defenders. He finished second on the squad with 94 tackles.
MVP Candidate Drake Maye Will Be Truly Tested
On the other side of the ball, quarterback Drake Maye faces the biggest challenge of his MVP-caliber season.
The former No. 3 overall pick posted the highest QB rating in the league, excelling at efficient passing and ball security. Only Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford rivaled Maye’s season, making the two frontrunners for the MVP award, which will be announced in a few weeks.
Both quarterbacks, however, are focused on the task at hand: advancing to Super Bowl 60. First, they need to win on Sunday. Stafford will face an inconsistent Chicago defense in the cold and snowy conditions at Soldier Field, while Maye will host the Texans, arguably the NFL’s best defense.
Houston not only ranked near the top in most defensive categories but demonstrated their dominance in the wild card round, holding the Pittsburgh Steelers offense scoreless and limiting them to just 175 total yards.
Also, if recent postseason trends hold, the mantra that “Defense wins championships” is proving true: both Denver and Seattle, also elite defensive teams, won their games on Saturday.
Still, the NFL is unpredictable. Maye has the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of another New England quarterback by outplaying a dominant defense. Sunday’s kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET and will air on ABC/ESPN.
