Remember me
The Detroit Lions ran roughshod over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 14 en route to a 44-30 win that kept them alive in the NFC North division race.
It was a solid bounce-back win after suffering a heartbreaking 31-24 defeat to the Green Bay Packers the week prior on Thanksgiving Day.
While last weekend’s win was reason to celebrate for most of the team, there was an incident for one particular Lions player that proved to be quite costly.
Linebacker Alex Anzalone was involved in a highly controversial play in the final four minutes of the fourth quarter when he made contact with Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson on a third-and-3.
Offensive pass interference was called on Ferguson to the dismay of social media, which believed Anzalone was the one who committed the infraction.
More News: NFL Announces Punishment Decision on Shedeur Sanders Incident
More News: Steelers Could Face Punishment From NFL Over TJ Watt Situation
And while that incident dominated the headlines postgame, another play in the first half actually hit Anzalone even harder. The 31-year-old linebacker was fined $17,968 on Saturday for striking/kicking/tripping/kneeing in the second quarter.
The incident happened on a Cowboys offensive play away from the ball that ultimately resulted in a fumble by Ferguson.
He was the only Lions player fined in Week 14, which was the largest fine of the week.
More News: Browns Surprisingly Cut Struggling WR Day Before Bears Game
Saturday’s fine marked the second penalty for Anzalone this season. He was also hit with a $12,172 fine back in Week 6 for tripping a Kansas City Chiefs player. He appealed his fine, which got cut down to $9,738 (a little under $2,500 reduction).
Anzalone, who’s second on the team behind Jack Campbell (129) in tackles (79), also has seven passes defensed, three tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and an interception in 13 games. The nine-year veteran recorded 125 or more tackles in back-to-back years in 2022 and 2023, and he’s on pace for 104 tackles this season.
The Lions travel to SoFi Stadium on Sunday to play the 10-3 Rams in a game that’s crucial toward seeding in the NFC playoff race.